This Devils Workday Guitar Tab

Good News For People Who Love Bad News Tabs:

Tabbed by:CMM
Email:colin_michael_muppet@hotmail.com
Tuning:Standard
Banjo arranged for guitar
(Whole song)
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------11---------------------------------------------11----|
G|----10--12-10-12-12---------10--12-10-12-12-10------10--12-10-12-12------|
D|-12----------------------12----------------------12----------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|------------------------|
B|------------------------|
G|-------12-10------------|
D|-10-12-------13-12-10---|
A|------------------------|
E|------------------------|
===============================================================================

Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/m/modest_mouse/355243.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Joshua Wanna Be	#1 by Joshua graham at Sep 27, 2007 at 1:35 PM EST
	the whole cd has a heaven vs hell theme in it.

No Picture bob Average	#2 by bob bob at Sep 28, 2007 at 3:11 AM EST
	i like to think when he laughs at the end it's a "HA HA HA HA ha oh" if you listen closely, his laughter cuts off immediately. i'm sure it's just cos thats the way i want to hear it, but i see that part as him crying out such a blasphemous idea and laughing at it as evilly as possible then suddenly, "oh crap what did i just say" type thing. i have a hard time believing Brock is an atheist honestly. he Loves God too much and just doesnt say it exactly. he challenges people, their idea of god etc and it's an idea that needs to be challenged. i also really like that it's "this" devil's workday. he's refering to one little devil going about doing devilish things. i'm sure he doesnt actually thing all the things he suggests doing in the song are good ideas, but some of them are. i heard one time that people are satanists to challenge christianity. maybe in this day and age to serve Truth and Christ you should become an Satanist because people need a wake up call.

No Picture JustiN Professional	#3 by JustiN at Sep 28, 2007 at 10:32 PM EST
	this is a bit random but doesn't it sound a bit like it's from The Triplets of Belleville ok well i dunno i think it does

No Picture DUMBASS Average	#4 by DUMBASS Thomas at Sep 30, 2007 at 5:51 PM EST
	To me, the song is about someone who chooses to think for himself, to choose his own destiny, to do what he feels is right or wrong, no matter what others feel or say about his actions. He is choosing free will, a la Rush. Therefore he is committing "treason" in the eyes of all the other moral majority because he doesn't think and conform exactly to what they believe or think is right. So he could "hang hisself for treason" but, "he is his own damn god." Nazi Punks Fuck Off.

No Picture Ben Wanna Be	#5 by Ben Koss at Oct 4, 2007 at 5:23 AM EST
	Okay, i agree with most people here. Yes you could use this as view on the world but then again you can't. I mean the whole lyrics is like...not near it. There parts in that could be near it and everything but anything eles not really. As for the whole point of him being a devil i believe that too, beacuse it is called the devil's work day. But then again it doesn't really mean that it have to be based on the devil. I mean just because the song name is title as the "devil" doesn't mean it have to be about the devil. It's like an idea, so the things that the world and humans themself believe is bad, he most likey took that and turn into the devil's work. As in the devil=bad. I also believe he talking about himself. Most likey he is for the ending of the sone, "I could buy myself a reason I could sell myself a job I could hang myself for treason For I am my own damn god " which also comes to mind, when he said " for i am my own damn god" he not following the laws that are written which is why they are the bad things for it against the laws. So yeah in a way you could take the way of the world, but not how it's working.

No Picture Adam Average	#6 by Adam Favro at Oct 4, 2007 at 11:23 AM EST
	Yeah it does sound veryyy Tom Waits-y! My dad alllways used to listen to Tom Waits when I was a little girl and I hated him so so much. Then one day he comes up stairs to hear me playing this song and was like "what the fuck?!"

No Picture Nyle Average	#7 by Nyle Leddy at Oct 4, 2007 at 6:35 PM EST
	I love this song A LOT but it actually disturbs me. Just the sound and attitude of his voice and the lyrics...scary. For some reason when I hear this all I think is Big Bad Wolf and I have to turn on the lights. That says a lot about the song, that it affects me so much. Another winner from MM.

