AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL

  Just as MAN ON THE MOON ... which we are getting to ... deals with death through Andy Kaufman, MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL takes us through fate and loss through the person of actor Mongomery Clift.   The title is a play on the game show "Let's Make A Deal" with Monty Hall and takes us on a dream-like tour of Mr. Stipe's mind.  As with many of Stipe's lyrics, there are plenty of obsequious moments, but the words are extremely clear.  What is unclear is whether Clift was used because of his tragic car crash ... the "Mischief" that threw him a rotten deal ... or because of his intensely private personal life, which Stipe probably related to very well.  Clift, like Stipe, felt like an outsider in the business he was in.  Even with accolades, Clift never won awards, even though he was nominated several times.  In contrast, Stipe had just won a ton of awards for OUT OF TIME, but still felt unaccepted.  During the release of this album, Stipe never officially came out, but said he was attracted to and had relationships with both men and women, a similar position as in Monty's biography.
  A number of years ago, my friend Rob and I played this tune live acoustically with a Capo 3 and it sounded great!  It's a short song and really drives if you let it ...


MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL

Monty this seems strange to me
The movies had that movie thing
But nonsense has a welcome ring
And heroes don't come easy

Now nonsense isn't new to me
I know my head, I know my feet
But mischief knocked me in the knees
Said: “Just let go”

“Just let go”

I saw the ocean meet the man
I saw you buried in the sand
A friend was there to hold your hand
Said: “Walk on by”

So, I went walking through the street
I saw you strung up in a tree
A woman knelt there said to me
Said: “Hold your tongue”

(Man)

“Hold your tongue”

You don't owe me anything
You don't want this sympathy

(Waste your breath)
Don't you waste your breath

(Waste your breath)
For the silver screen

That nonsense doesn't mean a thing
They tried to bust you in a sting
But virtue isn't everything
So don't waste time

Now here's a rhyme that you can steal
Put this on your reel to reel
Mischief threw a rotten deal
Monty's laying low

(Man)
He is laying low
Just let go

(Y'all)
Just let go

You don't owe me anything
You don't want this sympathy

(Waste your breath)
Don't you waste your breath

(Waste your breath)
Monty this seems strange to me

   Apparently, Peter Buck was fooling around with a Bouzouki in a hotel room in New Orleans when he stumbled upon this riff.  He recalls it because the couple in the next room were excessively "amorous."  A Bouzouki is somewhere between a mandolin and an acoustic guitar and sounds great.  The instrument originates in Greece, but Buck is playing an Irish Bouzouki.  The tuning below is not standard, but is more of an open tuning and easier to form chords with, obviously this is right up Buck's alley.  Incidentally, you can tune your guitar or mandolin to match below and the effect is the same.  Feel free to be a little more loose in the verses after the drums kick in ... 

MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL

Bouzouki Tuning: GDgd

Verse

d|-5-5---5>7-0--3----------5-5---5>7-0--3--3------|

g|-3--3--3>5-0---3-5-3-3-0-3--3--3>5-0---3--3--0--|

D|-0---0----------3----3-0-0---0----------3--3-0--|

G|-0-----------3-----------0-----------3----------|

d|-5-5---5>7-0--3------------0---0--0--0----|

g|-3--3--3>5-0---3-5-3-3-0----0---0-0---0-0-|

D|-0---0----------3----3-0--3---5---0-0--0--|

G|-0-----------3-----------3---5----0-------|

Chorus

d|-12-10-12-15-12-10-7-5-3-5---3---5---0-|

g|--0--0--0--0--0--0-0-0-0-0---3---5---0-|

D|--0--0--0--0--0--0-0-0-0-0---3---5---0-|

G|--0--0--0--0--0--0-0-0-0-0---3---5---0-|

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: SWEETNESS FOLLOWS

  Here is the sort of companion track to TRY NOT TO BREATHE ... perhaps it is Part 2.  If TNTB is a song of impending death, SWEETNESS FOLLOWS is the after death song, a song to help heal.  The song is not spiritual, but in Mr. Stipe's ambiguous way, you can read most anything into the lyrics.  What exactly is this sweetness?  In my take it is simply that life will go on and there will be joy after loss ... particularly if one is open to it.
  The lyrics are very simple and easily understood.  There are little changes from what can already be found online and in official transcripts except below, I have listed Stipe's second verse as "blind to the other" while official reports are "deaf to the other."  This must have been another post recording transcription, because Stipe clearly repeats blind in the recorded version.



SWEETNESS FOLLOWS

Readying to bury your father and your mother
What did you think when you lost another?
I used to wonder why did you bother
Distanced from one

Blind to the other

Listen here my sister and my brother
What would you care if you lost the other?
I always wonder why did we bother
Distanced from one

Blind to the other

Oh, oh, oh

But sweetness follows

It's these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and wonder
I always knew this altogether thunder
Was lost in our little lives

Oh, oh, oh

But sweetness follows

Oh, oh, oh

But sweetness follows

It's these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and thunder
Yeah, yeah we were 
Altogether lost in our little lives

Oh, oh, oh

But sweetness follows

Oh, oh, oh, oh

But sweetness follows


  The strength of this song is really the cello that follows the entire song.  However, Peter uses his guitar nicely and it's a really fun song to play sans cello.  The key to this song is tuning down a whole step as it creates those nice loose strings and depth standard tuning does not provide.  The lead I have provided below is sort of a mix of the two guitars that are happening.  Because there is a good amount of controlled feedback, it is difficult to tell where one guitar ends and the other begins, so the below will have to suffice.

SWEETNESS FOLLOWS

Tune down a whole step …

Intro/ Lead

d|-0---|

A|-0---|

F|-1---|

C|-2---|

G|-2---|

D|-0---|

Verse

d|-7---5------0---|

A|-7---5------0---|

F|-8---8------1---|

C|-9---6------2---|

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

D|-0---0-x3---0---|

Chorus

d|-3---5---3---5---0---|

A|-3---5---5---7---0---|

F|-4---6---5---7---1---|

C|-5---7---5---7---2---|

G|-5---7---3---5---2---|

D|-3---5---3---5---0---|

Lead

d|-7-10-7----------------0-5-7h-8-7-5-7--|

A|-------5-7h-5-0-0----------------------|

F|-----------------2-4h-4----------------|

C|---------------------------------------|

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

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

Lead

d|---------------------0--12-|

A|-7-5-5-7h-5----------0-12--|

F|-----------6-4-------1-----|

C|---------------------2-----|

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

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


ANOTHER FUN WAY TO PLAY IN DROP D

Verse (Mimics the strings in the intro/bridge chord)

d |-7---5------0---0-0-0-0--0-|

A |-7---5------0---0-0-0-0--0-|

F#|-7---5------0---0-0-0-0--0-|

D |-7---5------0---0-0-0-0--0-|

A |-0---0------5---5-5-5-7h-5-|

D |-0---0-x3---0---7-0-0-0--0-|

Chorus

d |-3---5---0---0---0---|

A |-3---5---3---5---0---|

F#|-3---5---4---6---0---|

D |-3---5---3---5---0---|

A |-0---0---0---0---5---|

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