The single, written as a conversation, begins with the lines “ just give me the news / It can all be lies / Exciting over fair or the right thing at the right time / Everything is clear / Just how you described the way it appears, ‘A world possessed by the human mind,’ then later, “ Girl, I was so afraid / You said, ‘You shoulda seen the look on yer face.’ Then I hope I laughed / Then I hope I said, ‘It’s fine.” Trying to figure out Downie’s mind is impossible, but the sentiment seems to be about jumping to conclusions and even paranoia, fear based on irrational thought and that everything is not what it appears everything is fine. The Tragically Hip, Facing a Terminal Diagnosis for Singer Gord Downie, Forges Ahead with Summer Tour Perhaps that is a stretch, but the quietly inching, jangly base provides support for Downie’s floaty and overlapping lines, which are hard to decipher: “ I’m a man and I am a man, so I do what I hate and I don’t understand” and “ You’re a real machine / I’m a real machine,” it soldiers out. The lead track opens with a quirky manipulated machine-poem quite unusual for a Tragically Hip song, but as if to lay out the relationship between the band’s musical output and eventual commercial release: starts with man, recorded by machine and delivered as poetry. The following is a breakdown of Man Machine Poem.

on the Billboard 200. While the Hip hasn’t received the same kind of fanaticism in the States, at home it is currently the eighth biggest selling act in Canadian SoundScan era, with close to 3.5 million units sold and 8 million to date globally, according to Universal Music Canada. With 20,000 units sold, it surpassed the first-week sales total of Now For Plan A by 8,000 copies - that album debuted and peaked at No. 1 album in the SoundScan era (post 1996) and first since 2009’s We Are The Same. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Top 200 consumption albums chart and at No. Man Machine Poem - ‘you’re in my pocket and in my eyes,’” Drew posted on his social media. This week, the album debuted at No. “For those of you who need it - take it into your homes, your hearts, your cars and your late night come downs. The album, produced by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and ex Stills member Dave Hamelin at The Hip’s home studio, The Bathhouse, was written and recorded before the singer learned of his illness in December and takes its title from the song of the same name found on their previous album, 2012’s gold-selling Now For Plan A. The Tragically Hip to Broadcast Their Last Gig He has responded well to treatment and the Hip - guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, drummer Johnny Fay and Downie - will embark on a sold-out Canadian tour July 22 to Aug.

Concerts and Events Canceled Due to Tropical Storm Hilary

Gord downie quotes