Misheard Lyrics - Stand by R.E.M.

I had another misheard lyrics moment this morning. This one's a doozy.

In an email, someone at work referenced the song "Stand" by R.E.M. and I had this witty response about how the song, released in 1988, had political lyrics against the incoming George H. W. Bush administration.

I was about to hit send on this email with my interpretation of the lyrics:

"If Bushes were trees, the trees would be falling
This is the reason, season is calling"

and then chose to verify the words online.

Was it "reason" then "season," or vice versa? I figured I should double-check.

To my shock, I wasn't even close to the correct lyrics, which are:

"If wishes were trees the trees would be falling
Listen to reason, reason is calling"

How could I be so wrong? For twenty years, I swore this song was anti-Bush.