River’s song, In the Corner Dunce, clearly paints the picture of what he was enduring prior to his death. It’s impossible to listen to such lyrics that state, “Your point of view it’s appointed me, died” and not question their intended meaning. When he sings, “when you hear a loud sound that means I’m back from town now,” it’s obvious that he was appointed to be one of them – a golden god, a rolling stone, or another brick in the wall. Likewise, his other songs with Aleka’s Attic also tell the story of this occult system as well as River’s personal struggle.
The song, You’re So Ostentatious, refers to the time cycle to which victims are subjected.
You’re So Ostentatious You’re so kind, you’re so nice You tell time with your gold watch. You tell time when there’s no time to be tellin’ You tell time when there’s no time to be yellin’
The song, Scales and Fishnails, refers to reconnecting to the dying god with the use of the term “marry you.” We also have the use of “your satellite” and “Baby” both terms referring to the golden/dying god.
Scales and Fishnails “Don’t want to hear from your satellite, Baby. Don’t want to see into your cloned eyes, maybe, Maybe I will marry you, or you won’t… make love to no one, carry you, saying I won’t marry you.”
Senile Felines is quite an ingenious song as it, again, describes the time cycle as well as the word written in the flesh. The title of the song is a palindrome and the first three lines describe the concept of going back to the beginning. Like staring destiny in the face, the initiate goes back to the future to the destination time – the color red symbolizing the blood-written contract.
Senile Felines Turn, face, bow face red, re-lives, backwards motion all fall down, all fall down Gifts were wrapped in coats of small critters, rats, too many litters Gifts were wrapped in coats of small critters, rats, too many litters coats of small critters, rats, too many litters And they all call Mad Cat Turn, face, bow Face regret lives, worse position all fall down we all fall down Gifts were wrapped in coats of small critters, rats, too many litters. Don’t go back there, eel-forming jawline set ready to kill eel-forming jawline set ready to kill Easy Mad Cat
The repeated line “gifts were wrapped in coats of small critters, rats, too many litters” brings us back to the painted forest in Stand by Me. The cat bearing a gift symbolizes the word/prophecy of the golden god or the gift of a god. It is the fruition of the word written in the flesh, the red bow (the gift) wrapped around the white wrapping paper (the coat) symbolizing the spot on the subconscious mind.
The mouse or rat located beneath the gift-bearing cat also represents this concept. “Rats” spelled backwards is “star” so we have the little star (the asterisk) or the small critter as the spot on the subconscious mind or the word written in the flesh. The pesky mouse who can never be caught becomes the hard to miss rat in plain sight.
An eel is a snake-like fish whose blood is toxic to humans, and the electric eel, in particular, attacks its prey by delivering a series of high voltage pulses. The use of the phrase “eel-forming jawline” is a metaphor for the translation of the word and being passed through the fire, a sensation that is not unlike being electrocuted.
The title, Senile Felines, refers to the initiate who has started the cycle over again. After passing through the fire, the victim will sometimes experience a loss of consciousness, and upon awakening, will experience forgetfulness and confusion. The use of the term “senile” exemplifies this concept, and so the cat’s gift or the word written in the flesh by the dying/golden god is wiped clean once again.
The photo below also exemplifies this concept. Featured in the album’s booklet for Automatic for the People, Michael Stipe appears shoulder deep in the ocean. Like being baptized and born again, the picture symbolizes being reconnected with a dying god and having the slate wiped clean. The ocean represents the realm of the golden gods or the o-zone. We can think of Michael Stipe as the senile feline or the cat in the hat that came back (as we saw in the Sidewinder video). He reached “old age,” the word was brought to fruition through his music, and he started the cycle over again.
Monty Got a Raw Deal
Track 7 off that album refers to this state of forgetfulness as “nonsense.” Although it was never released as a single, the song, Monty Got a Raw Deal, provides yet another account of River’s disposition. The line “nonsense has a welcome ring” refers to starting the cycle over again and reconnecting with the dying god.
Monty this seems strange to me. The movies had that movie thing, But nonsense has a welcome ring And heroes don't come easily. Now, nonsense isn't new to me. I know my head, I know my feet, But mischief knocked me in the knees. Said, Just let go. Just let go.
The line “mischief knocked me in the knees” is a reference to the spot, the mark, or the word written in the flesh. If we go back to Senile Felines, the first line of the song “turn, face, bow” also exemplifies this. The line “just let go” would be a plea for River to start the cycle over again before mischief knocks him in the knees and he turns to face his tragic destiny. That is to say, before he bows down to the law written in his flesh and collapses outside of the Viper Room.
I saw the ocean meet the man. I saw you buried in the sand. A friend was there to hold your hand, Said, Walk on by. So, I went walking through the street. I saw you strung up in a tree. A woman knelt there said to me, Said, Hold your tongue, man. Hold your tongue.
The ocean meeting “the man” is a reference to the golden gods (the o-zone) meeting River or the word in his flesh. He is “buried in the sand,” much like the sand used in The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite video; it is a reference to a build-up of sodium and metals in the body as well as protein translation and the fruition of the word. The line “I saw you strung up in a tree,” is a reference to River being the hanged man. A woman tells him to “hold your tongue, man,” which is another implication that Michael Stipe was, in fact, the gospel singer (the man) responsible for nurturing the word in River’s flesh.
