UP: DIMINISHED

  Going through this album is fascinating. There are so many aspects of these songs I love, but is this a case of a band not being able to shake legacy? If this was the first album from a new band would it be regarded differently? Diminished is a complex song, the characters are dark and inaccessible but yearn for our acceptance even if unwarranted. Here is a prescient ode from a Oscar Pistorius-like character while on trial. There's no doubt in my mind the character's guilty, but those types of judgments are taken from us and put to a justice and jury. Here we have another song that holds the chorus back until we travel through a couple of verses and bridges, classic R.E.M. technique. They're still building songs as they always have, this character is no darker than some on FOTR or DOCUMENT, yet the narrative is clearer, the situation laid plain. What's missing is the ambiguity which invites additional and repeated listening--when the story is this straightforward, it's difficult to revisit. But the chorus of this song is so good!!



DIMINISHED

I watched you fall
I think I pushed
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe diminished
Maybe I'm innocent
Maybe I'm finished
Maybe I blacked out
How do I play this?

I will give my best today
I will give myself away
I have never hurt anything
Is the jury wavering?
Do they know I sing?

Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe diminished
How do I
How do I play this?
Jealous lover, self-defense
Protective brother, chemical dependence
I'll consult the I Ching
I'll consult the T.V.
Ouija, oblique strategies
I'll consult the law books for precedents
Can I charm the jury?

I will give my best today
I will give myself away
I have never hurt anything
Is the justice wavering?
Does she know I sing that song?

Sing along

(I will never hurt anything)
Sing along

(I will never hurt anything)
Sing along
(I will never hurt anything)

I watched you fall

I think I pushed
Maybe they'll see me
Maybe they'll say
‘I can see the truth in his statement, smallpox blanket? No way’
Can I charm the jury, my defense
Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you’re diminished
Maybe I loved you
Baby I loved you
Baby I loved you
Baby I loved you
Baby I'm finished

I will give my best today
I will give myself away
I have never hurt anything
Is the justice wavering?
Does she know I sing that song?

Sing along

(I will never hurt anything)
Sing along

(I will never hurt anything)
Sing along
(I will never hurt anything)

I have given myself away
I have given my best today
I have never hurt anything
Is the justice wavering?
Does she know I loved you?
Does she know I loved you?
Does she know I sing?

   This one is fairly straightforward. I added a bass walk to play with and it seems to work best in CAPO 2. However, you can play the chords without the capo and it sound very rich. I've also toyed with leaving the high e string open during the verses when in normal tuning and it sounds appropriately haunting and might give a richer sound if you are playing solo on an acoustic.

DIMINISHED

Capo 2

Verse (Bm-F#m)

F#|-0---0---|

C#|-1---0---|

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

E |-2---2---|

B |-0---2---|

F#|-0---0---|

Verse (with bass walk)

F#|-0-0-----------0-0-0-------|

C#|-1-1-----------0-0-0-------|

A |-2-2-0-2-4-2-0-0-0-0----0--|

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

B |-0-0-----------2-2-2-------|

F#|-0-0-----------0-0-0-------|

Bridge to Chorus (Em-D-C/ D-C)

F#|-1---0---1---1------|-0---1-|

C#|-3---1---3---3------|-1---3-|

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

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

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

F#|-----0---1---1---x3-|-0---1-|

Chorus (Em-C-G-D)

F#|-1---1---1---0--|

C#|-3---3---1---1--|

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

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

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

F#|-----1---1---0--|