Album: Reckoning (1984)

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• This mellow, sweet, short-haired boy, woman offers pull up a seat
  Take in one symphony now, we've just begun to battle
  Wrap your heel in bones of steel, turn the leg, a twist of color
  Autumn waited hold it to you in the colored come 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, we've just begun to battle
  Wrap your heel in bones of steel, turn the leg, a twist of color
  Autumn waded seven seas swimming colored come 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 chair
  Take in one symphony now, I guess we lost that battle
  Wrap your heel in bones of steel, turn the leg, a twist of color
  Autumn waded seven seas swimming colored come another
  
  Seven chinese brothers swallowing the ocean
  Seven thousand years the Communi did reign
  She will return, she will return Writer/s: Bill Berry, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

• Alice from AlI grew up being read and reading the book Five Chinese Brothers and I loved it. I was a preschool teacher and read it to my classes but it has fallen out of favor. I don't know if anyone has objected to the boy drowning but I do know that the illustrations were very exaggerated Asian features.
• Karl from AustraliaAndrei from Chicago, Il Mitch co-produced the album he wasn't a guest guitarist on it. M!
• Andrei from Chicago, IlStipe was never quite satisfied with the track. Guest guitarist Mitch Easter recalls: "He never thought the mix was right. He always thought the drums were too loud."
• Nicole from Nottellin, OrThe music to this song is so, so good. Wonderful guitar and bass and drums. Pete Buck's tight guitar goes well with Michael's voice on this (as usual). It's a fantastic song that takes me away.
• Terry from Ocean Springs, Ms"The Voice of Harold" is one of the best REM songs ever.
• Terry from Ocean Springs, MsThe Chinese brother who swallows the ocean is probably a folk reference to Tsunami. When a tidal wave approaches, the sea often pulls far back revealing the sea bed. People would die when the wave finally came rushing in because they had walked out on the sea bed to gather fish, etc.

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