REM: Losing My Religion Meaning

Song Released: 1991

Losing My Religion Lyrics

Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to...

1. x_lily_x

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   Nov 23rd 2007 !⃝

   I don't think it's about religion, I think it's about faith. And seeing as religion is all about faith, it's a clever connotation to make.
2. anonymous

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   Oct 1st 2007 !⃝

   And by the way - why does every song interpretation here have entries for: ex, sex, virginity, cheating? We need to clean up our lives a little - it's showing on the internet.
3. anonymous

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   Oct 1st 2007 !⃝

   Did any of you see the video? It looks like a religious song to me. (Btw, I'm not Christian so pls don't start...).
   
   From Saint Thomas we get "Doubting Thomas" in English. He would not believe that Christ was crucified and then came back to life. He wanted to see evidence which Jesus showed him later. The act of doubting Jesus is what is meant by "Losing my Religion". I think the whole song fits in from this angle of view now.
   
   [And to St. Thomas credit - he sailed away to spread the work of Jesus. People in Kerala, India believe that he landed there. Christianity grew independently of Europe there. The invading Portuguese burnt down their churches claiming them to be blasphemous and established their own churches there]

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. anonymous

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   Sep 29th 2007 !⃝

   This song is about Mark Chapman

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Sep 25th 2007 !⃝

   When a person writes a song, he or she usually let's it flow and does not have an intended literal meaning to every single word and phrase and so on...
   
   "losing my religion" is a southern expression used to mean, losing one's temper.
   
   but it is also the title of this song, which in short, is simply about...
   
   believing in something ... and then.. eventually... just
   going through the motions.
6. Minver

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   Aug 8th 2007 !⃝

   This song is about losing your religion, feeling torn between your moral convictions, and what is considered cool in the world. He feels like he's being torn away from religion by society.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

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   Apr 4th 2007 !⃝

   I heard Michael Stipe talk about this song on Fresh Air a few years ago. He was evasive but he was pretty frank about what it meant and didn't mean. He said it was a simple as this. He liked someone a lot, told the person what his feelings were, and was rejected. he then realized he said way too much, as all of us -- who take chances -- have done at some point in their lives.
   
   Anyway, "Losing my religion" seems to be a phrase in the South to cuss. Sort of makes sense: kicking yourself for not having kept your mouth shut...
8. anonymous

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   Mar 29th 2007 !⃝

   The title of the song is an old Southern saying
   It is an exaggerated way of saying "I'm losing my mind"
   This song is about a relationship
   between a performer/celebrity and his/her fame.
   
   That's me in the corner refers to the celebrity's feeling of isolaton. "That's me in the spotlight" refers to the celebrity's lose of privacy.
   
   "Trying to keep up with you and I don't know if I can do it" and "The length's that I will go to" refers to the celebrity's efforts to please the audience and to keep up with public demand.
   "The distance in your eyes" refers to the audience who do not care about the celebrity as a person.
   "Oh no I've said too much" refers to offending the audience by telling the truth about how they feel used.
   "I haven't said enough" means that the celebrity feels that they need to explain everything that they do.
   
   "Every whisper Of every waking hour I'm Choosing my confessions" this is about the talk shows and interviews and the rumors that are constantly being splashed in the headlines of the tabloid magazines about celebrities.
   
   "Trying to keep an eye on you Like a hurt lost and blinded fool" refers to the celebrity trying to keep control over the media and being blinded by his own fame.
   
   "I thought that I heard you laughing. I thought that I heard you sing." means the celebrity saw their fans enjoying their performance. "I think I thought I saw you try" means the celebrity thought that the fans might have understood his need for consideration."
   
   The final lines, "But that was just a dream
   That was just a dream." means that the celebrity was wrong about people understanding and giving privacy and normalcy to celebrities.
   
   The last verse: "Consider this
   The hint of the century
   Consider this
   The slip that brought me
   To my knees failed
   What if all these fantasies
   Come flailing around" The last verse is saying that his song is a hint or a plea to the public that they should be less greedy for the private lives of their favorite celebrities. The song was a confession about the artists feelings but he says it was a 'slip" and it brought him to his knees means that he is begging but it is a failed attempt because people just don't get it.
   
