I've watched the children come and go A late long march into spring I sit and watch those children Jump in the tall grass Leap the sprinkler Walk in the ground Bicycle clothespin spokes The sound the smell of swingset hands
I will try to sing a happy song I'll try and make a happy game to play
Come play with me I whispered to my new found friend Tell me what it's like to go outside I've never been Tell me what it's like to just go outside I've never been And I never will
I'm not supposed to be like this I'm not supposed to be like this But it's okay
Hey those kids are looking at me I told my friend myself Those kids are looking at me They're laughing and they're running over here They're laughing and they're running over here What do I do? What can I do? What should I do? What do I say? What can I say?
I said I'm not supposed to be like this Let's try to find a happy game to play Let's try to find a happy game to play I'm not supposed to be like this But it's okay...okay
I know a lot of people who are physically handicapped. It sort of came to me. Michael Stipe
Quotes collected from 'R.E.M. - In Their Own Words' by Peter Hogan
Lyrics are based on fans interpretations and are not official.
All R.E.M. originals written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.
I think this is an absolutely beautiful song. It is a little sad, but the music and lyrics are nice. Michael has a wonderful voice, and the rest of the band ain't bad either.
By sue
I'm 13 years old and I'm always very isolated from everybody at school and spend all of my time alone. A lot of people don't realize how painful that is but this song captures it perfectly. It's beautiful.
By Kayla
This is a beautiful song, and in my opinion, among the best on Green.
It reminds me of my childhood, I was very sheltered. However I am not handicapped so it doesn't mean as much to me as it should to some people. A lovely song
By PBS
I love this song. Shouldn't it be on the greatest hits or something? Anyway, the piano and mandolin solo is just beautiful
By Eddie
I often have difficulty getting through this song in it's entirety...my oldest son is an Aspie ( Asperger's Syndrome) and one of his biggest challenges is social interaction. Simply playing with other children is someimes difficul for him. I often picture him singing a song like this to himself. It's one of my favorite REM tunes.
