This is the first song for which Michael Stipe added lyrics to the packaging, although the lyrics are not strictly verbatim as my version below is, there it is on the inside cover. It took many more albums for him to do the same which implies a profound attachment to the song. A meaning beyond the song. The band are really at the height of their powers here and I think they know it. The more I listen to this song, the more I liken it to 'Losing My Religion.' There is something about it's rhythm or melody ... they have a similar break, a similar lyrical end, and a similar beginning. 'Religion' is a far superior song of course, but I have a new appreciation for this song. I had kind of let it fall by the wayside and I was kind of dreading tabbing it, perhaps because I originally planned to tab the piano (which I decided against ... for now), or perhaps I was sick of it.
The power of the song on Tourfilm is punctuated by Michael banging a stick on a chair. However, is the act surrounding this song a little portentous? Can Michael here be perceived as thinking too much of himself and his status? He has the ear of the world now. Was he turning into Bono? Well, yes and no. There is nothing earth shatteringly new here from Stipe compared to say 'Flowers of Guatemala,' but there is an urgency. It's simply an inherent truth that we all need to look inside ourselves and break the walls that we have put up over time. Well, it rang true for me ...
WORLD LEADER PRETEND
I sit at my table and wage war on myself
It seems like it’s all, it’s all for nothing
I know the barricades, and
I know the mortar in the wall breaks
I recognize the weapons, I’ve used them well
(Freedom)
This is my mistake, let me make it good
(Freedom)
I raised the wall and I will be the one to knock it down
(Freedom)
I’ve a rich understanding of my finest defenses
I proclaim that claims are left unstated
I demand a rematch
I decree a stalemate
I divine my deeper motives
I recognize the weapons
I’ve practiced them well
I fitted them myself
(Freedom)
It’s amazing what devices you can sympathize, empathize
(Freedom)
This is my mistake, let me make it good
(Freedom)
I raised the wall and I will be the one to knock it down
Reach out for me and hold me tight, hold that memory
Let my machine talk to me
Let my machine talk to me
This is my world
And I am world leader pretend
This is my life
And this is my time
I have been given the freedom
To do as I see fit
It’s high time I razed the walls
That I’ve constructed
(Freedom)
It’s amazing what devices you can sympathize, empathize
(Freedom)
This is my mistake, let me make it good
(Freedom)
I raised the wall and I will be the one to knock it down
(Freedom)
You fill in the mortar, you fill in the harmony
(Freedom)
You fill in the mortar, I raised the wall
(Freedom)
And I’m the only one
I will be the one to knock it down
I decided against tabbing the piano, but I went straight for the pedal steel guitar. The tuning is different and with the slide there are some other things going on, but the high strings are the most important. Remember that all of the sliding on the pedal steel is low and slow ... you really want to hear the transitions between the notes. The song itself is actually very easy to play, some traditional Buck picking, lifting the barre here and there, and some notes to mirror the bass.
WORLD LEADER PRETEND
Intro/Chorus
e|-0--0-0-----------2--2-2-2-0---|
B|-0---0------------3---3---3----|
G|-0----------------4-----4------|
D|-2-2----0-2-4-2-0-4-4----------|
A|-2----------------2------------|
E|-0----------------2------------|
e|-0--0-0-----------2--2-0--0--0--3--3---0--0---|
B|-0---0------------3---3-3--3--3-3---3--2---2--|
G|-0----------------4------4--4---0-0--0-2-2--2-|
D|-2-2----0-2-4-2-0-4-4-----------0------0------|
A|-2----------------2-------------2------0------|
E|-0----------------2-------------3------0------|
Verse
e|-2--2---3--3---0--0---2--2-3-2---|
B|-3---3--3---3--1---1--3------3---|
G|-2------0----0-0----0-2------2---|
D|-0-0--0-0-0----2-2----0-0----0---|
A|--------2------3-----------------|
E|--------3------0-----------------|
Middle Bridge
Am-C (x3)
G-A (ala Chorus)
Steel Slide Guitar
e|-7>9>11>12>14-------12------|
c|-7>9>11>12>14-16<12<12------|
e|-7>9>11>12-17<15-|
c|-7>9>11>12-------|
e|-9---12--12--12<9>11>13--|
c|-9>12--12--12--<9>11>13--|
End on Em
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