RECKONING: 7 CHINESE BROS.

The story of the 5 Chinese Bros is a bit infamous.  A lovely book that I remember reading to my daughter, but controversial for its rather ... um, yellow depiction of its Chinese participants.  The story relates that the brothers had certain physical abilities.  The one who could hold the ocean in his mouth decided to help someone who needed to find a fish in the ocean.  When the brother let the ocean go too early and killed the fisherman, he was sentenced to death.  However, he looks just like his brothers and one has an iron neck, etc ... until they thought that the man could not be killed and sent him on his way.  The book was banned for its racial depiction in many places.  It's a good story.  And little of it is here in R.E.M.'s song and the Chinese mother has been busy with two more sons thanks to Mr. Stipe.  As far as speculating on the meaning of the song again I will not, but as with Murmur Stipe has a penchant for referencing stories and fairy tales to boost his narrative. 
  I'm not sure if the word "Bottom" at the end of the piece is Shakespeare's fairy or just part of Bottom waded ... as in the bottom of the ocean.  If it's Robin Goodfellow, well there are many conotations we can make in the song.  It would be an interesting seasonal twist from Autumn to Mid-summer and the "She will return" line could be waiting for her (Hippolyta?) to return from trying to discover who her husband will be.  A traditional midsummer fancy among young women.  Alas, this is Stipe world where these kind of tangents can be drawn over and over ... it's fun to speculate though ...

7 CHINESE BROS.

This mellow sweet short haired boy woman offers pull up a seat
Take in one symphony now that we've just begun the battle
Wrap your heel in bones of steel turn of leg a twist of color
Autumn waited hold me to you when the color become another

Seven Chinese brothers swallowing the ocean
Seven thousand years to sleep away the pain
She will return, she will return

This mellow sweet short haired boy woman offers pull up a seat
Take in one symphony now that we've just begun to battle
Wrap your heel in bones of steel turn of leg a twist of color
Autumn waded seven seas when the color become another

Seven Chinese brothers swallowing the ocean
Seven thousand years to sleep away the pain
She will return, she will return (She will return)

(She will return, she will return)

This mellow sweet short haired boy woman offers pull up a chair
Take in one symphony mound, guess you lost that battle
Wrap your heel in bones of steel turn of leg a twist of color
Bottom waded seven seas when the color become another

Seven Chinese brothers swallowing the ocean
Seven thousand years to calm you and I did reign
She will return, she will return

She will return.


I literally just made a change on this one 10 minutes ago.  Thank you again to YouTube because I couldn't make the C chord at the beginning of the chorus fit until I saw the hands of Buck.  Also, Buck on the recording uses two guitars in order to get the distortion on the 5 note riff that bridges the entire chorus.  And live he plays it as noted, but I've included the option of playing it on the E string because it's easier and you don't have to go up and down the fretboard.

7 CHINESE BROS.

Verse:

e|--------------------------------------------------------------|

B|--------------------------------------------------------------|

G|-11-11-11-12-14-16-16-16-16-16-14-11-11-11-11-12-11-9-7-7-7-7-|

D|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|

A|--------------------------------------------------------------|

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Before vocal hit:

e|--10-10-10--|

B|------------|

G|---7--7--7--|

D|------------|

A|------------|

E|------------|

Riff and Bridge to Chorus:         Or:

e|---------------------------------2-3-2-0-------|

B|----------------------------------------3------|

G|-11-12-11-9-7----------------------------------|

D|-----------------------------------------------|

A|-----------------------------------------------|

E|-----------------------------------------------|

Chorus

e|--0--0--0-0--0--0----0--0-2-3-2-0--|

B|---3--3----3--3---3---3----------3-|

G|-5--5--5----5--5--2-2--2-----------|

D|-----------------------------------|

A|-----------------------------------|

E|-----------------------------------|

Bridge:

e|-0--0-0---------------0--0-0-2-2-2-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

B|-0--0-0---------------0--0-0-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-2-2-2-0-0-0-2-0-|

G|-4--4-4-----0-----0---4--4-4---------------------------------|

D|-4--4-4----4-4---4-4--4--4-4---------------------------------|

A|-2--2-2-2-2---2-2-----2--2-2---------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------------------------------|