Bill Callahan, born in Silver Spring, Maryland. Callahan followed the lo-fi… Read Full Bio ↴Bill Callahan, born in Silver Spring, Maryland. Callahan followed the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with homemade tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders. Later he signed a record contract with the label Drag City.
Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, utilizing sub-standard instruments and recording equipment. His reason for using the lo-fi approach was not so much an aesthetic choice, rather it came from his lack of knowledge of recording studios, and fear of giving up control to professional engineers.
His later work saw him overcoming his fear of studios and producers, and in this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O'Rourke and musicians from the circles around Drag City, as well as collaborating with the similar-minded Neil Hagerty.
His songs are based on simple, repetitive structures, strikingly characterized by his baritone vocal. His lyrics are often centered around themes of spiritual searching and the complexity of emotions, with the use of subtlety and dark irony in the classic sense. There is also a broad swathe of joy throughout Callahan's work (and a singular obsession with horses that he shares with Will Oldham and Mark Linkous). He is a keen storyteller using simple words to project large and deeply echoing tales.
Callahan's love life has been documented with vigor in numerous hipster publications, including his romantic relationship with Chan Marshall (Cat Power), who allegedly penned "To Be a Good Woman" in tribute to Callahan while referencing his song "To Be Of Use." It has recently been rumored that Callahan is now involved with Drag City labelmate Joanna Newsom.
Callahan is widely seen as one of the important figures of American rock in the '90s. He currently resides in Austin, TX.
On his 2007 album "Woke on a Whaleheart" he dropped the name Smog and used his real name, Bill Callahan.

There are other artists with the same name:

2. Smog was a psychedelic rock band from Perù, wich in 1971 released the single Time for the Blues

3. Sludge/doom metal from Nuremberg, Germany

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4. Black metal from Kraków, Poland

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Break
Smog Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, I rode out to the ocean
And the water looked like tarnished gold
I rode out on a broken horse
Who told me she'd never felt so old
She asked me if I'd feed her
And ride her now and then

No no no, no no no, no no no

I break horses
I don't tend to them
I break horses

They seem to come to me
Asking to be broken
They seem to run to me
I break horses

Doesn't take me long
Just a few well-placed words
And their wandering hearts are gone
At first her warmth felt good between my legs
Living breathing heart-beating flesh
But soon that warmth turned to an itch

Turned to a scratch
Turned to a gash
I break horses
I don't tend to them

Tonight I'm swimming to my favorite island
And I don't want to see you swimming behind
Tonight I'm swimming to my favorite island
And I don't want to see you swimming behind

No, I break horses
I don't tend to them

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "I Break Horses" by Smog are poetic and metaphorical, using the image of a broken horse to represent a failed relationship. The singer of the song speaks of riding out to the ocean on a broken horse, who tells him that she has never felt so old. He asks if he can feed and ride her, but then admits that he does not tend to horses, he breaks them instead. He claims that horses come to him asking to be broken and that it doesn't take him long to break them with just a few well-placed words.

The horse in the song is a metaphor for a woman, and the singer speaks of the initial warmth and excitement in the relationship between them. However, over time, that warmth turns into an irritation, a scratch, and a gash, representing the worsening of the relationship. The chorus of the song is an admission that the singer breaks horses instead of taking care of them, which is a metaphor for his destructive role in the relationship.

The repetition of the line "tonight I'm swimming to my favorite island, and I don't want to see you swimming behind" is another metaphor for the singer's desire to escape the failed relationship, leaving the woman behind. Overall, the song is a poignant portrayal of a relationship that has turned sour, with the singer acknowledging his role in the destruction of the partnership.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, I rode out to the ocean
I travelled towards the ocean

And the water looked like tarnished gold
The water appeared dull and less valuable

I rode out on a broken horse
I travelled on a damaged horse

Who told me she'd never felt so old
The horse expressed feeling old and worn out

She asked me if I'd feed her
The horse requested to be fed

And ride her now and then
And to be ridden from time to time

No no no, no no no, no no no
Repeated negative response

I break horses
I train horses by breaking their spirits

I don't tend to them
I don't take care of them

They seem to come to me
The horses appear to seek me out

Asking to be broken
Indicating a willingness to be trained