You don't owe me anything. You don't want this sympathy. (waste your breath) Don't you waste your breath. (waste your breath) For the silver screen.
Here, we have another reference to silver (metals in the body) and the concept of subliminal messaging, hence, the silver screen.
That nonsense doesn't mean a thing, They tried to bust you in a sting, But virtue isn't everything So, don't waste time. Now, here's a rhyme that you can steal. Put this on your reel to reel. Mischief threw a rotten deal. Monty's laying low. He is laying low. Just let go, just let go.
The line, “they tried to bust you in a sting” most likely refers to a physical sensation experienced by victims/initiates after passing through the fire. It is a sexual sensation that comes out of nowhere and promotes satisfying one’s self. The following line, “virtue isn’t everything” also supports this concept with “virtue” meaning “of moral excellence.” We also have another reference to the time cycle.
You don't owe me anything. You don't want this sympathy. (waste your breath) Don't you waste your breath. (waste your breath) Monty this seems strange to me.
A monty (or monte) is the pile of cards left after each player has taken their share. In other words, River was left with a pile of cards after Michael Stipe (and others) had taken their share.
In the game Three-card Monte (or Find the Lady), victims or “marks” are tricked into betting a sum of money on the assumption that they can find the “money card.” It is a classic example of a “short con” in which a shill pretends to conspire with the mark to cheat the dealer, while in fact conspiring with the dealer to cheat the mark. The mark has no chance whatsoever of winning at any point of the game. The dealer would be the dying/golden god. The mark would be River, and the shill would be Michael Stipe.
The mark or spot can also be thought of as the mark of the beast or the mark of a beast. In the picture featured below, River poses in one of his last photo shoots. Dressed all in black with his right hand held up and his left leg pulled up to his thigh, he mimics The Devil tarot card as well as the hanged man — the leftover cards in his monty.
The male and female are both chained to a silver ring attached to a black box in which the beast is perched. Here, we have a representation of the initiate connected to a dying god. Like Dr. Gunter’s black box (or cube) from Sneakers, the silver ring attached to the black box represents the contract written in the flesh. The female is shown with purple grapes attached to her tail while the male’s tail is set on fire by the devil’s torch. This represents the ouroboros or the ancient symbol depicting a dragon or serpent eating its own tail. It is the completion of the word, the grapes representing the fruit of the word and the fire representing being passed through the fire. The silver loop also represents the hairpin loop found in DNA resulting in the translation of the word. The pentagram touching the forehead symbolizes the seed planted in the brain or the mark of the beast.
In the same photo shoot, River literally poses as the hanged man.
Aleka’s Attic’s song, Dog god (also a palindrome), is another testament of River’s life inside this occult system. While there are no official lyrics for the song, the verses posted below are clear enough to decipher the overall meaning. River was cornered by his fate and stuck in a system which, by all accounts, he absolutely despised.
Dog God The whistle was dog god cross. My thoughts and religion made a mess, my thoughts and religion made a mess, my thoughts and religion made a mess, at best it’s less than what this is. What kind of a dog, what kind of a dog, what kind of a dog makes you want to know better? What kind of a dog, it’s a god, it’s a god. Everything’s a sink or swim along the side a raft to get in, save all. Abel doesn’t ride a place of thoughtless self-promotion he’s all stable, speaking of churches. My faiths and conviction, my ways a test, my faiths and conviction, my ways a test, our faiths and conviction always a test, a test, a test that I get, What kind of a dog, what kind of a dog, what kind of a dog makes you want to know better? What kind of a dog, it’s a god, it’s a god. My cane is a lesson, my leg is left, my cane is a lesson, my leg is left, my cane is a lesson, my leg is left, my wallet’s a lesson but Cain is my friend. The whistle was dog god cross. Dog god he left with this old man, can he be found if Satan’s bound… trailing senile feline.
We have a reference to Cain and Abel in the song which correlates with the situation put forth: one brother rises up and slews the other. Cain was a tiller of the ground just as Michael Stipe (or Eyeball Chambers) was a tiller of the seed in River’s flesh. We also have a reference to the card game being played with the lyric “Everything’s a sink or swim, along the side a raft to get in, save all.” The lyrics imply that River sacrificed himself in order to save his friends and family. This would also explain the line “too many litters” from the song Senile Felines. Somebody had to lose the game in order to fill the hole in the o-zone, and River (it would seem) took that burden on himself. the “raft” is, most likely, symbolic of traveling the astral plane (space) and becoming a golden god.
To decipher the last line of the song, River was the old man who left with the dog god, i.e., his death. He was the player with the remaining cards trailing the senile feline, Michael Stipe, and bound to Satan, bound to the oath, and bound to the mark of the beast.
Find the River
Released on October 21, 1993, ten days before River’s death, Find the River was the sixth and final single off Automatic for the People. The lyrics, once again, tell the story of River’s impending fate. As the river falls into the ocean, the water cycle completes its course.
