Ego Brain Bass

System of a Down - Ego Brain
Track 13 of Steal This Album! (2002).
 
Tuning: 5-string E standard (BEADG)
Time signature: 6/8
 
There is a bass tab for this song that has the notes laid out, but with very
little indication of the rhythm. This is a rewrite of that tab for a 5-string
bass in standard tuning, with the notes arranged in bars according to the
timing. Each bar has 6 beats, which are typically interpreted in groups of 3:
 
|------------|
 1 . . 2 . .
 
However, the transition to the pre-chorus (the "Ego" bar) has a triplet feel to
it, because the beats are in groups of 2 instead:
 
|------------|
 1 . 2 . 3 .
 
 
Intro [00:00]
 
  (No bass. Drums come in half a bar before the next section.)
 
Verse 1 [00:22]
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|3~----------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
              Life is but a dream       Drifting on a
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|3~----------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|1~----3~----|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
 stream       A stream                  Consciously it
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|1---3---5---|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
 seems        All of what remains       Ego
 
Pre-chorus 1 [00:39]
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|4---4-4---4-|4---4-4---4-|3---3-3---3-|3---3-3---3-|
 brain        Man made     shame
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|4---4-4---4-|6---6/8---8-|3---3-3---3-|3-3-3-3-3-3-|
 Shame        Love after it rains                 You
 
Chorus 1 [00:50]
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------5h6p5-|------------|------5h6p5-|------------|
|-3-----------|6-----6h8p6-|3-----------|6-----6h8p6-|
  see my pain is real       Watch my world dissolve
  As I turn to sand         You took me by the hand
 
 |------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
 |------------|-------------|------------|------------*|
 |------------|-------------|------------|-------------| x2
 |------6h8p6-|8h10p8-6h8p6-|------5h6p5-|------------*|
 |4-----------|-------------|3-----------|6-----6h8p6--|
  And pretend that none of us see the fall
  And declared that love prevails over all
 
Verse 2 [01:12]
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|3~----------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
              I am just a man           Fighting other
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|3~----------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|1~----3~----|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
 men          For land, for land        While I turn to
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|1---3---5---|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
 sand         In spite of the pain      Ego
 
Pre-chorus 2 [01:28]
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|4---4-4---4-|4---4-4---4-|3---3-3---3-|3---3-3---3-|
 brain        Man made     shame
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|4---4-4---4-|6---6/8---8-|3---3-3---3-|3-3-3-3-3-3-|
 Shame        Love after it rains                 You
 
Chorus 2 [01:39]
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------5h6p5-|------------|------5h6p5-|------------|
|-3-----------|6-----6h8p6-|3-----------|6-----6h8p6-|
  see my pain is real       Watch my world dissolve
  As I turn to sand         You took me by the hand
 
 |------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
 |------------|-------------|------------|------------*|
 |------------|-------------|------------|-------------| x2
 |------6h8p6-|8h10p8-6h8p6-|------5h6p5-|------------*|
 |4-----------|-------------|3-----------|6-----6h8p6--|
  And pretend that none of us see the fall
  And declared that love prevails over all
 
Bridge [02:01]
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|*------------|3~----------|------------|3~----------|
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
 
 |------------|------------|------------|-------------|
 |------------|------------|3~----------|------------*|
 |5~----------|------------|------------|-------------| x2
 |------------|3~----------|------------|1~----3~----*|
 |------------|------------|------------|-------------|
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|1---3---5---|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
              All of what remains       Ego
 
Pre-chorus 3 [02:29]
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|4---4-4---4-|4---4-4---4-|3---3-3---3-|3---3-3---3-|
 brain        Man made     shame
 
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|4---4-4---4-|6---6/8---8-|3---3-3---3-|3-3-3-3-3-3-|
 Shame        Love after it rains                 You
 
Chorus 3 [02:40]
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
|*------5h6p5-|------------|------5h6p5-|------------|
|-3-----------|6-----6h8p6-|3-----------|6-----6h8p6-|
  see my pain is real       Watch my world dissolve
  As I turn to sand         You took me by the hand
 
 |------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
 |------------|-------------|------------|------------*|
 |------------|-------------|------------|-------------| x2
 |------6h8p6-|8h10p8-6h8p6-|------5h6p5-|------------*|
 |4-----------|-------------|3-----------|6-----6h8p6--|
  And pretend that none of us see the fall
  And declared that love prevails over all
 
Outro [03:02]
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|5~----------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|3~----------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
 
                                        (tempo slows)
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|3~----------|------------|
|5~----------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|3~----------|------------|1~----3~----|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
 
|------------|
|------------|
|5~----------|
|------------|
|------------|
 
 
Legend:
 
   h      Hammer on
   p      Pull off
   /      Slide
   ~      Let ring
|------|
|*----*|
|------|  Repeat section
|*----*|
|------|
 
 
Song structure:
 
00:00  Intro         no bass
00:22  Verse 1
00:39  Pre-chorus 1
00:50  Chorus 1
01:12  Verse 2       same as Verse 1
01:28  Pre-chorus 2  same as Pre-chorus 1
01:39  Chorus 2      same as Chorus 1
02:01  Bridge
02:29  Pre-chorus 3  same as Pre-chorus 1
02:40  Chorus 3      same as Chorus 1
03:02  Outro
 
 
References:
 
* https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/system_of_a_down/ego_brain_bass_83073 (bass)
* https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/system_of_a_down/ego_brain_tabs_194950 (guitar; by Maitinin)
* https://genius.com/System-of-a-down-ego-brain-lyrics
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