UP: LOTUS

  Lotus is perhaps the perfect introduction to the new R.E.M. There's a balance of the electronic, guitar riffs, melodic bass, and harsh vocalization that seems to usher in a new era of weirdness without dumping their roots. In particular, the backing vocals and the interplay with the lead vocal is really cool. The pacing of the song is slowed to meet the build of an album, but when played live it's picked up and sounds really great. The character here is having a 'bad day' and notices someone who is enlightened, the stranger with the 'crowbar spine', or perhaps this stranger is the old reflection of the new self, sort of a twist on Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Michael's characters were found but now are lost. In any case, the song has pointed out to me the recurrence of Michael's characters having a tough time of life. Falling, realizing, redeeming, falling again, these motifs keep coming up--there are always wolves lurking in the corner of the garden.
  Michael prides himself on originality, but unfortunately some of the phrases here fall a little flat. His joke about heck and hell and the monkey dying for his grin are a stretch, but I love the self referential 'End of the World' shout out (the start of a number of these nods which builds to 'Sing for the Submarine') and a lot of the character study painted here. Very solid song from a band trying to find their footing.



LOTUS

Hey hey

Hey hey

I was hell
Sarcastic silver swell
That day it rained
Tough spun

Hard won

No ocean flower aquarium
Badlands

Give a hand
Honey dipped flim flam
Hey hey, hey hey
That cat can walk like a big bad man

So happy to show us
I ate the lotus
Say, haven't you noticed?
I ate the lotus

Storefront window, I reflect
Just last week I was merely heck
Tip the scale, I was hell
Picked me up, then I fell
Who's this stranger?

Crowbar spine
Dot, dot, dot, and I feel fine
Let it rain, rain, rain (rain)
Bring my happy back again

So happy to show us
I ate the lotus
Say haven't you noticed?
I ate the lotus

I ate the lotus

Let it rain, rain, rain (rain)
Save me from myself again
Wash away my ugly sins
Opposing thumb, dorsal fin
That monkey died for my grin
Bring my happy back again
Let it rain, rain, rain (rain)
Bring my happy back again

So happy to show us
I ate the lotus
Say haven't you noticed?
I ate the lotus
I ate the lotus
I ate the lotus

I ate the lotus

  This track is a riff and some guitar support and introduces a theme for many of the tracks on this album. While watching the band play this live, you notice two people playing keyboards and then Peter steps forward and plays a third keyboard. That's a little clue on where we're headed. The first verse is mostly just bass and keys. The opening of the riff has a hammer similar to Begin the Begin, and the Dm6 to end the chorus has the extra note for tone, but also to differentiate from every song on Document!

LOTUS

Verse

Riff/Lead

G|-2-0-2h-0-0-5-4-0-2h-0-0-----------------|

D|---------4------------4-00-2-00----------|

A|-------------------------------33-22-0-0-|

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

G|-0-2h-0-0-5-4-5-5/7h-5-7>9-77-55-44-22-0/2h--|

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

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

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

Verse Chords Etc.

(Am-C-G-F)

Below is for the staccato bursts before the chorus, strum up

e|-5---3---7---5-|

B|-5---3---8---6-|

G|-6---0---7---5-|

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

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

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

Chorus

Picked to emphasize the high ‘e’, the Dm6 mostly sounds and feels like Buck’s standard D2,

e|-1---0-------0---0--|

B|-3---1-------0---3--|

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

D|-0---2-------2---3--|

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

E|-----0--x3---0---0--|