This nostalgic song revisits an idyllic childhood memory of the band when they would go skinny dipping in Athens, Georgia. To go back to it, naked, at night, is like going home. It was before AIDS, and whatever happened happened."

However, Stipe has denied that that is the topic of the song; rather, Stipe says the song is about a "kind of an innocence that's either kind of desperately clung onto or obviously lost." Club . The title “Swimming Pools” is a metaphor for alcoholism and its related buoyancy as a result of being deeply absorbed in the liquid. To someone thinking about relationships or alcoholism, it’s about those things. To a child this song is about swimming. Stipe said there are autobiographical elements to the song, but insists most of it is "made up." guitarist Peter Buck explained: "We used to sneak on this guy's property in Athens and go swimming in this water hole. According to Wainwright, it's just a simple song about - you guessed it - swimming. It’s obvious. "I was just thinking about swimming, but you know I mentioned, 'I'm a self-destructive fool.'

Song MeaningI think it’s great that this song is about all of the above posts. If you've ever wondered about the real meaning of the Oscar-nominated Shallow from A Star Is Born starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, you've come to the right place. R.E.M. Reception He explains this in the lines below: My Interpretation This song is about memories, lost love, lost youth, shadows and light, warmth and water on a moonlit night. It'd be great: 30 of us all running around naked. What’s really great is that the song is so good at being about all those things, and it sounds so simple. Many are the reckless kids who have gone skinny dipping. In the course of the song, Kendrick vividly addresses most of the physical and mental pressure that drives people to drink.

Water is where we came from. For me, it's just about the joy of swimming," he told the A.V. The first verse of "Swimming Pools (Drank)" is key to understanding the song's premise.