So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)

Album: Reckoning (1984)
Charted: 85
Play Video
  • Did you never call? I waited for your call
    These rivers of suggestion are driving me away
    The trees will bend, the cities wash away
    The city on the river there is a girl without a dream

    I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

    Eastern to Mountain, third party call, the lines are down
    The wise man built his words upon the rocks
    But I'm not bound to follow suit
    The trees will bend, the conversation's dimmed
    Go build yourself another home, this choice isn't mine

    I'm sorry, I'm sorry
    Did you never call? I waited for your call
    These rivers of suggestion are driving me away
    The ocean sang, the conversation's dimmed
    Go build yourself another dream, this choice isn't mine

    I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Writer/s: Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck, William Berry
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Jm.v. from Fairfax, Va.In an interview Michael Stipe said the song was inspired by his parents expecting a call which from him while he and the band were touring the mid-west, a he couldn't make because torrential rains and flood waters had taken out the lines. When he finally got through to them, they were freaking out because they were afraid something disastrous had happened to him. His apology is for the concern the situation caused....
  • Doug from Whittier, CaIt's about Michael Stipe not being able to get a call from a Woman he was dating at that time in his life and she wanted to get married (we all know that didn't happen!) it says. " EASTERN TO MOUNTAIN THIRD PARTY CALL THE LINES ARE DOWN THE WISE MAN BUILT HIS WORDS UPON THE ROCKS, BUT IM NOT BOUND TOO FOLLOW SUIT" he's saying he won't get married to the Woman calling him from the East Coast, while he and the band are in New Mexico.
  • Ken from Philadelphia, PaI am dating myself here, but I remember watching that Letterman appearance where they first played So. Central Rain. I can't think of another song that I liked so much upon hearing it for the first time.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.