No Picture Scott Average	#8 by Scott Muir at Oct 5, 2007 at 8:54 PM EST
	I interpret this as a declaration of independency. "All those people that you know Floating in the river are logs" People with freedom of choice are just going with the flow and not bothering to think for themselves. I can't in any way believe this song is related to satan in any way, but i do agree that this sounds a lot like Tom Jones.

No Picture Rhythm Player	#9 by riotsk8team001 (jason) at Oct 6, 2007 at 4:30 AM EST
	i think he's singing as if he IS the devil. think about it.

No Picture gosh, frickin i Wanna Be	#10 by gosh, frickin idiot! at Oct 6, 2007 at 6:12 AM EST
	Well, I think the "I am my own damn God" bit refers to Satan trying to be god, ruling over hell and not needing God, or whatever.

No Picture Oliver Average	#11 by Oliver Taylor at Oct 6, 2007 at 8:46 AM EST
	its about selling out. I have a feeling most of the new songs are. its super sarcastic. "I could hang myself for treason All the folks I know are gone" treason being selling out and the "folks" are the old fans "So I ate the wedding cake 'Til the whole damn thing was gone" wedding cake is good, so is theyre old music. now the inspiration has dried up. "And I'm gonna drown the ocean Now ain't none o' that so wrong" I have no idea what this means "Well let's take this potted plant To the woods and set it free I'm gonna tell the owners Just how nice that was of me" this line expresses modest mouse getting into the mainstream. getting set free. and the old fans letting it happen and feeling good about it, like he wants them too. but we havent cause the new music sucks. whatever this song sucks.

No Picture robert Average	#12 by robert liedberg at Oct 6, 2007 at 1:39 PM EST
	WTF am I talking about :D Obviously I meant Tom WAITS :)

No Picture daint Rhythm Player	#13 by daint at Oct 6, 2007 at 4:14 PM EST
	ok....i thought ive heard the weird of the weird of some modest mouse songs but this just crosses the line ...yet modest mouse still rocks!

No Picture tim Lead Player	#14 by tim sears at Oct 8, 2007 at 8:10 AM EST
	This sounds a whole hell of a lot like a Tom Waits song.

No Picture Vinny Average	#15 by Vinny Spano at Oct 8, 2007 at 7:34 PM EST
	I agree with Thompson, definately. He's the overman and all the people in the river are the undermen.

No Picture Adam Average	#16 by Adam Favro at Oct 8, 2007 at 8:25 PM EST
	i love the last verse. and yeah, there is an anarchist tone to it, but i don't think that's quite the message. i think it's more anti-conformity and anti-dependency, especially upon dogma and organizations.

No Picture Prince Alex Lead Player	#17 by Prince Alex at Oct 8, 2007 at 9:12 PM EST
	Issac is kind of playing on the idea that people beleive in whatever they hear and how our society tend to just go with the flow of other peoples ideas and opinions even though they are possibly incorrect since nobody has the ability to understand anything about life to the fullest extent. Hence the phrase "all the people that you know (everyone around you) floating in the river are logs" what do logs do, they go along with the flow of the stream and have no idea where they are going. In our society peoples actions are always justified by their rights or opinions even though there choices may not be correct. Think of it his way should you believe in god just because other people tell you to? How do you know we are not our own gods after all we have the ability to create babies so we are like gods in ourselves. Hence the reason there are so many apparent contradictions in this song that tend to have no reasoning why are person would justify their actions. For example; "Gonna climb around on all fours till the blood falls out my knees" Is there any justifications or reasons to crawl on your knees until all the blood runs out or to you simply do it because you feel its the right thing to do and others may be doing it to. To strenghth this why would someone hang themselves for treason? Its kind of like the saying "if someone jumped off a bridge would you do it too"? So hes linking this idea to how people follow other peoples ideas and their not really sure if its the right thing to do or not so they do it anyway just like belief in god. Should you do it just because someone tells you its the correct thing to beleive. Sorry so long but this idea plays off several meanings in this song and I think one of them is god, society and how people think their rights justify their actions even if its wrong.

