264

When the day is long
And the night, the night is yours alone
When you're sure you've had enough of this life
Well hang on
Don't let yourself go
'Cause everybody cries
And everybody hurts
Sometimes...

I remember Mas Ulul once being asked to edit a footage about Tragedi Semanggi. On the brief sheet, the guy suggested using a touching song, ‘misalnya (such as) Everybody Hurts’.

The song would suit better if there were some kids who were gonna throw themselves from Semanggi Flyover.

I don’t know about other non-English speaking countries, but I think in Indonesia the song is widely misunderstood. I often see television footage using the song as the background for news on massacre or natural disaster and such kind.

Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (hold on)
when you think you've had too much of this life
Well hang on

'Cause everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friend
Everybody hurts

The song does sound sad. But it’s not a sad song. At least not exactly. When Mike Mills pointed out All The Way to Reno as a sad song, he added a remark, ‘But as with so many of Michael's lyrics, you know you can always you can see it as a hopeful song, or as a very sad song.’ I think Everybody Hurts is one of those ‘many of Michael’s lyrics’.

Don't throw your hand... oh, no...
Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone
No, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own, in this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you've had too much
Of this life, to hang on

It’s funny how the song is misunderstood because it’s one of a few Michael’s lyrics that speaks straightforward. As Peter Buck said, ‘He wanted that song to reach teenagers and not to be misunderstood. You don't want something that needs a math degree to go through when you're trying to reach a seventeen-year-old and say, "It's ok, things are tough, but they get better." There's not a line out of place in there.’ Even Michael said, ‘God, I did it, I wrote a song that a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds with a lot of different ways of thinking can call their own and respond to emotionally and intellectually.’ (Bowler & Dray, R.E.M Documental)

Everybody hurts
Everybody cries
Everybody hurts
Sometimes

Like so many of their best songs, it embraces both a lyrical and musical dichotomy; musically, it is almost serene, but there is a disturbing undercurrent from Buck's distorted electric guitar as Michael's voice changes in tone from welcoming death to reassuring those left behind that life goes on, imparting the wisdom of age. (Bowler & Dray, R.E.M. Documental)

Everybody hurts
Sometimes
Hold on... Hold on... Hold on... Hold on...
Hold on... Hold on...

Everybody hurts...
Everybody hurts... (you are not alone)

>> Dedicated to my dearest friends, especially those who think they don’t deserve happiness. The beautiful song belongs to R.E.M.