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.
Little Cloud
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
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Lying awake, late the other night
Heard above me a trembling,
I looked up, it was a little cloud,
From which a gold string was dangling;
You know, I gave the string a little pull,
Just to see what was on the other end.
"Hey, now, don't you want to be my friend,
And float with me to distant lands,
wondrous and fair;
Float with me to distant lands wondrous and fair?
You see I'm just a happy little cloud,
I laugh and float and sing my song,
But the other clouds don't like me none.
They say I am behaving very wrong.
You see a cloud's supposed to be sad,
To cry and weep and tear its hair and all,
And don't matter how hard I try,
I can't get the first little tear to fall."
And float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair;
Float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair;
I said, "Hey, I like you little cloud,
You are a nice little fellow, yes."
"You making some, kind of a joke?", said the cloud,
"Now can't you see I'm wearing such a pretty dress?
You see I am the prettiest little chick cloud
That you'd find anywhere up above.
I just dropped in on you awhile
To see if you could give me some kind of love."
And float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair;
Float with me to distant lands wondrous and fair;
Just then the chief cloud come into view
And says, "Hey, girl, now what you think you're doing there?
I told you so many times before
You just don't seem at all to care.
You know you should be floating up above, now
Don't let me catch you down here again."
And as my cloud pulled out of view,
There come failing down a gentle shower of rain.
Happy rain come failing down,
Red, green, blue and golden.
And every drop, as it fell, it smiled
And, throwing back its head, began singing,
"Oh float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair;
Float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair."
The Incredible String Band's song "Little Cloud" is a whimsical meditation on the joys of freedom, independence, and nonconformity. The singer of the song encounters a "happy little cloud" while lying awake at night, and is charmed by the cloud's carefree attitude and friendly demeanor. The cloud invites the singer to "float with [it] to distant lands, wondrous and fair," but reveals that it is an outcast among other clouds for failing to conform to their expected behavior. While other clouds are expected to be sad and weeping, the little cloud cannot "get the first little tear to fall."
Despite being an outsider, the little cloud retains a sense of self-worth and individuality. It proudly proclaims itself the "prettiest little chick cloud / That you'd find anywhere up above," even as the other clouds chastise it for not adhering to their standards. The song ends with the singer watching as the little cloud departs, and a gentle rain falls in its wake. The raindrops, like the little cloud, rebel against expectations and "smile" as they fall, inviting the singer to join them in their journey to "distant lands, wondrous and fair."
Overall, "Little Cloud" is a celebration of those who refuse to conform to societal norms and instead embrace their unique identities. The little cloud, with its cheerful demeanor and rejection of sadness, serves as a symbol of the power of individuality, and invites listeners to join it in a journey of self-discovery and joyful exploration.
Line by Line Meaning
How sweet to be a cloud, floating in the blue.
Isn't it wonderful to imagine ourselves living high in the sky, drifting like a cloud suspended within the infinite beauty of the blue sky?
Lying awake, late the other night, heard above me a trembling,
While I was lying in bed, I heard a strange noise that seemed to tremble throughout the night sky.
I looked up, it was a little cloud, from which a gold string was dangling;
When I looked up to see the source of the noise, I noticed a small cloud with a golden string dangling beneath it.
You know, I gave the string a little pull, just to see what was on the other end.
Out of curiosity, I tugged on the golden string to see what was attached to the other end.
Just then a voice came down to me, says, 'Hey, now, don't you want to be my friend
Suddenly, a voice spoke to me and asked if I wanted to become friends with whoever was holding the string and floating the cloud.
And float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair;
Join me on a journey through beautiful and mysterious lands far away.
You see I'm just a happy little cloud, I laugh and float and sing my song,
I am just a cheerful cloud who loves to sing and laugh while hovering through the sky.
But the other clouds don't like me none.
Other clouds dislike me because they think that I should be sad like them.
They say I am behaving very wrong.
They criticize me for being happy and not following the expected cloud behavior of sadness and crying.
You see a cloud's supposed to be sad, to cry and weep and tear its hair and all,
The norm for a cloud is to be sad, to weep, cry and show an appearance of distress and despair.
And don't matter how hard I try, I can't get the first little tear to fall.'
No matter how hard I try, I cannot shed a tear because I am inherently a happy cloud and it's just not in my nature.
I said, 'Hey, I like you little cloud, You are a nice little fellow, yes.'
I told the cloud, I like you and that he is a jolly good fellow.
"You making some, kind of a joke?'", said the cloud, 'Now can't you see I'm wearing such a pretty dress?
The cloud replied in jest saying, "Are you joking with me? Can't you see I look amazing in this gorgeous dress I am wearing?
You see I am the prettiest little chick cloud that you'd find anywhere up above.
I am the most gorgeous cloud of all, everyone agrees that I am pretty, and recognizable from all around.
I just dropped in on you awhile to see if you could give me some kind of love.
I dropped by to see if you can offer me the love that I desire.
Just then the chief cloud come into view, And says, 'Hey, girl, now what you think you're doing there?
Suddenly, a senior cloud came into view and asked the little cloud what was it doing there.
I told you so many times before, You just don't seem at all to care.
I have told you many times to stop with this behavior, but you don't seem to pay any attention.
You know you should be floating up above, now Don't let me catch you down here again.'
You belong up in the sky, so you better not let me catch you down here on earth again.
And, throwing back its head, began singing, 'Oh float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair;
As my cloud flew away, it started to rain gently, and every drop of water smiled, looked up and started singing; 'Let's go forward and float to different far-off lands that are fascinating and exciting.'
And every drop, as it fell, it smiled
As every drop of rain touched the ground, it carried a smiling face.
And, throwing back its head, began singing, 'Oh float with me to distant lands, wondrous and fair.'
Each water drop sang along with joy asking all of us to join in the expedition and explore together the magical and fantastic places that nature has blessed us with.
Contributed by Addison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.