DOCUMENT: FINEST WORKSONG

This is such a great song to open an album.  They still play the tune quite a bit, perhaps because you can really just pull it out of your hat.  The band had been touring a lot as an IRS band and I'm sure that this work ethic lent to the work theme on this album.  This song specifically though seems to speak to the artist at work and the pride of personal achievement.  In this world, as it is, we work for pay.  In order to stay relatively sane, work needs to be personalized and ownership has to be taken for us to put our heart and soul into it.  The best results often come when there is nothing at stake except our own pride. 
  Lyrically, as is the Stipe style, the song is quite repetitive.  Mills has taken to saying 'All your heart' and 'All your soul' live these days, alternating the two more than the recorded version.  Below you can see I've mostly posted 'All your hope' as it seems that this is what he is saying and sounds more accurate when sung that way.  It could be that it has always been 'heart' and we are hearing Mills' accent, but I don't believe that is the case.



FINEST WORKSONG
The time to rise has been engaged
Your better best to rearrange
I’m talking here to me alone
I listen to the finest worksong

Your finest hour
Your finest hour

Another chance has been engaged
To throw Thoreau and rearrange
You are following this time
I beg you not beg to rhyme

(All your hope)
Your finest hour
(All your hope)
Your finest hour

Take your instinct by the reins
Your better best to rearrange
What we want and what we need
Has been confused been confused

(All your hope)
Your finest hour
(All your hope)
Your finest hour

Take your instinct by the reins
Better best to rearrange
What we want and what we need
Has been confused been confused

(All your hope)
Your finest hour
(All your soul)
Your finest hour
(All your hope)
Your finest hour
(All your soul)
Your finest hour

Again, this song is pretty easy to play.  The harmonics at the end are easier than they look here and live, he really just stays on the 7th and 9th frets, but if you play the final chords without harmonics as I have posted it sounds just as good.

FINEST WORKSONG

Intro:

Keep the open strings ringing, but mute the rest from time to time for ‘scratch’ sound.

e|-0---|

B|-0---|

G|-8---|

D|-9---|

A|-9---|

E|-7---|

Verse

e|-0-0-0--|

B|-0--0-0-|

G|-8------|

D|-9------|

A|-9------|

E|-7------|

Verse Slide

e|--------|

B|--------|

G|-11<9---|

D|--9<7---|

A|--------|

E|--------|

Chorus

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

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

G|-1---3---|

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

A|-2---4---|

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

Middle Bridge

e|-0---|

B|-0---|

G|-6---|

D|-7---|

A|-7---|

E|-5---|

End

A mix of harmonic and notes, harmonic in parenthesis

e|--0---(10)---10--------|

B|--0---(10)----x--------|

G|-(9)----9---(12)----0--|

D|-(9)----9-----0---(12)-|

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

E|--------------x2-------|