The Incredible String Band was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK by folk musicians Robin Williamson, Mike Heron, and Clive Palmer (1943 - 2014). They recorded their eponymous debut album in 1966, a lighthearted affair which revealed only the merest hint of the psychedelic adventures to come. After that, the band broke up. Palmer decamped for the Trail to Afghanistan and Williamson visited Morocco from where he returned laden with exotic instruments like the famous gimbri, which was, much later, eaten by rats. In 1967 Heron and Williamson recorded 'The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion', an audaciously eclectic mix of bookish folk music, hippy love songs and Eastern modalities. They soon became the-name-to-drop-in-interviews for luminaries such as Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, and in their annum mirabilis of 1968 they practically defined the hippy counterculture in the extraordinary albums 'The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter' and 'Wee Tam and the Big Huge'. By then the group consisted of Williamson, Heron, Rose Simpson and Licorice McKechnie - the same line up played at Woodstock in 1969 at the wrong time, having refused to play in the pouring rain the previous day (seen by manager Joe Boyd as a great missed opportunity).
In 1970 Robin Williamson attempted to fuse the music with his theatrical fantasies in a quixotic multi-media spectacular at London's Roundhouse called 'U'. It was "a surreal parable in dance and song" and highlighted the fact that they were never destined to make much money out of things. After that they lasted another four years. By 1974 tension between Williamson and Heron, who was pushing the band into prog-rock territory, had become unbearable and they split up.
Williamson soon formed "Robin Williamson and His Merry Band" which toured and released three albums of eclectic music with a Celtic emphasis. Within a few years, he went on to a solo career, moving increasingly into traditional Celtic styles. He also produced several recordings of humorous stories. Heron formed the rock group "Heron" and later released occasional solo albums. Responding to a comment by Joe Boyd in 1997 that they hadn't spoken since the breakup in 1974, the pair got back together for two concerts. This was followed by a full reunion of the original three members plus Williamson's wife Bina and Lawson Dando in 1999. By 2001 both Robin and Bina Williamson had left. Heron, Palmer and Lawson, and new member Fluff toured regularly around the United Kingdom and internationally until an end to the tour was announced in 2006.
The music of the ISB ranges from quite conventional folk songs to innovative “art song” and hybrid forms that were a precursor to World Music. In 1967-8 they were sometimes described as part of pop music's "avant-garde", which had emerged in the wake of the more adventurous work of The Beatles, with whom they were often compared. Although they lacked the Beatles' broad pop appeal, the ISB showed a similar interest in extending the boundaries of their music. Both Mike Heron and Robin Williamson would break apart a traditional song structure, inserting seemingly unrelated sections in a way that has been described as "always surprising, laughably inventive, lyrically prodigious". While at times this resulted in a lack of conventional unity, it also opened up the song musically and thematically to allow greater depth and exploration. This aspect of their music, combined with Williamson’s soaring melismatic vocal ornamentation (perhaps influenced by Islamic chanters heard during his visit to Morocco, as well as by the Scots-Irish traditional singing with which he had grown up) made for music that still sounds fresh forty years later.
Darling Belle
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
by hansom cab trotting so high
holding his hand to see the swans
hissing louder than rustling dresses of gracious ladies bustling by
see swan ships come sailing in
white as the clouds on a windy day
James I suppose would be in school
I was I was learning to spell
laughing at loud smells
avoiding the rod of the codfaced master
was it your absence made me quiet at noon
playing british bulldogs on the gravel
was it your presence coloured my dream
I burrowed in cupboards like a mole all saturday
under old chairs and old ladies knees
I framed your half remembered face
with frail white embroideries
calling for you down the mousey garden
calling for you down the mousey garden
o did you meet him at the ball
eighteen years on
tall soldier now and you full grown
Belle did you meet him at the ball
o do you remember me
thin girl with cold hands
you in your scarlet and you knew my name
step to the veranda under the wisteria
in the mysterious november
dancing as if with death or fate
to the moon black ballroom
of the silk skinned lake
kissing me you lifted my skirt
under the willow trees
keep the home fires burning
though your heart is yearning
though the boys are far away
they dream of home
there's a silver lining
in the dark clouds shining
turn that lining inside out
till the boys come home
o did I see you march to the train
did I cry was my nose red
my two day bride can you feel me in your memory
I will be the redness in your iron fire
how could i write
my words would seem sad or gay
we regret to inform you
we regret to inform you
meet me by gaslight in the dark dawn
on waterloo bridge we will walk arm in arm
hearing the leaves fall with whisper into the foggy dew
when we are dead
when we are dead
now she sits in her brother's window's house
skin like a lizard aura like a daffodil
migrant guest from relative to inlaw
she stares into the embers and remembers
The lyrics of "Darling Belle" by The Incredible String Band tell a story of nostalgia, lost love, and memory. The song reminisces about time spent with Papa, going to the park to see the swans by hansom cab. The singer is learning to spell and playing British bulldogs and burrowing in cupboards. The lyrics touch upon young love, as the song asks about the possibility of the titular character meeting her lover at a ball. The lyrics suggest that the singer may be longing for her own lost love, as she asks about a soldier she remembers.
