"Daysleeper" is a song by R.E.M. , released as their first single from their eleventh studio album Up, and the first single to be released by the band since the departure of drummer Bill Berry. Sleep and dreams have often played an important part in R.E.M. lyrics, for example "Get Up" and "I Don't Sleep, I Dream". Sung from the point of view of a nightworker corresponding with far eastern colleagues, the song focuses on the disorientation of time and "circadian rhythm" in such a lifestyle, leading to despair and loss of identity. During R.E.M. 's performance for VH1 Storytellers, Stipe explained the background to the song:"I was in New York, putting together a book of haikus that I worked on with several dear friends of mine over the course of a year...