• Song:

    The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight

  • Artist:

    Rem

#----------------------------------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. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
From: hyson@cis.ohio-state.edu (david lincoln hyson)
I saw a request awhile back for this, and haven't seen a response.  Here's
my try, constructive criticisms are appreciated.

REM

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
-----------------------------

Intro, same as chorus:

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

The transition to the verses:
  C               Em
e---------0-----|---------0---------|
B-------------1-|-------------0-----|
G---------------|-------------------|
D-----2---------|-------------------|
A-3-------------|-----2-------------|
E---------------|-0-----------------|

Verse 1:
(* For all the verses, the F's, C's,  and Am's are played as barre
chords, the F's in A formation, the C's and Am's in E form.  He
upstrokes them in pairs, on what sounds like a big hollowbody electric.
The placement of the chords over the words here is inteneded only to
to denote their *approximate* temporal location.  Listen to the song
and you'll be able to hear and feel where they actually go.*)

      F  F           F  F               C   C       C   C
This here is the place where I will be stayin'
F  F                           F  F                     C  C           C  C
There isn't a number you can call on the payphone, let it ring a long,long,

long, long time
F  F         F  F            Am  Am            C  C
If I don't pick up, hang up, call back let it ring some more
F  F        F  F            C   C              C  C
[Untranscribable Stipe yodel]
     F  F            F  F                    Am  Am                       C C
If I don't pick up, pick up, the sidewinder sleep, sleep, sleeps in a coil

Chorus 1 (*I won't even try to pretend that I know what he's

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

C  Em     (*play as noted above for transition*)

Verse 2:
          F  F                 F  F                       C  C        C   C
There's scratches all around the coinslot, like a heartbeat baby, tryin' to

wake up
F  F           F  F        C  C           C  C
But this machine can only swallow money, you can't lay a patch by computer

design
F  F        F  F      Am  Am        C  C
With just alot of stupid, stupid signs
F  F        F  F      C  C          C  C
["Tell her" yodeled]
F  F          F  F        C  C         C  C
Tell her she can kiss my ass and say that you were
F  F                           F  F             Am  Am
Only kidding, that way she'll know that it's really, really, really,
          C C
really me

Chorus 2:  (*Same as chorus one, including transition*)

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

C  Em

Verse 3:  (*Short verse*)
       F  F                         F  F            C  C
Baby eat some soup, does it really grab me today I need something more
C  C
sub-stub-sub-substantial
F  F               F  F                         C  C         C  C
A can of beans, some black eyed peas, some Nescafe and ice
     F  F                 F  F                 Am  Am            C C
A candy bar, a fall(*en/in'*) star, or a reading from Doctor Seuss

Chorus 3:

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

C Em   (*Same as above*)

Bridge:

(*During the bridge, Am and Bm are played as A barres, and the picking
pattern is like this:

  Bm              Bm               Am               Am
e---------2------|---------2------|---------0------|---------0------|
B-------------3--|-------------3--|-------------1--|-------------1--|
G----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D-----4----------|-----4----------|-----2----------|-----2----------|
A-2--------------|-2--------------|-0--------------|-0--------------|
E----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

The C below is picked in the same pattern, i.e. A str, D str, e str, B str*)

Bm               Bm                   Am             Am
The cat in the hat came back, and wrecked alot of havoc
Bm                                     Bm      Am       Am
On the way, always had a smile and a reason to pretend
Bm                                     Bm           Am                    C
That their world, was flat back brown, too little, need to sleep but to dream
                Em            Em
The sidewinder sleeps on his back


Chorus 3 and outro:

(*The chorus is the same*)

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

(*But now this transition thing changes to what we'll call the New Transition*)
 C                Em
e---------0-----|-0-------0-----|
B-------------1-|-0-------0-----|
G---------------|-0-------0-----|
D-----2---------|-2-------2-----|
A-3-------------|-2-------2-----|
E---------------|-0-------2-----|

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

C Em (*New transition*)

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

C Em (*New transition*)

D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/
D////G//C//Am/

C         Em                D       D
We got a boogy-woogy groove on this one

From: csb1@engr.engr.uark.edu (Chris Bray)

Chorus:
D  D/F# D           D/F#        G5      C9   G5                 Am
   Call me when you try to wake her up, call me when you try to wake her
D  D/F# D           D/F#        G5      C9   G5                 Am
   Call me when you try to wake her up, call me when you try to wake her
D  D/F# D           D/F#        G5      C9   G5                 Am
   Call me when you try to wake her up, call me when you try to wake her
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