The song delves into loss as it explores the idea of home fires burning and waiting for the boys to come home. It also explores the pain of separation as the singer remembers crying when saying goodbye to her two-day bride. As the song concludes, Belle sits in her brother's window's house, staring into the embers and remembering. The song evokes strong emotions and memories of a past that is long gone.
Line by Line Meaning
papa would take me to the park to see the swans
My father used to take me to the park to show me the swans.
by hansom cab trotting so high
We would ride there in a carriage and it felt like we were very high up.
holding his hand to see the swans
I would hold my father's hand as we looked at the swans.
hissing louder than rustling dresses of gracious ladies bustling by
The sound of the swans hissing was louder than the noise of ladies walking by in their dresses.
see swan ships come sailing in
Sometimes I would see ships on the lake that looked like swans.
white as the clouds on a windy day
These ships were white and looked like the clouds on a windy day.
James I suppose would be in school
I imagine that my brother James would be in school.
I was I was learning to spell
I was still learning how to spell.
laughing at loud smells
I found smelly things funny.
avoiding the rod of the codfaced master
I was trying to avoid getting punished by the stern teacher.
was it your absence made me quiet at noon
I wonder if it was your absence that made me quiet during noon when I missed you.
playing british bulldogs on the gravel
I played a game called British bulldogs with my friends on the gravel.
was it your presence coloured my dream
I wonder if it was your presence that made my dreams more vivid.
I burrowed in cupboards like a mole all saturday
On Saturdays, I liked to hide in cupboards like a mole hiding underground.
under old chairs and old ladies knees
I would hide under chairs or between older women's legs.
I framed your half remembered face
I have a picture of your face that I half remember.
with frail white embroideries
The frame had delicate, white embroidery around it.
calling for you down the mousey garden
I used to call for you as I walked through the quiet garden.
o did you meet him at the ball
Did you meet him at the ball?
eighteen years on
18 years have passed since.
tall soldier now and you full grown
Now you're a tall soldier and fully grown up.
Belle did you meet him at the ball
Did you meet him, Belle?
o do you remember me
Do you still remember me?
thin girl with cold hands
I was a thin girl with cold hands.
you in your scarlet and you knew my name
You were wearing red and knew my name.
step to the veranda under the wisteria
Let's step onto the porch under the wisteria flowers.
in the mysterious november
It's November and everything seems mysterious.
dancing as if with death or fate
We danced as if we were tempting death or fate.
to the moon black ballroom of the silk skinned lake
We danced by the moonlit lake whose surface was smooth as silk.
kissing me you lifted my skirt under the willow trees
You kissed me then lifted my skirt while we stood under the willow trees.
keep the home fires burning
Please keep our home fires burning.
though your heart is yearning
Even if your heart is longing for someone who's far away.
though the boys are far away
Even though our loved ones are far away.
they dream of home
They dream of being back home with us.
there's a silver lining
There's always a bright side to every situation.
in the dark clouds shining
Even in the darkest and gloomiest situations.
turn that lining inside out till the boys come home
Let's keep our spirits up until our loved ones come back home.
o did I see you march to the train
Did I see you walking to the train station?
did I cry was my nose red
Did I cry and get a red nose?
my two day bride can you feel me in your memory
My wife of two days, do you remember me?
I will be the redness in your iron fire
I will be the flame in your heart, keeping you warm.
how could i write my words would seem sad or gay
I can't seem to write anything without it sounding either sad or happy.
we regret to inform you
We have some unfortunate news for you.
meet me by gaslight in the dark dawn
Let's meet each other by gaslight in the early morning darkness.
on waterloo bridge we will walk arm in arm
We will walk together, arms linked, on Waterloo Bridge.
hearing the leaves fall with whisper into the foggy dew
We will listen to the sound of leaves falling into the dewy fog.
when we are dead
Once we have passed away.
now she sits in her brother's window's house
Now, she's sitting in her brother's house by the window.
skin like a lizard aura like a daffodil
Her skin looks like that of a lizard and she has the aura of a daffodil flower.
migrant guest from relative to inlaw
She moves from one relative's house to another as if she's an inlaw by association.
she stares into the embers and remembers
She looks into the fire and reminisces.
Contributed by Camilla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Euxio Lueiro
El grupo más hipy que dió la contracultura , en sus letras de sus discos, en su pensar y actuar ,en sus composiciones musicales,en su vestir ,en sus colores, sensaciones y formas de hablar , demasiado etc,etc.🌞
A Pa
I love them too, along with several others.
John Hartery
Love this song. Captures a time in history, so well.
Celia Bygraves
One of my favourite bands of my youth, always loved the sentiment of this song and the singing is beautiful. :)
Peter van wienen
so you took them libertry cap
Manuel Alonso
Pienso lo mismo
Mark Nichols
Otherwordly tripping days
Andrew Albers
I was so into them as a teen, yet never found this album. Just. Wow.
CHRIS STONE
Fell in love with ISB after hearing The Minotaur’s Song on Radio 1 one Sunday in 1968. Intelligent, literate and fun! There was no one else like them. This is yet another great song!
Gum Nut
This is my favourite ISB album, and after "Dear Old Battlefield", my favourite track. A great, wandering long progressive piece with many, many interesting parts. Recommended.