DEAD LETTER OFFICE: BURNING HELL

'Sometimes you write a song without even trying to.  Sometimes

those songs are the very best ones.  That's not quite the case

with this one however.  Outtake from Fables of the Reconstruction'

-Peter Buck

After Swan Swan H, this is the second R.E.M. cover song a band of mine did.  Why of all of the bands songs did we choose this one?  I guess we knew we couldn't screw it up.  And our guitar player was a blues/ metal guy, I knew he'd dig it.  I think overall with my experience in picking cover tunes as an early band, they were all bad choices. 
  For those fans of the band who complain about the ragged sound of Michael Stipe's voice during a long tour or when he tries some of the old notes, I point to this song.  You can pretty much hear vocal chords rip.  Not sure if this is a rip on the John Lee Hooker song of the same name (of which it bears almost no resemblance), which at the time of this album had only been released in the UK, or if the band simply stumbled upon a riff and feel.  I'm assuming a little of both.

BURNING HELL
Women got legs men got pants
I got the picnic if you got the ants
Good in fire heaven knows
Take my torch and touch your toes in hell
It's a burning hell

You’ll burn in Hell
It's a burning hell
You can burn in hell
It's a burning hell

Women don't fret, boys don't bet
Let me see your silhouette in hell
Women above me take my love
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love

It's a burning hell
Let’s burn in hell
(It’s burning hell)
Baby, baby, baby, I'm hell
(Burn in hell)
Mr. burning hell
(Burning hell)

Yeah
Burning hell

Girl stop moving, boy behave
Baby I'll put you in an early grave in hell
Love on the ceiling, love on the floor
Home gonna leave you burned even more
Burn in the country, burn downtown
All the best people are burning down in hell
Hell
(Alright)
Ah hell

It's a burning Hell
(Yeah, yeah, yeah … yeah)
You'll burn in hell
(Burning hell)
It's a very, burning, giant, colossal matter, oh matter
(It’s a burning hell)
Hell
Oh come on over little baby, I'm hell

Burn, Burn, Burn
Burn in hell

(Thank you!)


For the lead in this, feel free to be loose with the notes.  There is a lot of hammering and sloppy lead going on and of course it fits the song, but doesn't translate neatly to tab.  Also when it says bend ... bend ... a lot.

BURNING HELL

Intro/Verse

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

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

G|---------------------------------------------|

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

A|-2-2-2-2-0-2-2-2-2-0-2-2-2-2-0-0-2-3-2-0-2-0-|

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

Chorus

Guitar 1

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

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

G|---------------------------------|

D|-5-------4-------x---------------|

A|-3-------2-------7---------------|

E|-0-------0-------5---------------|

Guitar 2

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

B|-555555554444444422-5-7-5----5-7-5----|

G|-555555554444444422-5----7-5-5----7-5-|

D|--------------------------------------|

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

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

Lead (Chords: A-B-C-D)

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

B|-----------55555-55575-5--10-12-12--10-12-12--10-12-12-10-12--|

G|5757575757-55797-57555-7>11--------11--------11---------------|

D|--------------------------------------------------------------|

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

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

e|--------------------------------------------------12--------|

B|-12>13-13-13--13-13-11-13--13-13-13>15-15-15-13-15--15-13---|

G|------------12-----------12-----12-------------14--------14-|

D|------------------------------------------------------------|

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

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

Last Verse Fill Riff

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

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

G|-02020202020202020202-2b-|

D|-------------------------|

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

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

End (Chord Forms)

e|-------15-----------|

B|-15-13-15-15b---15--|

G|-14-14-14-------14--|

D|--------------------|

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

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