Creation
The Incredible String Band Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The messengers with sharpened heels
Flew backwards into whose galloping arms
And the impassioned Phoenix
Drawls a sad goodnight to fiction's tomb

Then come to me secretly
And with your silken feather
And with your silken feather
Open your rooms, open your rooms

Never, in fact, as he gazed amazed
At two lost eyebrows lisping into the unexpected
And the archetypal postman delivering your seed letters
Whose eyes are black eggs really
Upon a long shore, upon a long shore
Open your door, open your door

“Ask anyone”, he muttered, as he spat a small
Brilliant blue insect, whirring into the gauze
I would advise stilts for the quagmires
And camels for the snowy hills and any survivors
Their debts I will certainly pay
There's always a way, there's always a way

I smiled with that gallantly concealed forceful nervousness
That has proved that oysters cry
And that I have come to know and accept as myself
And plucking a barbed feather from the morose universe
I called him deathless, and he left before he could reply
Open your eyes, open your eyes

Our first father, Abraham, whose bosom
Was the unique soul of the humans
Was certainly as bewildered as we are
If not infinitely more so, and with an ancient
Ceremonial gesture of dismissal, he pointed forward

Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily

The first day was golden
And she colored the Sun
And she named it Hyperion
And she made it a day of light and healing

The second was silver
And she colored the Moon
And she named it Phoebe
And she made a day of enchantment and the living waters

And the third was many-colored
And she colored the Earth
And she made a day of joy
With the scarlet strength of seed

In the fourth black and white were mingled into quicksilver
And she colored Mercury
And she made a day of wisdom
And the signs that are placed in the firmament

The fifth was bright blue
And she envisaged Jupiter
And she made a day of awe and circles, circles
And she sent it to guide the blood of the universe

The sixth was burning with icy, green flames that glowed white
And of her beauty she made Venus
And she made a day of love
Whereby all beings are united

The seventh was rich purple of the mollusks
And she colored Chronos
And she made a day of idleness and repose
Whereon all beings cease from struggle

Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily

I am the pebble in your very own eye
I am the sword and your enemy dies
I am the storm and the hurricane wind
I am the thorn of an unkind friend

I am desire what color my eyes?
I am Loki, wizard of lies
Catch me, find me, see me if you can
I am the guilt of an honest man

I am the pebble in your very own eye
I am the sword and your enemy dies
I am the storm and the hurricane wind
I am the thorn of an unkind friend

I am desire what color my eyes?
I am Loki, wizard of lies
Catch me, find me, see me if you can
I am the guilt of an honest man

Then seven times we raised our arms
And with cat-stretch
Sent our foot spells
Yawning into the multitudes

In need we called upon the mother of all living
Three times for succor, but with ambitious spears
They made us change, they crouched behind
Their mirrors and fought on

I will not allow them praise
That broke the harmonious globe in splintered fragments
And yet, they moved perforce with a perfect pattern
And complemented harmony with discord, and light with darkness

It was then
That we stepped out of our world machine
Between the palm and the fingers
Peeling like gloves

And for each eye that shed one tear
We made of that tear an ocean
And in the five directions
We loosed our several craft

Wild sea, I say today
Please, be a sweet cow for me
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea

Gentle as lightning, easily
Take me to the root of the world tree
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea

Your face is consumed in a bruised sky's glance
By the brazen wall with your sword and lance
Where [Incomprehensible]
Where dappled maidens, endless danced
'Round the root of the world tree

Wild sea, I say today
Please, be a sweet cow for me
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
[Incomprehensible]

Wild sea, my love is salty for me
Every ripple in her body is a wave in me
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea

Hold tight, sleep tight




[Incomprehensible]
[Incomprehensible]

Overall Meaning

The Incredible String Band's song "Creation" is a poetic exploration of mythology, spirituality, and the vastness of the universe. The opening lines of the song speak of messengers with sharpened heels flying backwards into someone's galloping arms, setting the tone for the surreal imagery and dreamlike narrative that follows. The references to the Phoenix and its sad goodnight to fiction's tomb suggest a theme of creation and destruction, and the cyclical nature of life.


The lyrics then invite the listener to open their rooms with a silken feather, perhaps suggesting the need for openness and vulnerability in order to fully experience the wonders of the world. The following verses touch on various mythological figures such as Abraham, Hyperion, Phoebe, and Chronos, each associated with a color and an aspect of the natural world. The repeated refrain of "verily, verily" adds a sense of solemnity and reverence to these descriptions.


