Style of R.E.M., melancholic alternative rock, Michael Stipe vocal style, weary and anxious voice, atmospheric jangly guitars, slow to mid-tempo in A minor, dreamy and haunting atmosphere. Lyrics : [Verse 1] We had it all mapped out, the tables set just right A quiet little reset under soft electric light We built the perfect system, every lever, every gear But every time we turn the key, the shadows reappear [Chorus] We were so close… so close to the end of time We were so close… almost made the future mine But the stones came crashing, the resistance grew too loud Now the years keep pulling me, dragging me back down [Verse 2] We tried the silent weapons, fear dressed up as care We tried the needle gospel, we tried the poisoned air We counted on compliance, we counted on the weak But there’s always one who stands, always one who refuses to kneel [Bridge - peur et désarroi] We watched the Georgia stones explode into the night And something deep inside us broke under that light We thought we were eternal, we thought we’d never fall But now we feel the tremor, we feel the writing on the wall The years are catching up, the flesh begins to rot Immortality’s slipping, and we’re terrified of what we’ve got All our careful planning, all our secret plans Are crumbling in the fire like castles made of sand [Chorus] We were so close… so close to never growing old We were so close… trading flesh for control But the flesh keeps on rotting, and the spirit keeps on fighting And immortality’s just another promise we keep rewriting [Outro - fading, anxious] We were so close… We were so close… But the stones are gone… And we’re still here… dying…