No Picture patrick Average	#18 by patrick chamberland at Oct 12, 2007 at 12:50 AM EST
	Wow, there are so many different ideas about this song, I'm going to try and take a stab at it. First of all this song is called, "This Devil's Workday" and I think he's referring to himself feeling a little mischievious like satan. He's noticing around him all the people living their mundane lives and not really thinking for themselves, just kind of going with the "flow" -hence the river and people described as logs. Well in contrast he's going to go out be his own god and live his own life, He's going to take a sack of puppies and sit it out to freeze. hahaha , and god forbid, he's acutually going to eat the wedding cake til the whole damn this is gone. Then the best part is the ending: I could buy myself a reason I could sell myself a job I could hang myself for treason For I am my own damn god hahahahaha I don't really know what he believes in as far as religion, but I'm a huge modest mouse fan so I have my own ideas. I think these lines say, if I want to hear people tell me how to live and what to believe in I'd rather just take my own life into my own hands and figure shit out for myself. He definately believes in god, just not all the dogmatic b.s. that organized religions feed you. I'm sure there are so many different meanings to this song, this is just what I could put into words right at the moment. Wouldn't it be nice to sit down with Issac Brock and meat the mastermind behind these lyrics?

No Picture frosty Average	#19 by frosty Angel at Oct 13, 2007 at 10:46 AM EST
	Seems to be a very nihilistic message. Essentially, I can do whatever I want because "I am my own damn god". None of it really mattes what we do and we're just logs floatin' in the river. Whatever it's saying... I dig 'dis.

No Picture Trent Average	#20 by Trent Zelasney at Oct 15, 2007 at 7:39 PM EST
	"I can't in any way believe this song is related to satan" Why NOT? It's called The Devil's Workday. I think you're right, moochersminion. Good News for People Who Love Bad News has this whole heaven/hell thing going on, and that's awesome. He's singing it from satan's POV, obviously. Day in the life.... The "hang myself for treason" line is pretty damn awesome in my opinion. I think it refers to Judas Iscariot. God I love Modest Mouse for their symbolism and allusions. It's almost like literature.

No Picture Obtuse Professional	#21 by Obtuse at Oct 17, 2007 at 1:29 AM EST
	Religious and moral anarchy

No Picture silent Rhythm Player	#22 by silent support at Oct 17, 2007 at 4:39 AM EST
	Im probly wrong but when i frist listerned to this song i thort it was about kids and ADHD. Like when it says "And I'm gonna drown the ocean, Now ain't none o' that so wrong" it said to me that it was a person playing up and when thay get punished they dont understand why just like kids with ADHD. But when u said about how the album had a fair bit of a heaven vs hell i thort my one was probly wrong.

No Picture Andrew Rhythm Player	#23 by Andrew Clayton at Oct 18, 2007 at 6:16 AM EST
	This song is one of those fuck-you-I-don't-need-anyone-else-and-you-can-all-go-fuck-yourselves songs. It's like a tantrum set to music. Great and I love it.

No Picture Alexxx <3 Lead Player	#24 by Alexxx <3 at Oct 18, 2007 at 9:12 AM EST
	To me, the song is about someone who chooses to think for himself, to choose his own destiny, to do what he feels is right or wrong, no matter what others feel or say about his actions. He is choosing free will, a la Rush. Therefore he is committing "treason" in the eyes of all the other moral majority because he doesn't think and conform exactly to what they believe or think is right. So he could "hang hisself for treason" but, "he is his own damn god." Nazi Punks Fuck Off.

No Picture phoen Average	#25 by phoen bay at Oct 18, 2007 at 8:02 PM EST
	To me this song is about how people feel their ideas are the best ideas. How some people push their personal convictions upon others and expect them to see how great these ideas are after they have been forced upon them. For me these are supported by these phrases: "All those people that you know Floatin' in the river are logs" For how they think they are so different, how they are superior because it's their ideas. Then: "Well let's take this potted plant To the woods and set it free I'm gonna tell the owners Just how nice that was of me I could buy myself a reason I could sell myself a job I could hang myself for treason For I am my own damn god" Showing how people do something then tell them how much better their beliefs are. I think this speaks highly of our society today. Everyone imposses their ideas upon others saying theirs is the better one cause it's theirs. They are their own God. But just because it is your idea it doesn't make it a better one... But that is just my IDEA of what the song means. :)