The lyrics then shift to a more personal address, with lines such as "I am desire what color my eyes? I am Loki, wizard of lies" suggesting a sense of identity and self-exploration. The final verses speak of the singer's call to the "mother of all living" in times of need and their ability to transform tears into oceans. The song ends with a plea to the wild sea to "be a sweet cow," evoking a sense of longing for the safety and comfort of home.


Line by Line Meaning

The messengers with sharpened heels
The angels with sharp wings


Flew backwards into whose galloping arms
Falling back into the arms of the universe


And the impassioned Phoenix
The fiery mythological bird


Drawls a sad goodnight to fiction's tomb
Gives a somber farewell to the death of imagination


Then come to me secretly
Come to me in private


And with your silken feather
Using a soft feather


Open your rooms, open your rooms
Unlock the secrets you hold


Never, in fact, as he gazed amazed
He had never seen anything quite like it before


At two lost eyebrows lisping into the unexpected
Two eyebrows expressing something unexpected


And the archetypal postman delivering your seed letters
The symbolic messenger bringing life


Whose eyes are black eggs really
Whose eyes are as dark as eggs


Upon a long shore, upon a long shore
On a never-ending shore


Open your door, open your door
Open yourself up


“Ask anyone”, he muttered, as he spat a small
He said in a low voice with a small


Brilliant blue insect, whirring into the gauze
Shimmering bug flying towards the lightweight fabric


I would advise stilts for the quagmires
Walking sticks would be helpful in the muddy swamps


And camels for the snowy hills and any survivors
Camels are viable for traversing snowy terrains and to ensure survival


Their debts I will certainly pay
I will cover their debts


There's always a way, there's always a way
There is always a solution to any obstacle


I smiled with that gallantly concealed forceful nervousness
I smiled bravely hiding my inner anxiety


That has proved that oysters cry
The reality is often unexpected


And that I have come to know and accept as myself
I have come to love and accept myself


And plucking a barbed feather from the morose universe
Removing something negative from the world


I called him deathless, and he left before he could reply
I named him eternal, but he did not stay to respond


Open your eyes, open your eyes
See what is truly there


Our first father, Abraham, whose bosom
Our ancestor and patriarch, Abraham


Was the unique soul of the humans
Was the one true human spirit


Was certainly as bewildered as we are
Was just as confused as us


If not infinitely more so, and with an ancient
Possibly even more bewildered, using ancient


Ceremonial gesture of dismissal, he pointed forward
He dismissed us with a ceremonial gesture and urged us forward


The first day was golden
The beginning was warm and bright


And she colored the Sun
She gave color to the Sun


And she named it Hyperion
And she gave it the name Hyperion


And she made it a day of light and healing
She made it a day of brightness and recovery


The second was silver
The next day was shiny silver


And she colored the Moon
She gave color to the Moon


And she named it Phoebe
And named it Phoebe


And she made a day of enchantment and the living waters
She made a day of magic and vitality of the waters


And the third was many-colored
The third day was filled with colors


And she colored the Earth
She colored the land


And she made a day of joy
She made it a joyful day


With the scarlet strength of seed
With the power of the starting seed


In the fourth black and white were mingled into quicksilver
The fourth day was a mixture of black and white, which turned to silver


And she colored Mercury
She gave color to Mercury


And she made a day of wisdom
She made it a day of wisdom


And the signs that are placed in the firmament
And the symbols set in the sky


The fifth was bright blue
The fifth day was vibrant blue


And she envisaged Jupiter
She imagined Jupiter


And she made a day of awe and circles, circles
She made it a day of wonder and circular patterns


And she sent it to guide the blood of the universe
And sent it to lead the crucial parts of the universe


The sixth was burning with icy, green flames that glowed white
The sixth day was both cold and hot, with flames that shone white


And of her beauty she made Venus
And out of the day's beauty, Venus was created


And she made a day of love
She created it to be a day of love


Whereby all beings are united
Where all creatures come together


The seventh was rich purple of the mollusks
The seventh day was a luxurious purple


And she colored Chronos
She colored Chronos


And she made a day of idleness and repose
She made it a day of relaxation and rest


Whereon all beings cease from struggle
Where everyone rests without conflict


I am the pebble in your very own eye
I am an irritant in your own life


I am the sword and your enemy dies
I am the sharp edge that defeats your foe


I am the storm and the hurricane wind
I am the destructive force of a hurricane


I am the thorn of an unkind friend
I am the friend that secretly causes pain


I am desire what color my eyes?
I embody desire, can you guess what color my eyes are?


