R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist/backing vocalist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe. One of the first alternative rock bands, R.E.M. was noted for Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style, Stipe's distinctive vocal quality and obscure lyrics, Mills's melodic basslines and backing vocals, and Berry's tight, economical style of drumming.
R.E.M. released its first single—"Radio Free Europe"—in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone.
Four years of hard work!This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------# #This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the # #song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. # #------------------------------------------------------------------------------## #
# For the latest collection of R.E.M. chords & tab, go to # http://www.uark.edu/~cbray/rem/ # # If you have any corrections or additions to this file, please email them # to [email protected] #
EXHUMING MCCARTHY (Version 1)
(Riff taken from Wayne Ellis' version)
G#C#G#C#G#C# You're beautiful more beautiful than me F#G#C#G#C# You're honorable more honorable than me G#C#D#C# Loyal to the Bank of America
(It's a sign of the times) (It's a sign of the times)
F#BF#B You're sharpening stones, walking on coals F#BC#B To improve your business acumen. F#BF#B Sharpening stones, walking on coals, F#BC#B To improve your business acumen.
G#C#G#C#G#C#F# Vested interest united ties, landed gentry rationalize G#C#G#C#G#C#D#C# Look who bought the myth, by jingo, buy America
|---------------------------|---2-----------------|--------------| |---------------------------|-2-------------------|--------------| |-----2---2----2----2--4b5--|-----4b5-4--2--------|-2------------| |--4----4---4----4----------|--------------4-2--4-|---4--4p2-4-2-| |---------------------------|---------------------|--------------| |---------------------------|---------------------|--------------| (It's a sign of the times) (it's a sign of the times)
F#BF#B You're sharpening stones, walking on coals F#BC#B To improve your business acumen. F#BF#B Sharpening stones, walking on coals, F#BC#B To improve your business acumen.
G#C#G#C#G#C#F# Enemy sighted enemy met, I'm addressing the realpolitik G#C#G#C#G#C#D#C# Look who bought the myth, by jingo, buy America
C / / / C / / / Eb / / / Eb / / / "Let us not assassinate this man further C / / / C / / / Eb / / / Eb / / / Senator, you've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? C / / / C / / / Eb / / / Eb / / / At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
FEbC#B
F#BF#B You're sharpening stones walking on coals F#BE To improve your business acumens F#BF#B sharpening stones walking on coals F#BE To improve your business acumens
F#BF#BF#BE Enemy sighted enemy met, I'm addressing the realpolitik F#BF#B You've seen start and you've seen quit (I'm addressing the table of content) F#BE I always thought of you as quick F#BF#BF#BE Exhuming McCarthy Exhuming McCarthy (Meet me at the book burning) (Meet me at the book burning)
The guitars are tuned as follows: E A D G B E (from low to high)
Intro -------
|------------------|------------------| 2 Bars of drums, alone.
Verse 1 ---------
G#C#G#C#G#C#F# DD U D U D U DDDDDD E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B-------4--6-6-6-6-|-------4--6-6-6-6-|-------4--6-6-6-6-|------------------| G-5--5--4--6-6-6-6-|-5--5--4--6-6-6-6-|-5--5--4--6-6-6-6-|-3--3--3--3--3-3/-| D-6--6--4--6-6-6-6-|-6--6--4--6-6-6-6-|-6--6--4--6-6-6-6-|-4--4--4--4--4-4/-| A-6--6-------------|-6--6-------------|-6--6-------------|-4--4--4--4--4-4/-| E-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|-2--2--2--2--2-2/-| X X X You're beautiful More Beautiful Than me You're honourable More
G#C#G#C#G#C#F#C# E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B-------4--6-6-6-6-|-------4--6-6-6-6-|-------4--6-6-6-6-|------------------| G-5--5--4--6-6-6-6-|-5--5--4--6-6-6-6-|-5--5--4--6-6-6-6-|-/8--8---6-6-6-6--| D-6--6--4--6-6-6-6-|-6--6--4--6-6-6-6-|-6--6--4--6-6-6-6-|-/8--8---6-6-6-6--| A-6--6-------------|-6--6-------------|-6--6-------------|-/6--6---4-4-4-4--| E-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|------------------| X X X Honourable Than me Loyal to the Bank of America
E------------------|------------------|----2-------------|------------------| B------------------|------------------|-2----------------|------------------| G-----2------2-----|----2------2--4b--|-----4b--2--------|----2-------------| D--4------4--------|-4------4---------|------------4--2-(2h)4--4--4mbp2-4-2-| A------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| X * (It's a sign of the times) (It's a sign of the times)
* for the micro-bend (in 4mbp2) pull the string down - towards the high E string, and then pulloff to fret 2.
