Hailing from Austin, Texas, the members of 13th Floor Elevators were one of… Read Full Bio ↴Hailing from Austin, Texas, the members of 13th Floor Elevators were one of the first artists to describe their music as psychedelic. Their lyrics and sleeve notes openly and religiously endorsed the use of drugs (particularly LSD) to alter human consciousness for the better.
The band rattled to the middle of the Hot 100 in 1966 with You're Gonna Miss Me, anchored by Roky Erickson's unforgettable yelping vocals, Stacy Sutherland's guitar, and Tommy Hall's electric jug runs. According to myth, Tommy's jug was tuned by the amount of marijuana stored in it.
The group pioneered some of the first garage psychedelia on its albums The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators 1966, and the followup Easter Everywhere 1967.
However, Texas at that time was an extremely conservative area that still hadn't come to terms with 50's rock 'n' roll. The authorities and the police set out to bust the entire band for pot (and—not surprisingly—succeeded).
Stacy Sutherland was jailed. To avoid a prison term, Roky pleaded insanity—a misguided ploy that landed him in Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane for 3 years. That turn of events spelled the end of the band, although there was a posthumous 1968 LP, Bull of the Woods.
Roky Erickson was released from hospital in 1973 and embarked upon a successful solo career that resulted in a CBS album produced by Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival. During the 1980s he struggled with mental illness and withdrew from public life for many years. However, in the 2000s he has re-emerged with one of his late 70s/early 80s backing bands, The Explosives, playing regular gigs including the Austin City Limits festival in September 2005, as well as Coachella in California, the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden and Montreal World Film festival in Canada.
On May 31, 2019, Roky Erickson passed away.
The band rattled to the middle of the Hot 100 in 1966 with You're Gonna Miss Me, anchored by Roky Erickson's unforgettable yelping vocals, Stacy Sutherland's guitar, and Tommy Hall's electric jug runs. According to myth, Tommy's jug was tuned by the amount of marijuana stored in it.
The group pioneered some of the first garage psychedelia on its albums The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators 1966, and the followup Easter Everywhere 1967.
However, Texas at that time was an extremely conservative area that still hadn't come to terms with 50's rock 'n' roll. The authorities and the police set out to bust the entire band for pot (and—not surprisingly—succeeded).
Stacy Sutherland was jailed. To avoid a prison term, Roky pleaded insanity—a misguided ploy that landed him in Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane for 3 years. That turn of events spelled the end of the band, although there was a posthumous 1968 LP, Bull of the Woods.
Roky Erickson was released from hospital in 1973 and embarked upon a successful solo career that resulted in a CBS album produced by Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival. During the 1980s he struggled with mental illness and withdrew from public life for many years. However, in the 2000s he has re-emerged with one of his late 70s/early 80s backing bands, The Explosives, playing regular gigs including the Austin City Limits festival in September 2005, as well as Coachella in California, the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden and Montreal World Film festival in Canada.
On May 31, 2019, Roky Erickson passed away.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
His Eye Is on the Pyramid
13th Floor Elevators Lyrics
Baby Blue You must leave now, take what you need You think will…
Barnyard Blues You duck, count, and run, I say 'Eeny-Meeny'. You took…
Don't Fall Down Don't fall down, If you see her Don't fall down,…
Dust Dust from your skin Must trust, when it scatters Only…
Earthquake The sound of the earthquake, The rhythms that you make,…
Fire Engine Let me take you to the empty place in my…
I Had to Tell You Chaos all around me, With it's finger clinging, But I…
I've Got Levitation Heading for the ceiling, I'm up off the floor I've broken…
Kingdom of Heaven Here you are at my place within your glistening eyes I'm…
Levitation VERSE A7 heading for the ceiling i'm up off the floor i've…
May the Circle Remain Unbroken May the circle remain unbroken. May the circle remain unbro…
Monkey Island Living home on monkey island, baby Right in the middle of…
Never Another The story you are living from The other symphony, Ensures su…
Nobody to Love In her eyes they reflect a smile, Cascading to the shore, An…
Reverberation (Doubt) Well, you finally find your helpless mind, is trapped inside…
Roller Coaster Well once , somewhere, sometime ago His eyes were clear to…
Rose and the Thorn A brand new smile on a brand new angel's face.…
Scarlet and Gold He's a king, he's a poor boy, A tower in a…
She Lives (In a Time of Her Own) She lives, no fear doubtless in everything she knows. Throug…
Slide Machine Mmm Down south where they use the Slide machine, And gods…
Slip Inside This House Bedoin tribes ascending From the egg into the flower, Alpha …
Splash 1 I've seen your face before, I've known you all my…
Street Song I walked down to the sidewalk, The night was crying rain I…
Thru the Rhythm Thru the rhythm of darkened times Painted black by knowledge…
Till Then I hear the sound of feet, they're dancing in the…
Tried to Hide You think you're strong when you're only straining You thin…
You Can't Hurt Me Anymore Well you can warp what you think I say or…
You Don't Know Hey! There you are again, Standing down below me, I honestl…
You're Gonna Miss Me Oh yeah Ah You're gonna wake up one morning as the sun…