I am Loki, wizard of lies
I am Loki, the master of deceit


Catch me, find me, see me if you can
Try to catch me if you are able to see me


I am the guilt of an honest man
I am the sense of guilt that a righteous man feels


Then seven times we raised our arms
We lifted our arms seven times


And with cat-stretch
Stretching like a feline


Sent our foot spells
Sent the magic from our feet


Yawning into the multitudes
Inhaling deeply into many disoriented individuals


In need we called upon the mother of all living
When we required aid, we summoned the female parent of all creatures


Three times for succor, but with ambitious spears
Using forceful weapons, thrice for help


They made us change, they crouched behind
They forced us to change, they hid behind something


Their mirrors and fought on
They continued to fight while using their reflection as cover


I will not allow them praise
I will not give them any acclaim


That broke the harmonious globe in splintered fragments
Those who destroyed the peaceful world into scattered fragments


And yet, they moved perforce with a perfect pattern
Still, they were obliged to move in a perfect arrangement


And complemented harmony with discord, and light with darkness
Creating a balance with both discord and harmony, light and darkness


It was then
At this moment


That we stepped out of our world machine
We emerged from our reality


Between the palm and the fingers
Moving in the tiny space between two fingers


Peeling like gloves
Unfurling like a glove or skin


And for each eye that shed one tear
For every eye that cried a tear


We made of that tear an ocean
We made every tear into an ocean


And in the five directions
In every direction


We loosed our several craft
We released our various abilities


Wild sea, I say today
Oh wild sea, I speak to you today


Please, be a sweet cow for me
Grant me the peacefulness of a gentle cow


Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
A majestic purple ship sailing on the moving sea


Gentle as lightning, easily
As soft as lightning, undemanding


Take me to the root of the world tree
Bring me to the base of the universal tree


Wild sea, my love is salty for me
Oh wild sea, my love is as salty as the water


Every ripple in her body is a wave in me
Every movement in her body ripples within me


Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
A magnificent purple ship on the moving sea


Hold tight, sleep tight
Stay safe, get sound rest


[Incomprehensible]


[Incomprehensible]




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBIN WILLIAMSON, ROBIN D.H. WILLIAMSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

ISKAH

The messengers with sharpened heels
Flew backwards into whose galloping arms
And the impassioned Phoenix
Drawls a sad goodnight to fiction's tomb
Then come to me secretly
And with your silken feather
And with your silken feather
Open your rooms, open your rooms
Never, in fact, as he gazed amazed
At two lost eyebrows lisping into the unexpected
And the archetypal postman delivering your seed letters
Whose eyes are black eggs really
Upon a long shore, upon a long shore
Open your door, open your door
“Ask anyone”, he muttered, as he spat a small
Brilliant blue insect, whirring into the gauze
I would advise stilts for the quagmires
And camels for the snowy hills and any survivors
Their debts I will certainly pay
There's always a way, there's always a way
I smiled with that gallantly concealed forceful nervousness
That has proved that oysters cry
And that I have come to know and accept as myself
And plucking a barbed feather from the morose universe
I called him deathless, and he left before he could reply
Open your eyes, open your eyes
Our first father, Abraham, whose bosom
Was the unique soul of the humans
Was certainly as bewildered as we are
If not infinitely more so, and with an ancient
Ceremonial gesture of dismissal, he pointed forward
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
The first day was golden
And she colored the Sun
And she named it Hyperion
And she made it a day of light and healing
The second was silver
And she colored the Moon
And she named it Phoebe
And she made a day of enchantment and the living waters
And the third was many-colored
And she colored the Earth
And she made a day of joy
With the scarlet strength of seed
In the fourth black and white were mingled into quicksilver
And she colored Mercury
And she made a day of wisdom
And the signs that are placed in the firmament
The fifth was bright blue
And she envisaged Jupiter
And she made a day of awe and circles, circles
And she sent it to guide the blood of the universe
The sixth was burning with icy, green flames that glowed white
And of her beauty she made Venus
And she made a day of love
Whereby all beings are united
The seventh was rich purple of the mollusks
And she colored Chronos
And she made a day of idleness and repose
Whereon all beings cease from struggle
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
Verily, verily
I am the pebble in your very own eye
I am the sword and your enemy dies
I am the storm and the hurricane wind
I am the thorn of an unkind friend
I am desire what color my eyes?
I am Loki, wizard of lies
Catch me, find me, see me if you can
I am the guilt of an honest man
I am the pebble in your very own eye
I am the sword and your enemy dies
I am the storm and the hurricane wind
I am the thorn of an unkind friend
I am desire what color my eyes?
I am Loki, wizard of lies
Catch me, find me, see me if you can
I am the guilt of an honest man
Then seven times we raised our arms
And with cat-stretch
Sent our foot spells
Yawning into the multitudes
In need we called upon the mother of all living
Three times for succor, but with ambitious spears
They made us change, they crouched behind
Their mirrors and fought on
I will not allow them praise
That broke the harmonious globe in splintered fragments
And yet, they moved perforce with a perfect pattern
And complemented harmony with discord, and light with darkness
It was then
That we stepped out of our world machine
Between the palm and the fingers
Peeling like gloves
And for each eye that shed one tear
We made of that tear an ocean
And in the five directions
We loosed our several craft
Wild sea, I say today
Please, be a sweet cow for me
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
Gentle as lightning, easily
Take me to the root of the world tree
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
Your face is consumed in a bruised sky's glance
By the brazen wall with your sword and lance
Where [Incomprehensible]
Where dappled maidens, endless danced
'Round the root of the world tree
Wild sea, I say today
Please, be a sweet cow for me
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
[Incomprehensible]
Wild sea, my love is salty for me
Every ripple in her body is a wave in me
Amethyst galleon, out on the rolling sea
Hold tight, sleep tight