The album art for the single features a waterfall in the background with R.E.M. outlined on an orange banner. Just like the orange screen featured in The Sidewinder Sleep Tonite, we have the last departed time (yellow) coming together with the destination time (red) resulting in River’s water fall at the Viper Room. The title of the song reflects itself like a mirror image symbolizing the translation of the word and the beginning as the end.
The video for the song is centered around an old man and his dog. The old man symbolizes the initiate who has not started the cycle over, and the dog symbolizes his fate or the word. Like the last verse from Dog god, the video depicts River as the old man.
The old man walks with a cane in the video which is also symbolic. In Dog god, we hear the verse “my cane is a lesson, my leg is left” several times before the verse “my wallet’s a lesson but Cain is my friend.” This line is an indication that River’s career as an actor was on the decline because of his refusal to play by the rules. The cane can be thought of as the teacher or the gospel singer who guides the initiate along. It is the other leg or the other initiate who is also connected to the same dying god. It is the brother who slew his own brother because his own works were evil.
The old man follows a black and white dog through a forest and alongside a stream. River follows the water (the news from the golden gods) which leads him to his fate and the translation of the word.
He stops to splash water on his face as the dog watches intently. River sees his reflection and/or his shadow.
He walks around the ruins of a house destroyed by a fire. An oven still sits against the wall. This symbolizes the starting point where River was passed through the fire. He returns as an old man to where it all began.
The head of a baby doll is shown among the debris symbolizing River’s birth into this occult system where the seed from Stand by Me was planted. An old animal trap is also placed on the right side of the head.
The head of a female figurine is shown along with eating utensils and a silver bowl. Here, we have the concept of being connected to a dying god. Like the Blue Point Diner, the two became one, communing and dining together from the same meat and the same blood. The sugar-phosphates of the initiate’s DNA linked them together like an invisible ladder, descending and ascending, providing nourishment to the dying god. The silver bowl and saucer represent the birth of the golden god, the birth of the alien (the new man), and the cosmic egg, i.e., the flying saucer.
Light illuminates a cat’s head as it peers through a window. A ball or rock looks to be attached to its throat as it holds up a heart to the ball. The cat represents the dying/golden god, the rock represents the mineral phosphorous (which is the key element for the sustainability of the golden god), and the heart or butterfly-shape represents the thyroid. Located in the neck below the Adam’s Apple, the thyroid’s primary function is the production of hormones, which, in turn, directly affect the transcription of DNA. In other words, the two go hand in hand, working together to form the phosphate backbone of the hermaphodite child.
The old man sifts through the debris and finds some sketches along with a key and a pair of forceps. The key laying on top of the sketch (a chaotic rendering of black and white lines and spaces) represents connecting with the dying god – a process done by accessing the brain during sexual stimulation. Forceps are a surgical tool notably used for child birth and/or abortions. The two rings for the handle symbolizes the binding rings of the dying/golden god and the two initiates, in this case, Michael Stipe and River. We can think of the two sketches as the brains of the initiates to which the dying/golden god now has access. Furthermore, Michael Stipe also became the keyholder of River’s brain, given to him by the golden god. River was then cut off from that threefold chord when he decided to walk instead of ride.
Behind the old man on the wall is a quote from the writer Henry Miller: “I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive.” In a hopeless situation, River reaches the end of his life.
The old man looks at one of the sketches. His three fingers rest just below the eye of a dragon. Here, we have the threefold cord, the godhead, and the 666 concept that makes all of this possible. Like the alchemical symbol of the ouroboros, we have the completion of the water cycle and the word in River’s flesh via Eyeball Chambers.
Hey now, little speedyhead, The read on the speed-meter says, You have to go to task in the city, Where people drown and people serve, Don't be shy, you're just dessert, Is only just light years to go
The old man and the dog lay down together on a sidewalk. Both twitch as light shines on the old man’s face. The dog god leaves with the old man leaving behind the senile feline.
Me, my thoughts are flower strewn, Ocean storm, bayberry moon, I have got to leave to find my way, Watch the road and memorize, This life that passed before my eyes, And nothing is going my way
Sheets of paper fly through the air. The word is fulfilled and set free.
The ocean is the river's goal, A need to leave the water knows, We're closer now than light years to go
The dog sits on a beach as the sun sets and rises over the ocean.
I have got to find the river, Bergamot and vetiver, Run through my head and fall away, Leave the road and memorize, This life that passed before my eyes, And nothing is going my way
The old man is now alone on the sidewalk as light shines behind him on the wall. River dies on the sidewalk outside of the Viper Room and goes on to become another brick in the wall. He went on to become a golden god adding to the pyramid scheme of this abominable Satanic system.
There's no one left to take the lead, But I tell you and you can see, We're closer now than light years to go, Pick up here and chase the ride, The river empties to the tide, Fall into the ocean
The river to the ocean goes, A fortune for the undertow, None of this is going my way, There is nothing left to throw, Of ginger, lemon, indigo, Coriander stem and rose of hay, Strength and courage overrides, The privileged and weary eyes, Of river poet search naiveté, Pick up here and chase the ride, The river empties to the tide, All of this is coming your way
The Apple and the birdcage 