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Strange Days - MGB
Orriginally tabbed by: hotsim@hotmail.com
This version typed up by: brettg_nz@hotmail.com
Chords (naming not accurate, but fingering is!)
EADGBe
D6: xx0230
C#m: x02120
E: 022100
D6+F#: 2x0230
G: 320023
F#m: 244222
A: x02220
D/B: x2x230 (or x20230)
F#: 244322
Intro: D6, D6+F#
A
Good morning
C#m
don't cop out
G D/B
you crawled from the cancer to land on your feet are you
A
crazy
E
to want this
G D6
even for a while?
A
we're making
C#m
this *** up
G D/B
the reasons for being are easy to pay you can't
A
remember
E
the others
G D/B
they just kind of went away
A C#m
so you're driving, it's rush hour
G D/B
the cars on the freeway are moving like slugs when you
A
drift off
E
to wake up
G F# D6
do you always hit the brakes?
F#m
we're done
A D6
lying for a living
D6
the strange days have come and you're
F#m A
you're gone, you're gone
D6
either dead or dying
D/B
either dead or trying
D6 A
to go
G F# D6
mmmmmmm
A C#m
it's evening, you're tired
G D/B
you sleep walk, a robot out on the street are you
A
crazy
E
to want this
G D6
even for a while?
A C#m
you're driving, it's rush hour
G D6
the cars on the freeway are moving
A
backwards
G F# D6
into a wall of fire
A
backwards
G F# D6
into a wall of fire
A
backwards
G F# D6
into a wall of fire
A
backwards
G F# D6
into a wall of fire
F#m
we're done
A D6
lying for a living
D6
the strange days have come and you're
F#m A D6
you're gone, you're gone
F#m
and we're done
A D6
lying for a living
D6
the strange days have come and you're
F#m D6
you're gone you're gone
either dead or dying
D/B
either dead or trying
D6 A
to go
G F# D6
mmmmmmm
D6 A
to go
G F# D6
mmmmmmm
A
good morning
C#m G F# D6
don't cop out
http://www.angelfire.com/rock2/thefeelers/
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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No Picture
Bobby Wanna Be |
#1 by Bobby Warneke at Apr 8, 1973 at 7:01 AM EST |
| The one line that some of you failed to mention is "The strange days have come and you're gone either dead or dying either dead or trying to go" Sums up the theory of suicide. | |
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No Picture
Trey Average |
#2 by Trey smith at May 14, 1980 at 11:09 PM EST |
| this is one of the very very very few songs that have lasted for me throughout the years. it's easily in my five favorite songs. | |
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No Picture
Brandon Average |
#3 by Brandon Weathers at Jul 19, 1982 at 4:23 PM EST |
| I agree with battaryacid. moreover he wants to jump off the life everybody lives. | |
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No Picture
aleXeXeX Rhythm Player |
#4 by aleXeXeX at Feb 21, 1989 at 9:19 PM EST |
| This song is especially meaningful for those who are serious Dharma practitioners, but the deep heartfelt message leaves a resounding echo in the minds of ordinary beings who have heard it. It is arguably the most wide open Dharma song that Matthew has ever put forth, ranking in amongst songs like ‘Apparitions’. I will now attempt to convey some of the profound beauty that is encased in this jewel-like composition. This will be a long one… The song begins with a welcome message (“Good morning”) for those who are just waking from the sleep of ignorance, and whom the true nature of their existence, suffering, is finally being ascertained. A plea not to lose faith in the seemingly arduous spiritual path that lay before them (“don’t cop out”) is emphasized by a reminder of the great rarity of this precious Human rebirth relative to lower rebirths, (“you crawled from the cancer…”) and then reinforced by exhorting it’s impermanence and the importance of developing the mind of renunciation (“… even for a while”). A hard hitting profundity of Ultimate Truth is expounded next by the lines “we’re making this shit up” and “our reasons for being are easy to pay” proclaims that it is our attachment to worldly life that has kept the cycle of death and uncontrolled rebirth in motion since beginingless time. “You can’t remember the others, they just kinda went away” speaks of the countless previous lives we have endured without freedom of choice, and that within these lives we have wasted time performing worldly activities that lack any real meaning. “So you’re driving, it’s rush hour”, this statement is referring to our basic driving wish to find happiness and freedom from suffering. All living beings share this wish and so are all striving towards whatever they conceive of as a source of happiness. The truth of the matter is that “the cars on the freeway are moving like slugs” means that although living beings only seek happiness, out of ignorance they are unaware of it’s true causes, and so are very slow to develop the wisdom that will lead them to this goal. “When you drift off to wake up, do you always hit the brakes?” is saying that in this life and countless previous lives, we have had many insights that have shown us the true nature of our existence and that the pursuit of worldly enjoyments will not cause real happiness. Despite our own wisdom, we have mostly chosen to ignore these small awakenings and continue to distract ourselves with worldly concerns or become depressed by them, rather than seek liberation. The chorus is a triumphant call to all those who have decided that ‘enough is enough’ and that it is time to seek real freedom and happiness from the ocean of suffering that is cyclic existence, ‘samsara’. This is marked by the words “We’re done lying for a living”, because wisdom teaches us that all of the conventional appearance to our mind are untrue. “The strange days have come” is referring to the relatively obscure perception of a spiritual practitioner having entered the path to liberation, and “you’re gone” states one’s decision definitely to abandon cherishing one’s ‘I’ or self by eliminating the ignorance of self-grasping. “Either dead or dying, dead or trying to go” the first part is conveying the life of a worldly being, who is as good as dead, because they are just wasting another life, and the second half means that the choice is clear: Attain liberation as swiftly as possible before this life is spent and the ‘lord of death’ catches up to you. “It’s evening… a robot out to the street” recognizes our responsibility to maintain this human body and to appear ‘normal’ by performing everyday mundane activities such as working, taking out the garbage etc. We must patiently endure whatever circumstances arise for us and transform these conditions into the spiritual path. Once again the line about renunciation is repeated in order to keep oneself focused. This time around, “the cars on the freeway are moving backwards into a wall of fire” indicates that living beings are not only without the happiness they seek, but that they are continually creating the causes for future suffering and lower rebirths. Explicitly this line depicts a rebirth in a Hell realm and the repetition of the line is emphasized in order for the listener to develop compassion for others. Compassion is the root cause of attaining full enlightenment and it is an essential component to any Mahayana practitioner’s spiritual progress. Finally the song ends with one last motivational push, and the listener has become inspired to apply new effort in their daily activities. This song is such a beautiful gift to all who have the good fortune to hear it. ;) | |
