REM - Daysleeper Meaning

Song Released: 1998

Daysleeper Lyrics

Receiving department, 3 a.m.
Staff cuts have socked up the overage
Directives are posted.
No callbacks, complaints.
Everywhere is calm.

Hong Kong is present
Taipei awakes
All talk of circadian rhythm

I see today with a newsprint...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 31st 2011 !⃝

   Hi all, this is our interpretetion of the song. We think that his gender and his principles are at the heartbeat of the song. The references to day and night are a reflection to societies' view in the modern world! The newspaper reference can be his reluctance to embrace the world that makes him an outcast!He has more peace at night, if you know what i mean! It's the way our world is driven these days! Sad, but true!!!

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
2. ben

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   Aug 15th 2009 !⃝

   The person in this song works the night shift presumably printing newspapers, hence the imagery about the newsprint fray and the references to stories in the daily paper such as the bull and the bear (stocks), Hong Kong and Taipei (international).
   
   The emphasis is on how living around such an unnatural sleep schedule is damaging his health (circadian rhythm), causing him depression and emotional problems (I cried the other night/I can't even say why). The ocean machine is one of those sleep machines that plays the sounds of the waves, he's having to crank it up to 9 just to try to sleep through the day.
3. anonymous

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   Feb 11th 2008 !⃝

   Well its pretty obvious it's about a person who works nights and sleeps in the day...