Released: September 9, 1996

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

Producer: Scott Litt R.E.M.

[Verse 1]
Blood from a stone, water from wine
Born under an ill-placed sign
A stroke of bad luck, wrong place, wrong time
This flyer is out of line

[Chorus]
The story is a sad one, told many times
The story of my life in trying times
Just add water, stir in lime
How the west was won and where it got us, ah

[Verse 2]
The canary got trapped in the uranium mine
A stroke of bad luck, now the bird has died
A marker to mark where my tears run dry
I cross it, bless it, alkaline

[Chorus]
The story is a sad one, told many times
The story of my life in trying times
Just add water, stir in lime
How the west was won and where it got us, ah

[Verse 3]
I didn't wear glasses 'cause I thought it might rain
Now I can't see anything
I made a mistake, chalked it up to design
I cracked through time-space, godless and dry
I point my nose to the northern star
And watch the decline from a hazy distance

[Chorus]
The story is a sad one, told many times
The story of my life in trying times
Just add water, stir in lime
How the west was won and where it got us, ah

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.