Anagram

Background and Commentary

“All the words in the song are anagrams, words within a word. ‘Imagine just an “I” less game’ refers to the album theme of illusions.”—Robert Telleria, Merely Players

“Mongo is a character in Blazing Saddles, and in one scene Sheriff Bart delivers a bomb to him, with the line, ‘Candygram for Mongo!’ Thus, ‘Anagram for Mongo’ seemed natural. As for meaning, this is really the wrong word—it is, after all, a word game. Think more of impressions, images, and an internal logic to each line, or each verse. What I was after in that is more of a resonance, so that the listener might feel something rather than think something. With some people it works, with others it doesn’t.” (Backstage Club, 1991)—Neil in Merely Players

“Sometimes you want it to be jarring and disjointed and nonsensical. I think ‘Anagram’ did work, even though it’s a game. The choruses are quite smooth and interesting, and they have a nice sound to them and they kind of mock the whole song itself.” (Profiled!)—Geddy in Merely Players

Lyrics

There’s a snake coming out of the darkness
Parade from paradise
End the need for Eden
Chase the dreams of merchandise

There is tic and toc in atomic
Leaders make a deal
The cosmic is largely comic
A con they couldn’t conceal

There is no safe seat at the feast
Take your best stab at the beast
The night is turning thin
The saint is turning to sin

Raise the art to resistance
Danger dare to be grand
Pride reduced to humble pie
Diamonds down to sand

Take heart from earth and weather
The brightness of new birth
Take heart from the harvest
Shave the harvest from the earth

Reasoning is partly insane
Image just an eyeless game
The night is turning thin
The saint is turning to sin

Miracles will have their claimers
More will bow to Rome
He and she are in the house
But there’s only me at home

Rose is a rose of splendor
Posed to respond in the end
Lonely things like nights,
I find, end finer with a friend

I hear in the rate of her heart
A tear in the heat of the art

The night turns thin
The saint turns to sin

Tablature (Bass)

Excerpted from Ultimate Guitar.

q e e e e e e +e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e +e e e e e e e e
+—————–+——————+—————–+——————+
|4:—————|——————|—–R———3-|—-3-3—3-2—–|
|4:————-5-|—-5-5-5-5-5-5—|-3-3—3-3-3-3—|——–3—–5-3-|
+—3-3-3-3-3-3—+—————-5-+—————–+——————+

q e e e e e e +e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e +e e q e Q h h +w
+—————+——————+—————–+————+—–+—-+
|—————|——————|—————–|————|—R-|—-|
|————-5-|—-5-5-5-5-5-5—|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3—|————|—–|—-|
+-3-3-3-3-3-3—+—————-5-+—————5-+—-5-5-5-5-+-3—+—-+

+w +w +w +w +w +H q e e q e e q e e q e e q e e e e e e q
+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-+——-+————-+————-+—————+
|—-|—-|—-|—-|—-|——-|—–R—–R-|—–R—–R-|————-R-|
|—-|—-|—-|—-|—-|—-12-|————-|————-|-6-6-6—6-6—|
+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-+——-+-3-3—3-3—+-3-3—3-3—+——-6——-+

e e Q e e e e e e e e e q e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
+————-+—————+—————–+—————–+
|—–R——-|—–R——-R-|—–R———–|—–R——-R—|
|-6-6—6-5-3-|—————|————-0-1-|-3-3—–3—–3-|
+————-+-1-1—0-1-1—+-1-1—0-1-3—–+——-3—3—–+

e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e q e e e e e e
+—————–+—————–+—————–+—————+
|—–7—–7-7-7-|—–R——-R—|—–R———–|—————|
|-5-5—5-5—5-5-|—————–|—————–|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
+—————–+-3-3—3-3-3—3-+-3-3—3-3-3-3-3-+—————+

e e e e e e e e e e e q e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
+—————–+—————+—————–+—————–+
|—————0-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2—|—————–|
|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3—|—————|—————0-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|
+—————–+—————+—————–+—————–+

e e e e e e e e q H +w +w +w e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
+—————–+—–+—-+—-+—-+—————–+—————–+
|—————–|—R-|—-|—-|—-|—–R——-R—|—–R———–|
|-3-3-3-3———|—–|—-|—-|—-|—————–|—————–|
+———1-1-1-1-+-3—+—-+—-+—-+-1-1—1-1-1—1-+-1-1—1-1-1-1-0-+

For complete tab, go to Ultimate Guitar.