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No Picture
The REAL Godfat Average |
#5 by The REAL Godfather at Aug 19, 1989 at 4:34 PM EST |
| Has anyone tried to sing along the second verse? Can you do the dive before the chorus, ya know, 'backwards into a wall of fire'? That's damn hard, lol. | |
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No Picture
ScumFucBondage Average |
#6 by ScumFucBondage bumsex at Nov 22, 1989 at 9:41 AM EST |
| Definitely my favorite Matt Good song. I love him so much, just becuse his songs actually move me to think and I respect him for speaking his mind. | |
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No Picture
quinn almann ' Wanna Be |
#7 by quinn almann ' jk carson at Oct 2, 1990 at 5:54 PM EST |
| I also think the song is about suicide. 'good morning don't cop out you crawled from the cancer to land on your feet are you crazy to want this even for a while?' I think the first lines refers to the person the song is about- this person hates life, and wishes it would end, but decides to go on living for whatever reason. Matt Good is saying 'Good morning, don't cop out of living, since you've decided to do it.' Then Matt Good questions whether deciding to live was the right choice for the person- are they crazy to want this monotonous, crap life they live, or is it right for them to hold on? 'we're making this shit up the reasons for being are easy to pay you can't remember the others they just kind of went away.' In these lines, Matt is talking about how easy it is to bullshit this person- 'Yeah, there are so many good things about life. Just hold on buddy, you'll see it one day.' The person knows it's bullshit too, but they listen because they want to believe. The others that just kind of went away I think refers to other people who have committed suicide- this person tries not to think about them and how easy life must be for them now that they're dead, because this person knows that thoughts like those will lure him/her into depressed thoughts. So they try to forget those who are gone. 'so you're driving, it's rush hour the cars on the freeway are moving like slugs when you drift off to wake up do you always hit the brakes?' This person is just sitting in traffic, or doing some mundane task, when the intrusive thoughts creep into their head again. They 'wake up' to how they really feel- that sense of hopelessness and despair they've been trying to shove down. 'we're done lying for a living the strange days have come and you're gone either dead or dying either dad or trying to go.' This refers back to the bullshit Matt was talking about earlier- both of them are done trying to pretend a great life is around the corner, and Matt knows this person could be at home, right now, trying to commit suicide. 'it's evening, you're tired you sleep walk, a robot out on the street are you crazy to want this, even for a while?' The person slips back ino their numb state, and Matt again silently questions them- are they crazy to try to live when they're depressed? 'you're driving, it's rush hour the cars on the freeway are moving backwards into a wall of fire.' This person has another breakthough of depression, and it's really strong this time. 'we're done lying for a living the strange days have come and you're gone either dead or dying either dead or trying to go good morning don't cop out'. Once again, Matt knows this person could be killing themselves as they sleep. But in the morning, he realizes that the person hasn't killed themselves, and is once again saying 'Don't cop out of living.' | |
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No Picture
Daniel Average |
#8 by Daniel Gordon at Feb 21, 1993 at 11:10 AM EST |
| I love this song, its so moving | |
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Turd Fergeson Lead Player |
#9 by Turd Fergeson Fergeson at Dec 30, 1996 at 2:49 AM EST |
| personally, i think this song is about loosing a loved one to death and then letting that death drive you to think about suicide. "are you crazy to want this even for a while?" do you want to go visit your loved one up in heaven so badly that you want to end your life for that short little time. | |
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No Picture
Average |
#10 by |
| This song breaks my heart every time i listen to it | |
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No Picture
Jonathan Rhythm Player |
#11 by Jonathan Matuszyk at Apr 21, 2000 at 1:20 PM EST |
| About coming all the way back from what seemed like the worst thing that could happen only to find that you live something like the worst thing that could happen everyday...irony? Yes it is. Part of what makes this song beautiful. along with the exceptionally amazing song writing. Saving your life only to realize that you never really lived. And somewhere in the progression and the harmony and melody theres a sense of almost coming to terms with it, that as depressing as it is, its whats right. Lyrically contrasting musically, its beautiful. Simply put. | |
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Kempy Lead Player |
#12 by Kempy at Nov 27, 2000 at 3:35 AM EST |
| The last line absolutely kills me, just the way he sings it. | |
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No Picture
Rodney Wanna Be |
#13 by Rodney at Jan 12, 2004 at 4:12 AM EST |
| one of the best songs ever... | |
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No Picture
christian Average |
#14 by christian parnell at Aug 12, 2004 at 10:49 AM EST |
| i think it's about wanting armageddon, the end of the world, to go on and come cos you're sick of life. and we'll never be done lying for a living till we die. cos that's how the world is. are you crazy to want this (the end of the world) even for a while? | |
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