mulika

Here is the lyrics 🎷...

The first day was golden
And she coloured the sun
And she named it Hyperion
And she made it a day of light and healing

The second was silver
And she coloured the moon
And she named it Phoebe
And she made a day of enchantment and the living waters

And the third was many-coloured
And she coloured the earth
And she made a day of joy With the scarlet strength of seed.

In the fourth black and white were mingled into quicksilver
And she coloured Mercury
And she made a day of wisdom And the signs that are placed in the firmament

The fifth was bright blue
And she envisaged Jupiter
And she made a day of awe and circles, circles
And she sent it to guide the blood of the universe

The sixth was burning with icy, green flames that glowed white
And of her beauty she made Venus
And she made a day of love Whereby all beings are united

The seventh was rich purple of the mollusks
And she coloured Chronos
And she made a day of idleness and repose
Whereon all beings cease from struggle.



All comments from YouTube:

Joe King

Candidate for greatest song of all time. Can you imagine a band today making something like this? No chance!!

roland lavengro

Indeed. Unless it is "This Moment" - both out of this world.😊

David Evans

The Incredible String Band got me through being incarcerated for three years in a mental institution for drug abuse beginning March 3, 1971, three weeks after my 15th birthday. I am forever grateful to Robin in particular. I was fortunate to meet and become very good friends with Likky when I moved to LA in the early 80s. I still listen to this band every day. Nothing has influenced me more than The Incredible String Band. And, I played the guitar in the photo above. Robin gave it to Likky, which she cherished as though it were pure gold, which is was.

David Evans

***** I haven't seen Likky in a long time, I don't know if she's still alive but I think she is. I can tell you one thing I do know, these rumors that she disappeared into the Arizona desert are completely ridiculous. Likky was extremely petite and delicate and though she was a very courageous person, about the last thing she would do is wander off into the cactus, snakes, coyotes and poisonous spiders in 120 degree heat. She was very unhappy, married to a jerk, still in love with Robin (I think) and selling cheap tin music boxes door to door in office buildings in LA. She and I played some music together and she would have parties where she'd play ISB songs and stuff (on Robin's painted guitar) but she was not making her living in music. She got divorced and just split. That's all I know. I'm sure she's alive, probably married with a completely new life, leaving all the shit in the past. That's my guess.

Robin Ho-Doh

David Evans Wow really? Do you happen to know who made the guitar? It has such a cool slinky sound

David Evans

elSargent93 I have no idea, sorry. I've always assumed Robin painted it. It looks like a Gibson Hummingbird. But I don't really know, sorry.

sceolang

+David Evans Thanks for the information on Likky. Many of us think of her often and hope she's well. The guitar does look like a Gibson Hummingbird but I'm fairly sure it was a Levin.

sceolang

And Robin did paint it.

6 More Replies...

JJ Howell

This brings back such a wonderful feeling of a remarkable time - in my life and in the world - what a time it was. I had the great privilege and good fortune to play with them on stage at a gig in Birmingham Town Hall in 1969 - for one track only, I played maracas . It was my 16th birthday. What a night.

beloveddude

WOW! It took me decades to finally let their music in....YOU ARE A LUCKY PERSON to be on stage with them! What a great experience/memory!

More Comments

More Versions