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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Running the Loping
Smog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laughing at things I think of
Getting off on the pornography of my past
Lighting matches and dropping them
Into a wet glass
It's summer now and it's hot
And the sweat pours out
And I breathe my body inside out
With sunlight around my skin turns brown
And you wouldn't know me from your pa
Or Adam or Allah
But I haven't changed
No I haven't changed
Day is all that resolves
All we need is here on earth
About every other day
Scratchmarks on my knees since I've been running
The bramble lee
When I'd much rather be wanting to be
Running the loping
Peace on your hand
Don't be silly
But peace on my body
When tired and beaten
All we need is here on earth
About every other day
Oh to live in the country
With a chicken and those other things
Where the hills loping
Where the dress and the hair in the river
Undulating
To take a wife and no paper
Never again to wonder
Did that rapper rape her
All we need is here on earth
About every other day
The song "Running the Loping" by Smog is an introspective and contemplative piece that seems to be a stream of consciousness. The first verse shows the singer, possibly Bill Callahan himself, in a melancholic mood, lying in bed alone in the dark, and laughing at the thoughts that cross his mind. He finds humor in his past follies, suggesting he may have made some mistakes he regrets. The imagery of lighting matches and dropping them into a wet glass creates a lovely contrast between light and darkness, fire, and water, which could represent the singer's mental state or life, signaling that he is both drawn to and repelled by the hurtful memories he is reliving.
The second verse paints a picture of summer, from which the singer is unable to escape. It is hot, and he is sweating profusely, emphasizing the feeling of discomfort or unease. The air around him is the same as his body, suggesting that he is feeling connected to his surroundings. He breathes his body inside out, which may suggest a kind of reverse birth, where he is being born again into the world. The mention of changing skin color due to sunlight emphasizes this idea. In the chorus, the singer seems to detach himself from the world, suggesting that everything he needs is on earth, but he only realizes it every other day.
The third verse shows the singer dreaming of living in the countryside, away from the city's chaos, with a wife, a chicken, and other things. The imagery of hills loping, dress and hair undulating in the river creates a sense of idyllic peace and serenity. The final line is a stark contrast to the beauty of the previous lines, where the mention of a rapper's rape ruins the mood. This final line may suggest the singer's internal struggle between idealized life and the harsh reality.
Line by Line Meaning
I lay on the bed in the dark
I am in deep thought while lying on the bed in the dark
Laughing at things I think of
I am amused by my own thoughts
Getting off on the pornography of my past
I am enjoying the memories of my past and the things I did
Lighting matches and dropping them
Into a wet glass
I am playing with fire, watching it extinguish in the wet glass
It's summer now and it's hot
And the sweat pours out
And the air is the same as my body
And I breathe my body inside out
It is hot and the air is humid, causing me to perspire and feel one with my environment
With sunlight around my skin turns brown
And you wouldn't know me from your pa
Or Adam or Allah
But I haven't changed
No I haven't changed
Day is all that resolves
The sun has tanned my skin, making me unrecognizable to others, but inside, I remain the same
All we need is here on earth
About every other day
We have what we need on Earth, but we only realize it once in a while
Scratchmarks on my knees since I've been running
The bramble lee
When I'd much rather be wanting to be
Running the loping
Peace on your hand
Don't be silly
But peace on my body
When tired and beaten
Running through thorny paths has left me with scratches on my knees. I would rather be running smoothly. Peace is not just a thought, it can be felt when the body is tired and rested
Oh to live in the country
With a chicken and those other things
Where the hills loping
Where the dress and the hair in the river
Undulating
I long to live a simple life in the countryside with chickens and nature, where everything moves fluidly
To take a wife and no paper
Never again to wonder
Did that rapper rape her
I dream of a life without the bureaucracy of marriage registration, where one never has to doubt or question their partner
All we need is here on earth
About every other day
We have what we need on Earth, but we only realize it once in a while
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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