Their music bridged the gaps between the socially and spiritually conscious folk music of Bob Dylan, the studio trickery of The Beach Boys, and the sardonic rock of The Beatles. Some of their trademark songs include pop versions of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man and Pete Seegerās Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season), and the originals I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, and Eight Miles High. Throughout their career they helped forge such subgenres as folk rock, raga rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and ā on their 1968 classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo ā country rock inviting Gram Parsons on rhythm guitar.
The original and most successful lineup consisted of Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Clarke, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. After several line-up changes (with lead singer/guitarist McGuinn as the only consistent member), they broke up in 1973.
In 1991 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and several band members launched successful solo careers after leaving the group. The most successful was David Crosby who was inducted again for his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Other than The Beatles, the only artist with all members inducted twice are, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Tribal Gathering
The Byrds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little smile and then she'll disappear
Back into a crowd of happy people
Looking like they never came from here
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
A Macedonian, a pilot comes
A' laughing at a German jest or joke
A friendly motorcycle angel comes
To sit and talk awhile, and share a smoke
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Pretty little whirling butterfly
All the prettiest girls go dancing by
Caught up in the sound of talking drums
Lost herself out in the wheel of [Incomprehensible]
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
The song Tribal Gathering by The Byrds describes a surreal and mysterious communal event. The first verse suggests that the participants are content and carefree, blending harmoniously together. A woman hands a stick of sandalwood to the singer before disappearing back into the crowd. The second verse adds to the disorienting imagery, introducing a Macedonian pilot, a laughing German, and a friendly motorcycle angel smoking a cigarette. The final verse hints at the intoxicating nature of the event as the pretty girls twirl around in the sound of the talking drums, losing themselves in the ecstasy of the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
She'll hand to you a stick of sandalwood
A woman at the gathering will offer you a fragrant stick of sandalwood
A little smile and then she'll disappear
After giving you the sandalwood, the woman will smile and then blend back into the crowd
Back into a crowd of happy people
The woman will join a group of contented individuals
Looking like they never came from here
The people at the gathering appear as if they are not from this world
A Macedonian, a pilot comes
A person of Macedonian descent who happens to be a pilot attends the gathering
A' laughing at a German jest or joke
He is jovially reacting to a humorous tale from someone of German origin
A friendly motorcycle angel comes
An approachable biker angel makes an appearance
To sit and talk awhile, and share a smoke
He stops to engage in conversation and smoking with others at the gathering
Pretty little whirling butterfly
A delicate butterfly-like woman is dancing at the event
All the prettiest girls go dancing by
Other gorgeous women dance alongside her
Caught up in the sound of talking drums
They are all entranced by the beating of the drums
Lost herself out in the wheel of [Incomprehensible]
One of the girls becomes lost in the circle of dancers and the ambience
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
The experience of gathering people from various backgrounds is something unusual and unique
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
The gathering of diverse tribes remains an enigmatic occurrence.
Lyrics Ā© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID CROSBY, CHRIS HILLMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eugenecotes4987
āShe'll hand to you a stick of sandalwood
A little smile and then she'll disappears
Back into a crowd of happy people
Looking like they never came from here
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
A Macedonian and a pilot comes
A laughing at a German jest or joke
A friendly motorcycle angel comes
To sit and talk awhile and share a smoke
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Pretty lady whith a butterfly
All the prettiest girls go dancing by
Caught up in the sound of talking drums
Lost herself out in the wheel of sound
Strange thing, gathering of tribes
Strange thing, gathering of tribesā
@jeandanieljolivald6256
Pretty Lady with a butterfly is Joni, the year next, "By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation
We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
@clarenzlarka
Why this album is not heralded in the same vein as Sgt. Pepper I will never understand. It is simply brilliant. And this finely crafted jazzy psychedelic piece should have launched a genre. Whew. Just thrilling.
@pedropenacardenas8875
Because I never got around to it okay - esqueleto
@sunkintree
I think it's more comparable to Forever Changes
@powblockmaster
Other bands were doing similar tunes listen to Strawberry Alarm Clock's first two albums, Spirit's first album, or the jazz rock of Zappa
@Alisonws
Rock on in eternal peace Mr. Crosby. Thank you so very much for ALL the awesome music!! May your soul fly eight miles high and beyond šš¶šøāš»
@richardsimons6978
"Straaaaange thing, gaaaathering of tribes"
This chorus is amazing!!
Puts me right back in the 60's again.
@blackmetalhead5883
One of my all favorite songs and album by the Byrds
@mcrichton46
That bassline in the chorus always stuck out to me, ever since I first heard this song so many years ago. Must have been about 1969-1970 or so as a senior in high school...
@daverice2426
0:50 Inspiration for "1969" by The Stooges. āThey didnāt do anything with that part of the song, and that was the only part I liked, so I nicked it.ā - Iggy Pop
@speedy7834
Shackās Stranger brought me here, and Iām glad it did!