Chorus 1 ----------
F#C#BF#BC#BF# E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| G-3--3---4---6---6-|-6----------------|--3---------------|------------------| D-4--4---4---6---6-|-6---6----4-------|--4--------4------|-6--6----4--------| A-4--------------4-|-4---4----2--0--4-|--4--------2------|-4--4----2--0--4--| E-2----------------|----------------2-|--2---------------|---------------2--| X X U X You're sharpening Walking on coals To improve your Business acumen stones
F#C#BF#BC#C#B F# E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| G----3---4---------|------------------|---3--------------|------------------| D----4---2-------6-|-6----6----4------|---4---4---6------|-6--6----4--------| A----4-----------4-|-4----4----2-0--4-|---4---2---4------|-4--4----2-----4/-| E----2-------------|----------------2-|---2--------------|------------0--2/-| X X U X X You're sharpening Walking on coals To improve your Business acumen stones
(Its a sign of the times) (Its a sign of the times)
Chorus 2 ---------- slight rake F#C#BF#BC#B E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| G-3--3---4-------6-|-6----------------|-3-3--------------|------------------| D-4--4---4-------6-|-6----------4-----|-4-4-------4------|-6--6----4--------| A-4--------------4-|-4----------2-----|-4-4-------2------|-4--4----2--------| E-2----------------|------------------|-2-2--------------|------------------| X U X You're sharpening Walking on coals To improve your Business acumen stones slight rake F#C#BF#BC#B F# E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| G--3---------------|------------------|-3-3--------------|------------------| D--4--4-------4--6-|-6-------------4--|-4-4-------4------|-6--6----4--------| A--4--4-------2--4-|-4-------------2--|-4-4-------2------|-4--4----2--4-----| E--2---------------|------------------|-2-2--------------|------------2-----| X U You're sharpening Walking on coals To improve your Business acumen stones
F#BF#BF#BE E------------------|------------------|------------------|--------------0---| B-------2--4-4-4-4-|-------2--4-4-4-4-|-------2--4-4-4-4-|----------------0-| G-3--3--2--4-4-4-4-|-3--3--2--4-4-4-4-|-3--3--2--4-4-4-4-|--1---1---1-------| D-4--4--2--4-4-4-4-|-4--4--2--4-4-4-4-|-4--4--2--4-4-4-4-|--2---2---2-------| A-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|--2---2---2-------| E-2--2-------------|-2--2-------------|-2--2-------------|--0---0---0-------| X X X You're sharpening Walking on coals To improve your Business acumens stones
F#BF#BF#BC#B E------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| B-------2--4-4-4-4-|-------2--4-4-4-4-|-------2--4-4-4-4-|-/6---6---4---4-4-| G-3--3--2--4-4-4-4-|-3--3--2--4-4-4-4-|-3--3--2--4-4-4-4-|-/6---6---4---4-4-| D-4--4--2--4-4-4-4-|-4--4--2--4-4-4-4-|-4--4--2--4-4-4-4-|-/6---6---4---4-4-| A-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|-4--4-------------|-/4---4---2---2-2-| E-2--2-------------|-2--2-------------|-2--2-------------|------------------| X X X You're sharpening Walking on coals To improve your Business acumens stones
E--------------0---| E------------------| B----------------0-| B-/6---6----4--4---| G--1---1-----------| fill 4 G-/6---6----4--4---| fill 5 D--2---2-----------| D-/6---6----4--4---| A--2---2-----------| A-/4---4-----------| E--0---0-----------| E------------------|
The Outro is the same as verse 4, except where fills 4 and 5 are indicated.
TAB Key ---------
b - bend a semitone (1 fret) YbZ - bend the note at fret Y to the same pitch as the note found at fret Z mb - microtone bend (see record for further details) r - release previous bend rZ - release previous bend to the same pitch as the note found at fret Z Y[Z]- Play the note at fret Y which has been previously bent to the same pitch as that found on fret Z. (The bend is silent when playing this note) h - hammer on p - pulloff / - slide up - slide down X - mute with palm of picking hand U - upstroke D - downstroke tr - tremolo picking ( ) - incidental note
Notes -------
The verses of the song are all quite similar. Verses 1,2 and 3 are made up of A (G#, C#)[3],F# - (G#C#)[3] F#C# progression over 8-bars. Each verse differs slightly an bars 4 and 8 - after the first verse these changes are shown as 'fills'. The differences are only slight.
In verses 4 and 5 (and also in the Outro) the original verse riff is transposed down by a whole tone (by moving the original chords down by 2 frets) giving A (F#, B)[3],E - (F#B)[3] EB progression. Again, the riff played over the (F# B)[3] section is constant with only slight changes occurring in bars 4 and 8. (These are also shown as fills)
The 2 guitar solos are based on the F# minor pentatonic scale, using the 'standard box' pattern (with extension) found at the second fret. Both solos share the same first 4-bars.
Some of the notation in the guitar solos may need clarification.... The term '4brp2' (in the 4th bar of solo 1) is an attempt to notate a fluid movement of the wrist used to fret the notes. The note on the 4th fret is bent by 1 semitone (the same as the note found on the 5th fret) then released and then pulled-off to the 2nd fret - all in one movement. Other terms, such as 4mbp2, can be explained in a similar way. The note at the 4th fret is bend slightly (i.e. less than a semitone - listen to the record for the exact bend) and the pull-off to fret 2. All in one movement. Listen to the record and it should become clear.
The spoken word section contains 2 guitars. Guitar 1 plays the main rhythm part, which is based on playing partial power chords. Guitar 2 plays diads, - these have a reggae type of feel to them, as they are played on beats 2 and 4 of each bar. Guitar 3 is used to add a melody over the C5 sections these are shown as double_fills 1 and 2. The fills also sound as if they may have been doubled, to get a thicker sound.
The choruses are all different, but follow the same structure. They are made up of partial chords - its just a matter of playing the chords shown above the TAB to match the vocal phrasing to get the 'loose effect' heard on the record.
This Transcription (c) Copyright DarkMusic 1994. ReVamped for '96.
Comments, corrections, requests and idle banter welcome.