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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I Feel Like the Mother of the World
Smog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not supposed to say
And today
I don't really care
God is a word
And the argument ends there
With two children
Oh do I feel like the mother of the world
With two children fighting
When I was a boy I used to get into it bad
With my sister
And when the time came to face the truth
There'd only be tears and sides
Tears and sides
And my mother my poor mother
Would say it does not matter
It does not matter
Just stop fighting
Oh do I feel like the mother of the world
With two children
The opening verses of Smog's song "I Feel Like the Mother of the World" convey the singer's sense of detachment from questions of the existence of a god or higher power. The lyrics suggest that this question may be irrelevant to the singer's experience, beginning with the line "Whether or not there is any type of god / I'm not supposed to say / And today / I don't really care.” The singer goes on to express a belief that “God is a word / And the argument ends there”. This suggests a sense that the debate around this concept is ultimately limited and unable to provide meaningful answers or solace.
The song then shifts to a metaphor that compares the singer's experience to that of a mother with two children fighting. The lyrics "Oh do I feel like the mother of the world / With two children" capture a sense of responsibility and frustration at the singer's inability to reconcile the two conflicting forces. This perhaps represents the conflicting feelings of hope and disillusionment that the singer experiences when thinking about the world and its inhabitants, who may be driven by opposing desires and unable to reconcile them.
Line by Line Meaning
Whether or not there is any type of god
The existence of a god is not something I am allowed to speak of, but for now, I am not concerned with the idea.
I'm not supposed to say
There are certain views I am discouraged from expressing, but I'm not worried about that right now.
And today
At this moment in time.
I don't really care
I am indifferent to the topic being discussed.
God is a word
The concept of God can be summed up in one word.
And the argument ends there
There's no need to debate the subject any further because it's as simple as that.
Oh do I feel like the mother of the world
I feel responsible for everything and everyone in the world.
With two children
Two entities are always bickering and creating problems.
Oh do I feel like the mother of the world
Again, I feel responsible for keeping everything under control and maintaining peace.
With two children fighting
These two entities are constantly arguing and causing chaos.
When I was a boy I used to get into it bad
I used to have extreme altercations with my sibling when I was young.
With my sister
My female sibling, whom I engaged in conflicts with.
And when the time came to face the truth
When it was time to confront the facts about our disagreements.
There'd only be tears and sides
The outcome was always tears and choosing sides.
And my mother my poor mother
My mother, who had to deal with our constant fighting.
Would say it does not matter
My mother would try to downplay the significance of our quarrels.
Just stop fighting
Her ultimate solution was for us to cease the fighting and restore peace.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielcarbone2414
I only discovered this song a week ago. I was sitting in a cafe in Esperance, Western Australia and this video was playing on a screen on the wall behind my friend. The title, tune, and video all grabbed my attention and hit me deeply. Had my friend and I sat the other way around, I never would have noticed this video playing. Magic moments like this make me happy.
@papertoymonsters2748
theres a certain finality to this song that makes me want to break down and cry
@MegaSnippezz
What a heartbreakingly beautiful song. Both Callahan's vocals and the instrumental express, simultaneously, a sort of nostalgic pain and an attempt to overcome trauma - but living on, as the mother of the world, putting the past behind but still letting it inevitably linger.
@TallGreyMan
The song. The video. Chloë. Such a beautiful coming together of everything.
@gentleeyes
That opening, just never gets old. 😭😭
@wizard_ski3727
I cried
@brenolad
Bill Callahan is among the greatest American song writers
@dddtaaa
Bee Cee = Bill Callahan 🤨
@funkways
Listening to this while housekeeping
@Charles-yq8vv
Great song and young Chloe! Amazing.