   This interpretation is from one who does get it.
   Think about this song and its true meaning the next time you buy a tabloid magazine or watch a insider TV show that violates a celebrity's privacy by buzzing their wedding with helicopters or chases their car just to get a photo of them on their cell phone. Think about the tragic death of Princess Diana caused by overzealous paparazzi or the public meltdown of Britney Spears. Think of the countless other celebrities who have dedicated their life to entertaining through the arts and are rewarded by having their private lives being treated like public entertainment. People have become calloused to the real life pain that is caused by the exposures of "reality" TV. So Boycott Gossip. Challenge yurself to give it up for 40 days and it will become a new habit!
9. anonymous

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   Mar 14th 2007 !⃝

   Considering The Lead singer is gay, I think this song is about him falling in love with boys and forgetting about the good lord, and being put in the "spotlight" for it.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. anonymous

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    Mar 13th 2007 !⃝

    This song is actually about a crush micheal stipe had on a girl when he was younger saw it in an interview on micheal stipe.
11. brielle

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    Feb 24th 2007 !⃝

    I have to go with the very first interpretation. The song is about a guy who committed a crime and feels terrible about it now. (thinking that God won't forgive him)
    "Oh no I said to much" means that he somehow gave it away that it was him that committed the crime.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. anonymous

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    Dec 4th 2006 !⃝

    I think it's about the woman of his dreams who is probably very close to him, they're like best friends that tell each other everything and he has to tell her how he feels so deeply about her because she's his dream come true so he thinks. (that was just a dream)"Oh no I said too much" means he poured out his heart as he sees a great thing between them. He's thinking now that he didn't express himself the way he wanted to. In other words she may not have taken it the way he expected or that he may lose what he already has with her. "Trying to keep up with you and don't know if I can do it" probably means it's killing him inside to see her with other people and how she's happier with others and doesn't see him when she's available so he doesn't think he can continue to know about her life. "That's me in the corner" Is stating how he's overlooked by her. "Life is bigger it's bigger than you And you are not me" Is the realization that starts the song off with the reality of him neglecting his own life for this person that he felt was his other half. "I think I saw you try" Is saying that he thought she felt the same way and "that was just a dream" is him realizing that she doesn't share the same feelings. "Losing my religion" He's lost his own beliefs over the pain he feels which is so intense nothing else matters.
    
    Just what I take the song as since I felt this way one time in my life.
13. anonymous

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    Nov 29th 2006 !⃝

    Ok Ok Ok guys
    I think it's about 2 homosexual guys coming out of the closet.But they're nervous, but they wanna do it. A LOT of the lyrics support this. "O no I've said to much, and not enough" is like one of them said something that hinted it, but he's not sure he wants them to know yet or not. "I thought that I heard you laughing" is them being afraid people will make fun of them. "I'm choosing my confessions" is them wondering if they should tell or not. "That's me in the corner" is them being shy about it. "That's me in the spot light" is like them being afraid people will put to much attention on their homosexuality. "And I don't know if I can do it" speaks for itself. "That was a dream" is them realizing it will take some effort. "To try, cry, fly, why?" is one of them trying to tell someone. I could go on and on
    But that's just my opinion
    And I'm pretty sure it's right, Ok?
    -GibsonGirl64
    ^Also my SN if you wanna talk
14. anonymous

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    Nov 28th 2006 !⃝

    Recently heard short interview with Michael Stipe on BBC, and he says 'losing my religion' is a southern States term for losing your patience. He goes on to say it's a secular song though there are obvious references to one's personal spiritual/ moral beliefs.
15. anonymous

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    Nov 21st 2006 !⃝

    I think this song is about a young person trying to explore the world. He doesn't know what's right what's wrong. He's analysing everything but he's alone in what he believes. He wishes he could find someone who can understand him.

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