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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The Well
Smog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I threw a bottle into the woods
And then I felt bad
For the doe paw
And the rabbit paw
So I went looking for the pieces
Of the bottle that I threw
Because I couldn't work
I went deep
Further than i could throw
And i came upon an old abandoned well
All boarded over
With a drip hanging from the bucket still
Well I watched that drip but it would not drop
I watched that drip but it would not drop
I knew what I had to do
Had to pull those boards off the well
When I got the boards off
I stared into the black black black
And you know I had to yell
Just to get my voice back
I guess everybody has their own thing
That they yell into a well
I gave it a coupla hoots
A hello
And a fuck all y'all
I guess everybody has their own thing
That they yell into a well
And as I stood like that
Staring into the black black black
I felt a cool wet kiss
On the back of my neck
Dang
I knew if I stood up
The drip would roll down my back
Into no man's land
So I stayed like that
Staring into the black black black
Well they say black is all colours at once
So I gave it my red rage my yellow streak
The greenest parts of me
And my blues I knew just what I had to do
I had to turn around and go back
And let that drip roll down my back
And I felt so bad about that
But wouldn't you know
When I turned to go
Another drip was forming
On the bottom of the bucket
And I felt so good about that
The song, The Well by Smog, appears to be a reflection of a moment in the singer's life where they were feeling stuck and unproductive. The lyrics, "I couldn't work, so I threw a bottle into the woods," suggest a lack of focus, perhaps a creative block, and the resulting frustration. As the singer seeks to find the pieces of the bottle they threw, they stumble across an old abandoned well that is boarded over. The image of the drip hanging from the bucket, still and unchanging, serves as a metaphor for the singer's own feeling of being stuck.
As the singer watches the drip, they become fixated on the idea of removing the boards from the well. When they finally do so, they are confronted with the blackness of the well itself - another symbol for their internal state of mind. The act of yelling into the well is a way for the singer to release their frustration, but it ultimately proves to be futile. Although they give it their all, including their anger, fear, and vulnerability, they cannot change the fact that they are still stuck.
Interestingly, the song ends with a sense of both failure and hope. The singer realizes that if they leave the well, the drip will roll down their back and into "no man's land." However, they are surprised to find that as they turn to leave, another drip is forming in the bottom of the bucket. This unexpected turn of events gives the singer a sense of hope that things may not be as hopeless as they seem, and that even in moments of feeling stuck, there is still potential for growth and change.
Line by Line Meaning
I could not work
I was unable to perform my job or task.
So I threw a bottle into the woods
Out of frustration, I threw a bottle into the woods as an expression of my emotions.
And then I felt bad
Afterwards, I experienced remorse for my impulsive action.
For the doe paw
I felt guilty for potentially harming animals that live in the woods such as a doe.
And the rabbit paw
I also felt bad for harming a rabbit that could have been near my tossed bottle.
So I went looking for the pieces
To right my wrong, I searched for the pieces of the broken bottle I had thrown earlier.
Of the bottle that I threw
I looked for the debris of the bottle that had scattered around after my frustrated behaviour.
Because I couldn't work
I continued my search because I was still unable to focus on my tasks.
I went deep
During my search, I went deeper into the woods.
Further than i could throw
I went deeper than how far I had thrown the bottle earlier.
And i came upon an old abandoned well
As I went deeper into the woods, I stumbled upon an abandoned well.
All boarded over
The well had been sealed with wooden boards.
With a drip hanging from the bucket still
There was a constant drip of water coming from the bucket inside the well.
Well I watched that drip but it would not drop
I observed the drip but it would not fall into the well.
I knew what I had to do
I was aware of what I needed to do to address the situation.
Had to pull those boards off the well
I needed to remove the wooden boards covering the well.
When I got the boards off
After removing the wooden boards, I was finally able to look inside the well.
I stared into the black black black
I looked into the darkness of the well.
And you know I had to yell
To express myself further, I needed to shout into the well.
Just to get my voice back
Shouting helped me relieve some of my emotional tension.
I guess everybody has their own thing
I realized that everyone may have their own way of expressing their emotions.
That they yell into a well
For me, it was yelling into an empty well.
I gave it a coupla hoots
Besides yelling, I made some other noises, like hooting.
A hello
I also said 'hello' to see if the well echoed my words back.
And a fuck all y'all
Out of frustration, I also cursed and said 'fuck all y'all.'
And as I stood like that
While I was standing there yelling, hooting, and cursing, I felt something.
Staring into the black black black
I was still looking into the darkness of the well.
I felt a cool wet kiss
I felt something cold and wet touch the back of my neck.
On the back of my neck
The sensation occurred on the back of my neck.
Dang
I expressed some surprise and 'dang' was the word I used.
I knew if I stood up
If I stood up, the water would run down my back.
The drip would roll down my back
The constant drip I had been observing would continue down my back.
Into no man's land
It would just fall on the ground at my back, in no man's land.
So I stayed like that
To prevent the water from rolling down my back, I stayed in the same position.
I felt so good about that
Despite the awkward position, I felt happy about preventing the water from touching me.
Well they say black is all colours at once
I've heard people say that black represents all colours.
So I gave it my red rage my yellow streak
I decided to express myself fully by giving the well my angry and lively emotions.
The greenest parts of me
I also expressed myself by giving 'the greenest parts of me' to the well. This may be a metaphor for my most fresh and positive emotions.
And my blues I knew just what I had to do
Lastly, I gave the well my sad and melancholy emotions knowing what I had to do next.
I had to turn around and go back
After giving the well all of my emotions, I needed to leave and turn around.
And let that drip roll down my back
I allowed the water to drip down my back upon leaving the well.
And I felt so bad about that
Although I was happy about the way I expressed my emotions, I still felt bad about the initial harm I had caused to the woods and its inhabitants, and now, causing another harm or disregarding such might be the effects of the sentimental expression.
But wouldn't you know
Unexpectedly, something else happened.
When I turned to go
As I was leaving, something else caught my attention.
Another drip was forming
I saw that a new drip of water was forming on the bottom of the bucket.
On the bottom of the bucket
The new drip was emerging from the bottom of the bucket inside the well.
And I felt so good about that
The sight of the new drip made me happy, especially after feeling bad about my earlier actions.
Contributed by Gianna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.