Album: Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)

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• Let's put our heads together
  And start a new country up
  Our father's father's father tried
  Erased the parts he didn't like
  Let's try to fill it in
  Bank the quarry river, swim
  We knee-skinned it you and me
  We knee-skinned that river red
  
  This is where we walked
  This is where we swam
  Take a picture here
  Take a souvenir
  
  This land is the land of ours
  This river runs red over it
  We knee-skinned it you and me
  We knee-skinned that river red
  And we gathered up our friends
  Bank the quarry river, swim
  We knee-skinned it you and me
  Up underneath the river bed
  
  This is where we walked
  This is where we swam
  Take a picture here
  Take a souvenir
  Cuyahoga
  Cuyahoga, gone
  
  Let's put our heads together
  And start a new country up
  Up underneath the river bed
  We'll burn the river down
  
  This is where they walked, swam
  Hunted, danced and sang
  Take a picture here
  Take a souvenir
  Cuyahoga
  Cuyahoga, gone
  
  Rewrite the book and rule the pages
  Saving face, secured in faith
  Bury, burn the waste behind you
  This land is the land of ours
  This river runs red over it
  We are not your allies
  We cannot defend
  
  This is where they walked
  This is where they swam
  Take a picture here
  Take a souvenir
  Cuyahoga
  Cuyahoga, gone
  
  Cuyahoga
  Cuyahoga, gone Writer/s: Bill Berry, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

• Bill Bee from OhioREM learned about the Cuyahoga River when they played an early gig in Cleveland Ohio. One of them smelled the polluted river, and someone told them about it: that's how they learned what it was. They are probably pronouncing it correctly in the song.
• Margaret Perrine-white from Niles OhioCuyahoga is named by the Iroquois who's territories extended to what's now the state of Ohio during the French and Indian war if I'm remembering correctly there's lots of places in Ohio that were named by the Iroquois and if I'm remembering correctly Michael Stipe is actually pronouncing Cuyahoga properly in the language of the Iroquois not mispronounced the way Ohioans do.
• Chris from Ashtabula, OhNever heard this song, came across it on a list of guitar tabs... Was excited that maybe someone famous had some history here in NE Ohio. Turned on the song, heard him sing COY-ah-HOE-ga and laughed, nope he just read about the river fires. We say KY-uh-HOGG-uh.
• Marty from Cleveland, OhIt's a nice song and all, but Jeez, how hard would it have been to call up someone who lives here and ask how you pronounce Cuyahoga? (It's not Cuy as in coy, it's Cuy as is buy.) Come on, man.
• Joaquin from San Francisco, Caamazing song and great message!!!!!!
• Kevin from Reading , PaA really good REM song. A song with a conscience that doesn't hit you over the head with it's message and wins you over with its power and conviction (especially the singing on the chorus and the guitar chords on the chorus.) The entire album, their fourth, holds up pretty well these days. If only REM could make records half this good today they'd be in good shape. A las, they don't.
  

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