LIFES RICH PAGEANT: CUYAHOGA

Many fans find this song extremely endearing and count it as one of their favorites.  I like it too, but I have to admit that I kind of glaze over it.  It's a great song, don't get me wrong, but if put on the spot I wouldn't name it as one of my all time faves.  However, in listening to this song, we get an idea of the direction of the band.  There are so many layers to this song, the incidental piano, the flute, the subtle guitar feedback ... extremely well produced and mixed without getting too polished.  Plus the words are perfect.  A treatise on America without getting preachy, which is achieved through personal snapshots and the casting away of guilt ... genocide was never so well worded.
  Our generations are powerless against the past.  We can't take back years of oppression and greed and bad choices, and we can't burden ourselves with guilt either.  All we can do is wake up everyday and treat as many people with respect as possible.  And if a 4 minute pop song can make me think about that and keep rockin', I say ... success!



CUYAHOGA
Let's put our heads together and start a new country up
Your father's father's father tried, erased the parts you didn't like
Let's try to fill it in, bank the quarry river swim
We knee skinned it you and me, we knee skinned that river red

This is where we walked
This is where we swam
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

This land is the land of ours, this river runs red over it
We knee skinned it you and me, we knee skinned that river red
We gathered up our friends, bank the quarry river swim
We knee skinned it you and me, up underneath the river bed

This is where we walked
This is where we swam
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

Cuyahoga
Cuyahoga gone

Let's put our heads together and start a new country up
Up underneath the river bed and burn the river down

This is where they walked, swam
Hunted, danced, and sang
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

Cuyahoga
Cuyahoga gone

Rewrite the book, remove the pages, saving face, secured in faith
Bury burn the waste behind you

This land is the land of ours, this river runs red over it
We are not your allies, we cannot defend

This is where we walked
This is where we swam
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

Cuyahoga
Cuyahoga gone
Cuyahoga
Cuyahoga gone

This song is the perfect example of why I do this blog in the first place.  This is an easy song and a blast to figure out, but you can't find the correct way to play it.  Except for here ... and soon Ultimate Guitar.com, if they ever post the other 5 songs waiting to be reviewed, so for now just here.  It's easy to see why this song was resurrected during the Reveal tour ... it's really cool to play and if you're following this blog and picking up the guitar with each post, you'll know what I mean. 

CUYAHOGA

Bass Intro and Break

e|---------------------------------|

B|---------------------------------|

G|--2-2---7-7-7---4-4---7-7-7-7----|

D|-0-0-2-5-5---5<2-2-2>5---5-------|

A|---------------------------------|

E|---------------------------------|

Verse

e|-----------------3------------------3--|

B|----------------3------------------3---|

G|-4-4-4-2-2-------------------2-2-0-----|

D|----------4-2-0-----2-2-2-4-4---4------|

A|---------------------------------------|

E|---------------3------------------3----|

Bridge to Chorus

e|-0-0---0-0----2-2-0--|

B|-0-0---0-0----3------|

G|-0-0---0-0----4------|

D|-2-0---2-0----4------|

A|-2-2---2-2----2------|

E|-0-2---0-0----2------|

e|-0-0---0-0----2-2--|

B|-0-0---0-0----2--2-|

G|-0-0---0-0----2----|

D|-2-0---2-0---------|

A|-2-2---2-2---------|

E|-0-2---0-0---------|

e|-0-0---0-0----2-2-0--|

B|-0-0---0-0----3------|

G|-0-0---0-0----4------|

D|-2-0---2-0----4------|

A|-2-2---2-2----2------|

E|-0-2---0-0----2------|

e|-0-0---0-0----2-2---|

B|-0-0---0-0----3--3--|

G|-0-0---0-0----2-----|

D|-2-0---2-0----0-----|

A|-2-2---2-2----------|

E|-0-2---0-0----------|

Chorus

e|-2-0-3-2-2---0---0-0---|

B|-3-0-3-3-3---2---0-2---|

G|-2-0-0-4-2---2---0-2---|

D|-0-2-0-4-0---2---0-2---|

A|---2-2-2-----0---0-0---|

E|---0-3-2-----0---0-0---|

e|-2-0-3-2-2-0-3----|

B|-3-0-3-3-3-0-3----|

G|-2-0-0-4-2-0-0----|

D|-0-2-0-4-0-2-0----|

A|---2-2-2---2-2----|

E|---0-3-2---0-3----|

Middle Bridge

e|-2---0---3---3---2---0---3---3---2--|

B|-3---2---3---3---3---2---3---3---3--|

G|-4---2---0---0---4---2---0---0---2--|

D|-4---2---0---0---4---2---0---0---0--|

A|-2---0---2---2---2---0---2---2------|

E|-2---0---3---3---2---0---3---3------|

End on D.