Cursing His Protection (Losing My Religion, R. E. M.)

"I devoted my life, longer than you can possibly imagine, in service of a man who told me that everything was happening for a reason, that he had a plan, a plan that I was a part of, and when the time was right that he'd share it with me, and now that man's gone so...why do I want to die? Because I just found out my entire life had no purpose."
- Richard, Dr. Linus

My dad is always on the lookout for songs to suggest to me for LOSTification. His most recent offering was REM's Losing My Religion. I've always found that song quite the downer, so my reaction wasn't too enthusiastic, but then I realized that it really was fitting for Dr. Linus, an episode in which so many characters express profound doubts about the man to whom they have looked as a godlike entity. Particularly striking is Richard Alpert, who, after well over a century as Jacob's faithful follower, hits rock bottom as he believes all of his service was in vain. Here's a rant from him.

Cursing His Protection

My life is longer,
It’s longer than you
Could ever guess, Jack.
It’s all because of Jacob.
He said it was a gift.
Oh, no. He steered me wrong
For far too long.

I’m here on the Black Rock.
I’m back where I started and
Cursing his protection.
He said he had a plan,
And he said he would share it with me.
Oh, no. He steered me wrong.
He just strung me along.
I thought that I had a purpose.
I thought that he told the truth.
But now I think I want to die.

Every leader
And every bad decision moved us
In the right direction,
Or so I told myself back then
As the cycle began again but
Oh, no. He steered me wrong
For far too long.

Remember this.
Remember this,
And make sure your friend does too.
Remember this.
Do not believe what he told you.  Now, 
Jack, I’m decades overdue
To leave this old life,
For he steered me wrong.
I thought that I had a purpose.
I thought that he told the truth.
But now I think I want to die.

It was all a lie.
It was all a lie.

I’m here on the Black Rock.
I’m back where I started and
Cursing his protection.
He said he had a plan,
And he said he would share it with me.
Oh, no. He steered me wrong.
He just strung me along.
I thought that I had a purpose.
I thought that he told the truth.
But now I think I want to die.

Yes, it was all a lie,
So why not die?
It was all a lie.
All a lie, all a lie.
Lie.