Songwriter: Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills (R.E.M.) Michael Stipe

Producer: Scott Litt R.E.M.

[Intro]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

[Verse 1]
Your revolution is a silly idea, yeah
All your friends are feeling sad
It's like you need a reason to be feeling bad, yeah
You sport an armband when you're good and mad, yeah

[Chorus]
La-la, la-la, revolution
The future never happened
La-la, la-la, revolution

[Verse 2]
I don't know why I'm feeling bad, yeah
I picked up a bad vibration
Oliver North is running for Senate
Bomb the abortion clinic
Reagan's defense is the deficit
The virus was invented
Black men can't get acquitted
Of the crimes that we've committed
The future never happened
It never happened

[Chorus]
La-la, la-la, revolution
The future never happened
La-la, la-la, revolution

[Verse 3]
Your revolution is a silly idea, yeah
You tried to look like a punk rock girl
A whole lotta sneer, a little curl
But I don't have time for your theatrics
Everybody knows that you're a bad actress
We've been sorry for way too long, yeah
But the scum is rising, yeah

[Chorus]
La-la, la-la, revolution
The future never happened
La-la, la-la, revolution

La-la, la-la, revolution
The future never happened
La-la, la-la, revolution, yeah

R.E.M.

R.E.M. were an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry.

Berry quit the band in April 1997, as they were getting together to record demos for the album Up. He was not replaced on a permanent basis, but the band used an assortment of drummers in his place.

more tracks from the album

Complete Rarities: Warner Bros. 1988–2011