The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed Basement Tapes.
Dubbed "The Band" by their peers, the group left the comfort of their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the hit single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. These critically praised albums helped conceive country rock as something more than a genre, but rather as a celebration of "Americana." As such, throughout their career they would repopularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976; Martin Scorcese's landmark concert film "The Last Waltz" documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.
Although always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than the general public, The Band has remained an admired and influential group. They have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Their music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often had a bouncy, funky punch reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences. At its best, however, The Band's music was an organic synthesis of many musical genres which became more than the sum of its parts. The group's songwriting was also remarkable as, unlike much earlier rock and roll, and following upon the example set previously by The Byrds, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.
The Band comprised Robbie Robertson (guitar); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone); and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar) Excepting Robertson, all were multi-instrumentalists; each person's primary instrument is listed first. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could offer all manner of subtle aural colors and textures to enhance songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax an impressive range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds startlingly like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was rarely flashy, but he was often praised for his subtlety and funkiness. Critic Jon Carroll famously declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.
Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's gritty, southern voice had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a soaring, unfettered tenor, and Manuel alternated between fragile falsetto and a wounded baritone. The singers regularly blended in unorthodox, but uncommonly effective harmonies. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared between the three men, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer.
Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter (though he sang lead vocals on only three or four songs in The Band's career). This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would become a point of much antipathy between the group's members, especially between Robertson and Helm.
Producer John Simon is cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on other songs up through The Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.
On 10 December 1999 is when Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56. He had been a long-time drug user. In 1997 he had been found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight life-long pain resulting from a 1968 auto accident. No drugs were found in his system at the time of his death. Following the death of Rick Danko, The Band broke up for good.
Levon Helm died on 19 April 2012 from complications of throat cancer.
The Shape I'm In
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come downtown, have to rumble in the alley
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
Has anybody seen my lady
This living alone will drive me crazy
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no
I'll just be looking for my maker
And I hear that that's where she's been? Oh
Out of nine lives, I spent seven
Now, how in the world do you get to Heaven
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
I just spent sixty days in the jailhouse
For the crime of having no dough, no, no
Now here I am back out on the street
For the crime of having nowhere to go
Save your neck or save your brother
Looks like it's one or the other
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
Now two young kids might start a ruckus
You know they feel you trying to shuck us
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
The Band's song The Shape I'm In is a classic rock and roll tune that is full of depth and meaning. The song begins with a paradoxical statement of "Peace in the valley" and "Rumble in the alley". It is as if the singer is trying to reconcile his inner peace with the chaos of his surroundings. The next line brings in the theme of loneliness and the desperate search for love with the line "Has anybody seen my lady, This living alone will drive me crazy". This creates an impression of a man who is lost and seeking a way out of his current situation.
The next section of the song takes on a religious tone as the singer talks about going "down by the water" to look for his "maker". He has spent "seven out of nine lives" and is looking for a way to get to "Heaven". The haunting quality of this section is emphasized by the line "I ain't gonna jump in", which creates a sense of foreboding and uncertainty.
The song then takes a turn towards social commentary as the singer talks about being in jail and having no money or place to go. He is forced back onto the street to face the challenges of life once again. The line "Save your neck or save your brother, Looks like it's one or the other" creates a sense of moral ambiguity and raises questions about the choices we make in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Go out yonder, peace in the valley
I am searching for inner peace and solace.
Come downtown, have to rumble in the alley
Despite my search for peace, I find myself dragged into trouble and chaos.
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
Nobody can truly understand the turmoil I am experiencing.
Has anybody seen my lady
I am desperately seeking companionship and love.
This living alone will drive me crazy
Being alone is causing me to lose my sanity.
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
My inner turmoil is invisible to others.
I'm gonna go down by the water
I am seeking a quiet and reflective space.
But I ain't gonna jump in, no, no
I am not planning on committing suicide.
I'll just be looking for my maker
I am searching for spiritual guidance and meaning.
And I hear that that's where she's been? Oh
I have been told that I can find what I am looking for there.
Out of nine lives, I spent seven
I have experienced many close calls and near-death experiences.
Now, how in the world do you get to Heaven
I am questioning the path to spiritual redemption.
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
Others cannot fully comprehend my pain and confusion.
I just spent sixty days in the jailhouse
I have recently experienced a period of hardship and confinement.
For the crime of having no dough, no, no
I was punished for being impoverished.
Now here I am back out on the street
I have been released, but I have nowhere to go.
For the crime of having nowhere to go
Being homeless is seen as a punishable offense.
Save your neck or save your brother
I am faced with a difficult and potentially deadly decision.
Looks like it's one or the other
I cannot save both myself and my loved ones.
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
My internal struggles are not visible to others.
Now two young kids might start a ruckus
Two young people could cause a commotion or disruption.
You know they feel you trying to shuck us
They sense my attempts to deceive or manipulate them.
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in
My turmoil is invisible to others.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robbie Robertson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind