What is there to add to this song? There is an honesty and beauty here that is at the core of many R.E.M. tracks. It is also the first song that made me aware of Stipe's photographic mind. He mentions the photograph which brought to my attention that most of Stipe's observations are snapshots of life. His references and illusions fly by like the pages of a photograph album. This is what makes him so successful as an enigmatic writer. His lyrics for each song are like a great collage that has separate meaning in each individual picture. Also, unlike any other lyricist he seems to be able to draw the same effect out of his listeners as a photograph or painting. It is easier for the listener to arrive at their own conclusion about what the song is about or what it means to them personally.
The song luckily speaks for itself so I won't have to.
NIGHTSWIMMING
Nightswimming
Deserves a quiet night
The photograph on the dashboard,
Taken years ago
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows
Every streetlight
Reveals a picture in reverse
Still it's so much clearer
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge
The moon is low tonight
Nightswimming
Deserves a quiet night
I'm not sure all these people understand
It's not like years ago
The fear of getting caught
Of recklessness and water
They cannot see me naked
These things they go away
Replaced by everyday
Nightswimming
Remembering that night
September's coming soon
I'm pining for the moon
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming
You, I thought I knew you
You, I cannot judge
You, I thought you knew me
This one laughing quietly
Underneath my breath
Nightswimming
The photograph reflects
Every streetlight a reminder
Nightswimming
Deserves a quiet night
Deserves a quiet night
As with Perfect Circle, this song could be played even if you don't know how to play piano and read music. There are no chords and it doesn't require a heck of a lot of coordination. Just start banging along to the song and you'll be playing in no time. The following tab is piano tab, you can also find standard transcription online. If you want more specific instructions they are at tabnabber.com, but here are the basics:
1. L and R is Left hand Right hand 2. The numbers on the right are the octave groups. Middle c is octave 4. All octaves start on c. 3. The lowercase letters are the whole notes- white keys. 4. The uppercase (In this case only 1) is a sharp note- black key. 5. This symbol (>) means sustain the note. (I didn't use here) 6. This symbol (|) separates the measures.
Intro/Break:
L 2|g---g-b-|-------|g---g-b-|--------|
L 3|--------|c------|--------|d-------|
R 4|d-gab-g-|g------|d-gab-g-|d-------|
Verse:
L 2|g--g-b--|--------|g--g-b--|----a---|
L 3|-------d|c---d---|-------d|c-------|
R 4|-gbg-gg-|---bbaFe|-gbg-gg-|---bbage|
R 5|-------d|dcc-----|-------d|dcc-----|
L 2|---g--|----a-b-|
L 3|c---c-|d----d--|
R 4|gaegae|gadggFeF|
End on g.
I've also included ultra easy guitar chords to play along with, although there is no guitar in the song.
The roots for this song, or at least the rhythm and feel, come from the song FALL ON ME. It has a similar strum pattern and chord structure, but the similarities end there. The track is a musing on heaven, death, and the game of life. Stipe drops a lot of names here, but the use of Andy Kaufman ties everything together nicely. Andy was a comedian known for his surreal portrayals and even stranger life and didn't particularly cater to anyone. His sudden switch from TV wunderkind to wrestling regular left a lot of people scratching their heads, and when he joked that he would fake his own death it ensured that when he did die, many would not let him go. It is just this affinity we have for our celebrities and the fact that we would like the fairy tale of stars faking death so they can live in peace that makes Andy a perfect example for Stipe. It is a play on everlasting life in the same way that people still spot Elvis Presley ... also mentioned in the song`as much for the famous Elvis-sightings as for Andy's portrayal of him. We also visit the 70's Glam band Mott The Hoople who were left for dead before being resurrected by David Bowie with the song "All The Young Dudes". Stipe and Buck are huge Glam Rock fans, but it could be that Stipe is referencing the novel as well, which was about a drifting rebel who tries not to be a conformist or 'Hoople'. Fred Blassie was a wrestler who was featured in "My Breakfast with Blassie" ... a film in which Kaufman parodied the movie My Dinner with Andre.
We also get religious symbolism with Moses, Darwin, St. Peter, and perhaps the curious word "agit." This usage of the word is likely made up by Stipe. The word agit is derived from Latin meaning to shake or stir, hence agitate. It is used primarily in pharmaceutical situations and in context here could be to shake up the non believer, something posited to question ones lack of faith. However, Stipe could have meant "agate" which is a small fragile quartz-like stone, or play marble that also was used to describe a stone high priests wore in the bible. In Egypt, the asp was a symbol of the Pharoah's power over life and death.
The song is one of their best known and was called "near-perfect" by an Allmusic review. The band played the hell out of it live, and it sometimes swapped closing duties with ITEOTWAWKI as their big, live finale. The song was played energetically live and honestly, I like it live better than the album. The lyrics below have some changes from the official songbook, including the fact that Stipe never says "there's nothing up my sleeve" which he added to live versions. I added the Perfect Square performance below because it really captures the live feel ... the crowd is crazy ... Stipe changes 'gall' to 'balls' and he uses the word 'cool' as he used 'crow' in the old song "Lightnin' Hopkins."
MAN ON THE MOON
Mott the Hoople and the game of Life
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Monopoly, 21, checkers, and chess
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mister Fred Blassie in a breakfast mess
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Let's play Twister, let's play Risk
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I’ll see you heaven if you make the list
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now Andy did you hear about this one?
Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Andy are you goofing on Elvis?
Hey baby, are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool
Moses went walking with a staff of wood
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Newton got beaned by the apple good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mister Charles Darwin had the gall to ask
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now Andy did you hear about this one?
Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?
Hey baby, are you having fun?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool
Here's a little agit for the never believer
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Here's a little ghost for the offering
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mister Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling
(Wrestling bears)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Now Andy did you hear about this one?
Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?
Hey baby, are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
If you believed there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool
(Nothing)
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
(Man on the moon)
If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool
(Nothing)
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
(Man on the moon)
If you believed there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool
(Nothing)
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon
(Man on the moon)
If you believed there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool
(Nothing)
This is a comprehensive tab. I decided to include the chords, mandolin, and slide. The way these elements are layered on the track lend to its "near-perfect" sound. Feel free to be a little loose with some of the slide as the song gets going ...
This is likely one of those tracks that were given to Mr. Stipe without any inkling that he would be able to write lyrics for. According to the band, Meg Ryan helped name this song. After she heard it she said any song with the word "Fuck" in the title would be off limits growing up. So the band cleverly disguised the curse with the word 'star' as opposed to the more traditional star symbol for curse words. There are two sides to the interp here ... Mike claims that it's about a relationship that is on the rocks, but the "Fuck me" at the end is literal ... The song itself seems to steer toward the figurative in that the relationship is very over. Peter has the best quote ... as always:
"It's a real perverse love song, demented, but it's an endearing term. It's not about cats."
Incidentally, there is a great video on You Tube of the band playing the song live over the end credits of the video Parallel (http://youtu.be/e-aY4np3zJ4). In it, Michael actually uses the Automatic song book, but sadly the embed feature is off.
STAR ME KITTEN
Keys cut 3 for the price of 1
Nothing's free but guaranteed
For a lifetime's use
I've changed the locks
And you can't have one
You, you know the other two
The brakes have worn so thin that you could hear
I hear them screeching through the door
From our driveway
Hey love, look into your glove-box heart
What is there for me inside?
This love is tired
I've changed the locks
Have I misplaced you?
Have we lost our minds?
Will this never end?
It could depend on your take
You
Me
We used to be on fire
If keys are all that stand between
Can I throw in the ring
No gasoline
Just fuck me kitten
You are wild and I'm in your possession
Nothing's free
So fuck me kitten This song is just one long riff. Very easy to play. Peter seems to play it a little different on the end credit sequence at the end of "Parallel" but I find the below easiest ... STAR ME KITTEN
I'm still not sure about why this song works on AFTP. The over production and electric nature of the song shouldn't work at all with the dark tones of the rest of the album. The straightforward railing at the Republican takeover of Washington after Jimmy Carter clashes drastically with the vague melancholy of the rest of the album. Upon first listen it is a slapdash venting of public liberal grievances that is more than slightly off-putting. R.E.M. was a band unafraid of political songs, but in the past tended toward metaphors and allusion. The balance of "Exhuming McCarthy" is gone here and replaced with Mr. Stipe's rant and rail against the Reaganism that helped define the current Republican Party. Perhaps it fits because there is a wistfulness of something lost, or as the first line puts it ... stolen. I personally have liberal views, but this song at times is very harsh. Plus the title, IGNORELAND, is rather trite ... almost cringe-worthy.
But the song works. It's upbeat, interesting because it stands out from the album, and lively because it banks on the good will the rest of the album affords it. Stipe's near apology at the end is almost him saying: well, sorry about this one, but let's be honest ... "Everybody Hurts" let's me get away with it.
The band, understandably, was not totally pleased with the production value of the track and it's place on the album; but in the end here it is warts and all. In fact, Stipe flubs the lines a couple of times and the stumbles are kept ... note the parenthetical "c" and the phrase: "If they wasn't there ... " although the latter could be a sly take on American's disregard for proper use of tense. The spoken outro at the end is pretty much my best guess on the line coming out of the last chorus. With the "yeah's" it's almost completely indecipherable.
I have added a live version below because after many years, they found joy in the song again ... even if they did change the octave to suit Stipe.
IGNORELAND
Bastards stole their power from
The victims of the us v. them years
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into trickle down runoff pool
They hypnotized the summer
1979
Marched into the capital
Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media ready, heartless
And labeled super U.S. citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing
Relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite glutton
1980, 84, 88, 92 too … too
How to be what you can be, jump jam junking your energy
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes
They (c)amplified the autumn
1979
Calculate the capital
Up the republic
My skinny ass T.V. tells a million lies
The papers terrified to report
Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon
I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this
So, fuck you, man … fuck ‘em
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
If they wasn't there we would have created them
Maybe it is true
But I'm resentful all the same
Someone's got to take the blame
I know that this is vitriol
No solution
Spleen-venting
But I feel better having screamed
Don't you?
They desecrate the winter
1979
Capital collateral
Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media ready, heartless
And labeled super U.S. citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing
Relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ignoreland
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
That paper’s not on the record
I didn’t do the revolution …
thank you … This is a very electric song. there are some very long held sustained notes and feedback that I did not put below. I tried to use chords that were more in the spirit of the song. Plus, there are a number of ways to play the notes and chords that sound correct. I play it as follows: IGNORELAND
Just as MAN ON THE MOON ... which we are getting to ... deals with death through Andy Kaufman, MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL takes us through fate and loss through the person of actor Mongomery Clift. The title is a play on the game show "Let's Make A Deal" with Monty Hall and takes us on a dream-like tour of Mr. Stipe's mind. As with many of Stipe's lyrics, there are plenty of obsequious moments, but the words are extremely clear. What is unclear is whether Clift was used because of his tragic car crash ... the "Mischief" that threw him a rotten deal ... or because of his intensely private personal life, which Stipe probably related to very well. Clift, like Stipe, felt like an outsider in the business he was in. Even with accolades, Clift never won awards, even though he was nominated several times. In contrast, Stipe had just won a ton of awards for OUT OF TIME, but still felt unaccepted. During the release of this album, Stipe never officially came out, but said he was attracted to and had relationships with both men and women, a similar position as in Monty's biography.
A number of years ago, my friend Rob and I played this tune live acoustically with a Capo 3 and it sounded great! It's a short song and really drives if you let it ...
