AROUND THE SUN: MAKE IT ALL OKAY

   Here's another lovely ballad, or break up song, or what have you. I've always enjoyed the beauty of this song, the gentleness as it unfolds, but it always washed over me as a gateway to the rest of the album (although for me 'Final Straw' blocks that gateway). 'Make it all okay' works for me like 'Near Wild Heaven' or 'Moral Kiosk' sort of a song to get into the album proper. 'We don't have a prayer between us' and 'anything to hold on to and help me through my day' are such great lines--not sure how Jesus pops up in the story here, but maybe it has something to do with the former line--and 'I saw you at the street fair ' immediately conjures up summertime NYC for me. A lot of the criticism I find online talks of the song's simplicity, but to me there is some real conflict here--particularly because the song's singer is so adamant about not wanting to go back, but then dwell on the decision. Sometimes people have relationships that they are so invested in it takes a piece of them, which is truly a beautiful thing, but when the other person turns away the person questions everything. To me the character of this song has VERY conflicted feelings about the break-up and possible reconciliation even though the song pushes hard against getting back together.




MAKE IT ALL OKAY

You threw away the ballast and you rowed your boat ashore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You made your ultimatum too big to ignore
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?

So you worked out your excuses, turned away and shut the door
The world's too vast for us now and you wanted to explore

It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your hand again I'd have to walk away

When I saw you at the street fair, you called out my name
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
You said we could start over, try and make it all okay
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?

So our past has been rewritten and you threw away the pen
You'd said that I was useless, but now you'll take me in again

Well Jesus loves me fine
And your words fall flat this time
Was it my imagination or did I hear you say:
‘We don't have a prayer between us’

Didn't you believe that I have finally turned away?
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?
Anything to hold onto to help me through my day
Didn't you, now? Didn't you?

Jesus loves me fine
But his words fall flat this time

It's a long, long long road
And I don't know which way to go
If you offered me your world, did you think I'd really stay?
If you offered me the heavens, I would have to turn away
Was it my imagination or did I hear you say:
‘We don't have a prayer between us’
Didn't you, now?

Didn't you, now?
Didn't you?

   The pejoratives of boring, lame, slow pop up online with this song a lot. But playing through it reminds me again why R.E.M. are great because there is true songcraft here. This is an album full of great songs that in some cases the band is unsure how to engineer and develop. I dare you to try playing the song below and not admiring the chord progression. I've put mostly barred chords below for ease, but the song sounds lovely in many iterations, including with an 8th fret F Chord or even capo 3 if you are so inclined to experiment. However, it's the un-capoed version gives the true dissonance on the final chorus chord.

MAKE IT ALL OKAY

Intro (Piano)

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

B|-8--8--8--8----|

G|--10-10-10-10--|

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

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

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

Verse

e|-1---5---5---3---3-3----3----|

B|-1---5---6---5---3--3---5----|

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

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

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

E|-1---5---5---3---3------3----|

Verse Bend Riff

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

B|-5b---5---|

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

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

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

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

Bridge to Chorus (x2)

e|-5------5----|

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

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

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

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

E|-5------5----|

Bridge to Chorus Slide

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

B|-------------|

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

D|-4>7---9>12--|

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

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

Chorus

e|-7------8------|-7------8---8---6---0---6---0--|

B|-8------8------|-8-----10---8---6---5---6---5--|

G|-9------9------|-9-----10---9---7---7---7---7--|

D|-9-----10------|-9-----10--10---8---8---8---8--|

A|-7-----10------|-7------8--10---8---8---8---8--|

E|-7------9------|-7------8---8---6---x---6---x--|

End on F