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---|