AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: MAN ON THE MOON

  The roots for this song, or at least the rhythm and feel, come from the song FALL ON ME.  It has a similar strum pattern and chord structure, but the similarities end there.  The track is a musing on heaven, death, and the game of life.  Stipe drops a lot of names here, but the use of Andy Kaufman ties  everything together nicely.  Andy was a comedian known for his surreal portrayals and even stranger life and didn't particularly cater to anyone.  His sudden switch from TV wunderkind to wrestling regular left a lot of people scratching their heads, and when he joked that he would fake his own death it ensured that when he did die, many would not let him go.  It is just this affinity we have for our celebrities and the fact that we would like the fairy tale of stars faking death so they can live in peace that makes Andy a perfect example for Stipe.  It is a play on everlasting life in the same way that people still spot Elvis Presley ... also mentioned in the song`as much for the famous Elvis-sightings as for Andy's portrayal of him.  We also visit the 70's Glam band Mott The Hoople who were left for dead before being resurrected by David Bowie with the song "All The Young Dudes".  Stipe and Buck are huge Glam Rock fans, but it could be that Stipe is referencing the novel as well, which was about a drifting rebel who tries not to be a conformist or 'Hoople'.  Fred Blassie was a wrestler who was featured in "My Breakfast with Blassie" ... a film in which Kaufman parodied the movie My Dinner with Andre.
  We also get religious symbolism with Moses, Darwin, St. Peter, and perhaps the curious word "agit."  This usage of the word is likely made up by Stipe.  The word agit is derived from Latin meaning to shake or stir, hence agitate.  It is used primarily in pharmaceutical situations and in context here could be to shake up the non believer, something posited to question ones lack of faith.  However, Stipe could have meant "agate" which is a small fragile quartz-like stone, or play marble that also was used to describe a stone high priests wore in the bible.  In Egypt, the asp was a symbol of the Pharoah's power over life and death.
  The song is one of their best known and was called "near-perfect" by an Allmusic review.  The band played the hell out of it live, and it sometimes swapped closing duties with ITEOTWAWKI as their big, live finale.  The song was played energetically live and honestly, I like it live better than the album.  The lyrics below have some changes from the official songbook, including the fact that Stipe never says "there's nothing up my sleeve" which he added to live versions.  I added the Perfect Square performance below because it really captures the live feel ... the crowd is crazy ... Stipe changes 'gall' to 'balls' and he uses the word 'cool' as he used 'crow' in the old song "Lightnin' Hopkins."


MAN ON THE MOON

Mott the Hoople and the game of Life

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Monopoly, 21, checkers, and chess

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mister Fred Blassie in a breakfast mess

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Let's play Twister, let's play Risk

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I’ll see you heaven if you make the list

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Now Andy did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Andy are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey baby, are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool

Moses went walking with a staff of wood

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Newton got beaned by the apple good

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mister Charles Darwin had the gall to ask

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Now Andy did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey baby, are you having fun?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool

Here's a little agit for the never believer

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Here's a little ghost for the offering

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mister Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling

(Wrestling bears)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Now Andy did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey baby, are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
If you believed there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool

(Nothing)

If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon

(Man on the moon)
If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool

(Nothing)

If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon

(Man on the moon)
If you believed there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool

(Nothing)

If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon

(Man on the moon)
If you believed there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool

(Nothing)

  This is a comprehensive tab.  I decided to include the chords, mandolin, and slide.  The way these elements are layered on the track lend to its "near-perfect" sound.  Feel free to be a little loose with some of the slide as the song gets going ... 

MAN ON THE MOON

Intro/Verse

e|-0-0-0-0>0--0--0<0---|

B|-1-1-1-1>3-3-3-3<1---|

G|-0-0-0-0>0-----0<0---|

D|-2-2-2-2>4-----4<2---|

A|-3-3-0-3>5-----5<3---|

E|-0-3-0-0>0-----0<0---|

Slide Open

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

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

G|-3>5-5>7-7<5-5---|

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

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

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

Slide Alt Verse (Asp Line)

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

B|-8------7-----5-----------|

G|--7>9----7-2>5-5----------|

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

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

E|--------------------3>8---|

Mandolin Verse

e|-0---0>0---0<0---|

a|-3---3>5---5<3---|

d|-2---2>4---4<2---|

g|-0---0>0---0<0---|

Mandolin Verse (Final Pick)

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

a|--3--5--3-3-|

d|-2--4--2----|

g|------------|

Bridge to Chorus

e|-0---3---0---3---0---3-0-2---|

B|-1---3---1---3---1---3-1-3---|

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

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

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

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

Slide Bridge

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

B|-------10<8-10----10<8-10------|

G|-----------9--9<7-----9--9<7---|

D|-8>10-----------0----------0---|

A|-----10------------------------|

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

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

B|----5----7-7-7>8<7----|

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

D|-3>5--5>7-------------|

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

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

Mandolin Bridge to Chorus

e|-0---3---5-3-0--0---3-0-2-3-2-3-|

a|-0---2----------0---2-3-0-------|

d|-2---0------(x2)2---0-2-0-------|

g|-5---0----------5---0-0-2-------|

Chorus

e|-3---0---0---2---3---0---2---|

B|-3---1---1---3---3---1---3---|

G|-0---2---0---4---0---0---2---|

D|-0---2---2---4---0---2---0---|

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

E|-3---0---0---2---3---0-------|

e|-3---0---0---2---0---0---|

B|-3---1---1---3---1---1---|

G|-0---2---0---4---2---0---|

D|-0---2---2---4---2---2---|

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

E|-3---0---0---2---0---0---|

Slide Chorus

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

B|-----------12<9--------8<7----------------|

G|---------------9----------7---------------|

D|-3>5>7>10<9-----3>5<2>4----3>5>7>10<9<7---|

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

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

Mandolin Chorus

e|-3-0-0-0-3-0-2-3-2-3-|

a|-2-0-3-5-2-3-0-------|

d|-0-2-2-4-0-2-0-------|

g|-0-5-0-4-0-0-2-------|

Middle Bridge

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

B|-0---3---|

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

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

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

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

Middle Bridge Slide

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

B|->12-12--7-8-7----->12-12--7--7--7-8-7----|

G|--------------7-------------7--7------7---|

D|------->7---------------->7--7--7---------|

A|---------------(x2)-----------------------|

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

Mandolin Middle Bridge

e|-0---2-3-2-0-|

a|-2---0-------|

d|-2---0-------|

g|-0---2-------|

End on Em