MONTY GOT A RAW DEAL
Monty this seems strange to me
The movies had that movie thing
But nonsense has a welcome ring
And heroes don't come easy
Now nonsense isn't new to me
I know my head, I know my feet
But mischief knocked me in the knees
Said: “Just let go”
“Just let go”
I saw the ocean meet the man
I saw you buried in the sand
A friend was there to hold your hand
Said: “Walk on by”
So, I went walking through the street
I saw you strung up in a tree
A woman knelt there said to me
Said: “Hold your tongue”
(Man)
“Hold your tongue”
You don't owe me anything
You don't want this sympathy
(Waste your breath)
Don't you waste your breath
(Waste your breath)
For the silver screen
That nonsense doesn't mean a thing
They tried to bust you in a sting
But virtue isn't everything
So don't waste time
Now here's a rhyme that you can steal
Put this on your reel to reel
Mischief threw a rotten deal
Monty's laying low
(Man)
He is laying low
Just let go
(Y'all)
Just let go
You don't owe me anything
You don't want this sympathy
(Waste your breath)
Don't you waste your breath
(Waste your breath)
Monty this seems strange to me
Apparently, Peter Buck was fooling around with a Bouzouki in a hotel room in New Orleans when he stumbled upon this riff. He recalls it because the couple in the next room were excessively "amorous." A Bouzouki is somewhere between a mandolin and an acoustic guitar and sounds great. The instrument originates in Greece, but Buck is playing an Irish Bouzouki. The tuning below is not standard, but is more of an open tuning and easier to form chords with, obviously this is right up Buck's alley. Incidentally, you can tune your guitar or mandolin to match below and the effect is the same. Feel free to be a little more loose in the verses after the drums kick in ...
Here is the sort of companion track to TRY NOT TO BREATHE ... perhaps it is Part 2. If TNTB is a song of impending death, SWEETNESS FOLLOWS is the after death song, a song to help heal. The song is not spiritual, but in Mr. Stipe's ambiguous way, you can read most anything into the lyrics. What exactly is this sweetness? In my take it is simply that life will go on and there will be joy after loss ... particularly if one is open to it.
The lyrics are very simple and easily understood. There are little changes from what can already be found online and in official transcripts except below, I have listed Stipe's second verse as "blind to the other" while official reports are "deaf to the other." This must have been another post recording transcription, because Stipe clearly repeats blind in the recorded version.
SWEETNESS FOLLOWS
Readying to bury your father and your mother
What did you think when you lost another?
I used to wonder why did you bother
Distanced from one
Blind to the other
Listen here my sister and my brother
What would you care if you lost the other?
I always wonder why did we bother
Distanced from one
Blind to the other
Oh, oh, oh
But sweetness follows
It's these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and wonder
I always knew this altogether thunder
Was lost in our little lives
Oh, oh, oh
But sweetness follows
Oh, oh, oh
But sweetness follows
It's these little things, they can pull you under
Live your life filled with joy and thunder
Yeah, yeah we were Altogether lost in our little lives
Oh, oh, oh
But sweetness follows
Oh, oh, oh, oh
But sweetness follows The strength of this song is really the cello that follows the entire song. However, Peter uses his guitar nicely and it's a really fun song to play sans cello. The key to this song is tuning down a whole step as it creates those nice loose strings and depth standard tuning does not provide. The lead I have provided below is sort of a mix of the two guitars that are happening. Because there is a good amount of controlled feedback, it is difficult to tell where one guitar ends and the other begins, so the below will have to suffice. SWEETNESS FOLLOWS Tune down a whole step …
Intro/ Lead
d|-0---|
A|-0---|
F|-1---|
C|-2---|
G|-2---|
D|-0---|
Verse
d|-7---5------0---|
A|-7---5------0---|
F|-8---8------1---|
C|-9---6------2---|
G|-0---0------2---|
D|-0---0-x3---0---|
Chorus
d|-3---5---3---5---0---|
A|-3---5---5---7---0---|
F|-4---6---5---7---1---|
C|-5---7---5---7---2---|
G|-5---7---3---5---2---|
D|-3---5---3---5---0---|
Lead
d|-7-10-7----------------0-5-7h-8-7-5-7--|
A|-------5-7h-5-0-0----------------------|
F|-----------------2-4h-4----------------|
C|---------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------|
Lead
d|---------------------0--12-|
A|-7-5-5-7h-5----------0-12--|
F|-----------6-4-------1-----|
C|---------------------2-----|
G|---------------------2-----|
D|--------------2b-2-0-0-----|
ANOTHER FUN WAY TO PLAY IN DROP D
Verse (Mimics the strings in the intro/bridge chord)
