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.
God Dog
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now think of where it wants to go
All things you can see around you
You can change them
Rearrange them in your mind
If you've heard tales of transformation
Well then one two three,
You could be the man who played god
To every shape that nature makes
All things you can see around you
You can change them
Rearrange them in your mind
If you heard tales of transformation
Well then one two three
You could be the man who played god
The girl becomes a bird on a flower
In your state you feel your power
All things you can see around you
You can change them
Rearrange them in your mind
If you've heard tales of transformation
Well then one two three
You could be the man who played god
One two three, you could be
The man who played god
One two three, you could be
The man who played god
One two three, you could be
The man who played god
The lyrics to The Incredible String Band's song "God Dog" are a call to action for listeners to consider the power they hold in their own minds to change the world. The opening lines ask the listener to think about the world they love and then to consider where it wants to go. The chorus repeats the idea that "All things you can see around you, you can change them, rearrange them in your mind," emphasizing the power of the individual to shape their reality.
The lyrics then suggest that if the listener has heard stories of transformation, they have the ability to be the one to play god, to hammer the world until it breaks and reshape it into every shape that nature makes. The bridge introduces the image of a girl becoming a bird on a flower, highlighting the transformative power of the individual's mind. The chorus repeats again, urging the listener to remember that they could be the man who played god, with a sense of empowerment and responsibility.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a call to action for listeners to take charge of their own lives and the world around them. The lyrics suggest that transformation is possible through the power of the mind, and that the individual has the ability to shape their own reality. It's an empowering message that encourages listeners to take control of their own lives and strive to make a positive impact on the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Think about the world you love
Contemplate the world that brings you joy and happiness
Now think of where it wants to go
Consider the direction in which the world is headed
All things you can see around you
Everything visible to you can be influenced
You can change them
You have the power to alter your surroundings
Rearrange them in your mind
Mentally reorganize the things in your environment
If you've heard tales of transformation
If you're familiar with tales of significant change or metamorphosis
Well then one two three,
If that's the case, it's as simple as counting to three
You could be the man who played god
You possess the capacity to think and act like a deity
Hammer it until it breaks
Persistently and determinedly pursue a goal until it's achieved
To every shape that nature makes
Take what nature designs and reshape it as you please
The girl becomes a bird on a flower
Imagine and create scenarios where transformations occur
In your state you feel your power
By focusing your mind, you strengthen your influence
One two three, you could be
It's that easy - just count to three, and you can become
The man who played god
Someone who possesses supreme power and control over their reality
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
James North
Robin' singing is just beautiful on this
Palle Jacobsen
Neither of us have said anything wrong :) (Outtake, of course - excuses, I read too fast.) And thanks for the information. ... A fine song, but nothing could have made a timeless legend of an album better than it is.
bertjohnandjake
Almost a masterclass in songwriting. Not really sure what it's about but my take is you must keep the little spark alive otherwise it's just TV and shopping. There's a cover by Shirley and Dolly Collins but this original version is better.
David Olivares
this song is a outtake of hangman's beautiful daughter, late 1967.... Peace
Kathleen Surbaugh
I happen to have this little dog!
Phil Freeman
I have her, except she is blue as the mountains.
David Olivares
Yes, 'cause is a outtake.... That was recorded in the hangman's beautiful daughter's session...
Palle Jacobsen
This song is not on The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. Peace