R.E.M. Lyric Annotations FAQ
R.E.M.: Monster: Circus Envy

Lyrics

 [Monster]

"My pyro acrobat ball and chain"
"Pyro" as in pyromaniac, one who loves fire. [Ron Henry]

"I'm getting tired of your dodgeball circus act"
Dodgeball is a children's game where you remove members of the opposing team by throwing a dense rubber ball as hard and fast as possible at them. [Chris Piuma]

"The strong man kicked sand"
This alludes to comic book ads for (1950s?) Charles Atlas's bodybuilding course, where a "skinny wimp" gets sand kicked in his face by a strong bully and his girlfriend taken away. [Ron Henry]

"I'd spelled your name with Oatios"
Oatios are a cereal shaped like little "O"s. [Ron Henry]
 

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Lyrics from Kipp Teague's Lyric Archive.