I know what I wanted
I know what I wanted
I know how I wanted this to be

You go down to the water
Drink down of the water
Walk up off the water, leave it be

This is not my dream, sister
It is cold in heaven
I'm not sprouting wings.

I'm turning, me
I'm drowning, me

Brother can you see those birds?
They don't look to heaven
They don't need religion, they can see

They go down to the water
Drink down of the water
Fly up off the water, leave it be

This is not my time, sister
It is cold in heaven
And no one's coming after me

I'm drowning
Breathing ourselves
Me
Breathing ourselves
I'm drowning
Breathing ourselves
Me

We know I am tired
Cold and bony tired
Nothing's gonna save me, I can see

I can't say I'm fearful
I can't say I'm not afraid
But I am not resisting, I can see

I don't need a heaven
I don't need religion
I am in the place where I should be

I am breathing water
I am breathing water
You know a body's got to breathe

I'm drowning
Breathing ourselves
Me
Breathing ourselves
I'm drowning
Breathing ourselves
Me, yeah

Written in Athens when we were rehearsing to make sure Bill could play. I mean, he wanted to, and he said, 'I've been playing, I'm great.' He was like, 'Let's just do a week's rehearsal in San Fransisco and hang out and not rush back into it. Just see how it goes.'
Peter Buck 1996

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.

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