Future 40's (String of Pearls)

[Verse 1: Syd Straw]
Hey man I'm making moves
And I am so much stronger than you
I am so much stronger, I am so much stronger than you

Everybody thinks the way that we thought
We thought ahead and look what we got

[Verse 2: Syd Straw]
Well I did not invent this world
Call my words a string of pearls
But you will find the sheen soon loses luster

[Chorus 1: Syd Straw, Michael Stipe, Both]
Meanwhile the universe is shrinking as it could
The world would try to mend
The future looked like the 40s'
And we were ready
We were ready, ready, we were

[Verse 3: Syd Straw, Michael Stipe, Both]
This isn't the way I dreamed it would be someday
This is what I settled for
If I had the chance I'd find a better way
These are the things I never dreamed of [?]
This is what I settled for
I had some fine dreams I traded them away

[Chorus 2: Syd Straw, Michael Stipe, Both]
The future looked like the 40s'
And we were ready
We were ready, ready, ready, we were

[Verse 4: Syd Straw, Michael Stipe]
Hey man I'm making moves
And I am so much stronger than you
Everybody thinks the way that we thought
I am so much stronger
We thought ahead and look what we got
I am so much stronger than you

[Pre-Chorus 2: Syd Straw, Michael Stipe, Both]
I did not invent this world
Everybody thinks the way that we thought
Call my words a string of pearls
We thought ahead and look what we got
I did not invent this world
Call my words a string of pearls
But you will find the sheen loses all its luster

[Outro: Syd Straw, Michael Stipe, Both]
We were ready
Stream of the talk, fire the top away
We were ready
Says in a book on my dusty shelf
"History Repeats Itself"
Stream of the talk, fire the top away