AROUND THE SUN: FINAL STRAW

   I remember hearing this one live on the IN TIME tour before ATS came out and being excited by the message--as it spoke to how I was feeling about the US starting a war with Iraq--but a little underwhelmed by the song. It's such a straightforward and obvious protest lyric for Michael and for all of the things I love about the band it has to be the wit and abstract imagery of their past political work--narratives that gather life the more times you listen and feel like anthemic calls to arms. Here is a person who is seething and personalizing their objections rather than sharing rage with a larger group. In revisiting the song I completely understand the choice and the character, but feel the execution falls a little short. It could be the slickness of the studio version and its placement on the album, or maybe this character doesn't let me in--kind of like the bad revolutionary of 'The Outsiders.' Watching the live version on YouTube is much more stirring on its own, but wherever you play it there is a feeling of interruption of the flow, which means the song is doing what the band wanted it to--an uncomfortable feeling when the talk turns to politics.



FINAL STRAW

As I raise my head to broadcast my objection
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law

I can't believe where circumstance has thrown me
And I turn my head away
If I look I'm not sure that I could face you
Not again, not today, not today

If hatred makes a play on me tomorrow
And forgiveness take a back seat to revenge
There's a hurt down deep that has not been corrected
There's a voice in me that says you will not win

And if I ignore the voice inside
Raise a half glass to my home
But it's there that I am most afraid
And forgettin’ doesn't hold, it doesn't hold

Now I don't believe and I never did that two wrongs make a right
If the world were filled with the likes of you then I'm putting up a fight

I'm putting up a fight, putting up a fight

Make it right, make it right

Now love cannot be called into question
Forgiveness is the only hope I hold
And love, love will be my strongest weapon
I do believe that I am not alone

For this fear will not destroy me
And the tears that have been shed
It's knowing now where I am weakest
And the voice in my head, in my head

Then I raise my voice up higher
And I look you in the eye
And I offer love with one condition
With conviction, tell me why, tell me why
Tell me why, look me in the eye, tell me why

   The emphasis on the Dm chord the last few records is astounding, but it really falls into Michael's wheelhouse in their later years. Some fun walking on the chords here, also easy to sing as the walk follows the vocal and vice versa. Below I've noted the major walking notes in bold, but the picking is loose, not exactly a standard pick, although Peter is trying to revisit those high e strings at times to mimic the sound. He also seems to favor the high pick toward the end of the chorus, so playing around with that is fruitful as well as hammering and lifting the Am and C Chords throughout the song--everything should be active. I've also added the Bass walk in the Chorus and Middle 8 outros, but if you have a bassist let them have a nice walk on their own would you?

FINAL STRAW

Intro/Bridge/Outro

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verse

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

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

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

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

A|-----------3-3------------|

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

Chorus

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

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

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

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

A|-3--------|

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Middle 8

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

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

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

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

A|-3--------|

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

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

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

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

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

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

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