Cuyahoga

The Cuyahoga is a river that runs through Cleveland Ohio. During the battles with American Indians in the late 1800s the US Cavalry dumped hundreds of bodies in it. Hence the river red line and the Indian imagery. In the 1970's, the city of Cleveland had polluted the river so bad, that at one point it ended up catching on fire. I think that what Michael's saying here is throughout american history, we destroyed the native people and then we went and destroyed their land. He' saying we oughtta fix things while we still have time. Learn from the mistakes of our forefathers etc.

Everything Decemberguy says is right on: I'll add that the song mentions a couple of times how the history has been whitewashed. "Erased the parts he didn't like" has a double meaning: to literally erase features of the land, and to erase unpleasant events from history books. "Rewrite the book and rule the pages, Saving face" expresses how history books make the pioneering of America out to be a heroic thing, hiding the ugly past. It's a corollary on the old adage that winners write the history books. They "rule" the "pages".

I imagine that the line "we are not your allies" is being spoken to Native Americans by the whites coming across them. It's a heartbreaking thought.

I used to do a fair bit of eating and drinking at a place right next to the river in Peninsula, OH.

I thought the lyrics were maybe "this land is the land of devourers". Seems to fit the theme at least.

I actually set the Cuyahoga river in Cleveland on fire once a few years back.. just a little bit. Anyway, I think DecemberGuy said it right.

i live in northeast ohio, not even a mile from the cuyahoga river. to this day, the river is still horribly polluted. the allusion to red water also could be due to pollution, because pollution can sometimes turn the water red. instead of clear, the water is a very murky brown.

i live 20 feet from the river in cuyahoga falls, ohio.

I thought it was in 1969. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm too lazy to verify....

I saw Death Cab perform this song along with The Flaming Lips at the Kuyahoga Music Festival. I think it fit pretty well.

i was there too, code hero. easily the greatest live cover ive ever seen,and one of the greatest concert moments ive ever witnessed. it was on the nose note for note and all the performers seemed so into it.

I love this brilliant environmental anthem.

The lyrics do refer to the infamously polluted Cuyahoga River in OH. "Burn the river down" has to do with the river catching fire because of all the oil and other pollutants. This happened a number of times, including an episode in 1969 (when the members of R.E.M. would have been ~9-13 years old) that made national headlines and helped start a discussion that led to the passage of the Clean Water Act.

There are also references to the area around the river once being home to indigenous people who had a much more environmentally friendly lifestyle, as a contrast with its condition today. References to the river running red could thus be references to the blood of the native people as well as to the fires on the river.