ACCELERATE: HORSE TO WATER

   The next two songs blend together for me as companion pieces. There's something about the way they use the discordant notes as the two guitars work off each other. It's almost as if Peter and Scott are two parts of the same chord at times which makes for a great sound in a live setting. As album pieces, there is a reflection of the MONSTER and NAIHF years as the band attempts to pen arena sized songs. So ends the album of, 'hey, we can still rock' and the end of the band as a trio. On these last two albums the five musicians here are a band and they get really tight. It's a shame they didn't tour after CIN, but this tour has some solid moments on it. The most surprising thing about this song is how many lyrics there are in relation to its length. R.E.M. are definitely letting the songs dictate how long they are, but maybe they could've dreamed up a couple of Middle 8's here at the end of the album? The lyrics are very combative and are possibly the other version of 'Hollow Man' from a different perspective. Also, I've decided to use the live version below because of how Michael reacts to the sound of Scott echoing water. Cracks me up.
Side note, it's SHOCKING how inaccurate the lyrics are for this album on Google searches--especially considering the lyrics are INCLUDED WITH THE ALBUM. Is there just a bot picking out lyrics, or is this the work of a real person?




HORSE TO WATER

I could have kept my head down
I might have kept my mouth shut
I should have held my own
You lead a horse to water and you watch him drown

You're only as big as your battles
Rattle my cage with your shadow
I'm a bantamweight with a mouth full of feathers
Don't you know that what comes around goes around

I'm not that easy
I am not your horse to water

(water)
I hold my breath I come around round round

Don't darken my doorstep again
You're mixing up lemonade gin-gin
You're mixing up lose with win/win
Lead a horse to water and you watch him drown

You’re stumble on glass top table
Divas chewing chalk on cable
Humvee up a beanstalk fable
I don’t call this entertainment ‘cause Humpty's falling down

I'm not that easy
I am not your horse to water

(water)
I hold my breath I come around round round

Pick a fight launch a buzzy bar brawl
Friday night fuck or fight a pub crawl
Bantamweight with a mouth full of feathers
Don't you know that what comes around goes around

I'm not that easy
I am not your horse to water

(water)
I hold my breath I come around round round

It's not that easy
I am not your horse to water

(water)
I hold my breath I come around round round
It’s going down down down
This run around round round
Is bound to pound the daylights out of you

   This song is pretty easy to play. Just a few chords, but note how much Peter leans on the open B and e string below. I've over emphasized it as he keeps the F# intact, but just barely. There's definitely more doodling than what I've put below by Scott, but it's mostly here.

Verse (Guitar 1)

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

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

G|---3-----------------8--|

D|---4-----------------9--|

A|---4-----------------9--|

E|-0-2-----------x3----7--|

Verse (Guitar 2)

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

B|-2^-----2^----4^-----0--|

G|-----2^--------------8--|

D|---------------------9--|

A|---------------------9--|

E|---------------------7--|

Ending

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

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

G|-9---8---6---4---3---2---1--|

D|-9---9---7---5---4---3---2--|

A|-7---9---7---5---4---3---2--|

E|-0---7---5---3---2---1---0--|

Ending (Guitar 2)

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

B|---------5^--2^--------------|

G|-----------------6^--5^--4^--|

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

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

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