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.
October Song
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, there is no song before it.
The words and tune are none of my own,
for my joys and sorrows bore it.
Beside the sea
The brambly briars, in the still of evening,
Birds fly out behind the sun,
The fallen leaves that jewel the ground,
They know the art of dying,
And leave with joy their glad gold hearts,
In the scarlet shadows lying.
When hunger calls my footsteps home,
The morning follows after,
I swim the seas within my mind,
And the pine-trees laugh green laughter.
I used to search for happiness,
And I used to follow pleasure,
But I found a door behind my mind,
And that's the greatest treasure.
For rulers like to lay down laws,
And rebels like to break them,
And the poor priests like to walk in chains,
And God likes to forsake them.
I met a man whose name was Time,
And he said, "I must be going,"
But just how long ago that was,
I have no way of knowing.
Sometimes I want to murder time,
Sometimes when my heart's aching,
But mostly I just stroll along,
The path that he is taking.
The Incredible String Band's October Song is a reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of change. The song begins by introducing itself as an October song, setting the tone and atmosphere for the rest of the lyrics. The singer acknowledges that the song's words and tune are not of their own making, but rather have been born out of their joys and sorrows. The opening lines evoke a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy, as if the singer is reminiscing about the past.
The second stanza takes us to the seaside, where the brambly briars grow and the birds fly out behind the sun. It is a scene of serenity and beauty, imbued with a sense of peace and calmness. The third stanza speaks of the autumn leaves that have fallen to the ground, and recognizes their beauty in death. The leaves, like life, must come to an end eventually, but they do so with grace and ease, leaving behind their glad gold hearts.
The final three stanzas explore deeper themes of existentialism and self-discovery. The singer talks about their search for happiness and pleasure in life, but eventually found something more valuable behind their mind's door. They acknowledge the struggles of rebellious acts against the laws of rulers, the chains of priests, and God's fickleness. In the final stanza, the singer encounters Time, who reminds them of the fleeting nature of life. There is a sense of both acceptance and rebellion, acknowledging that sometimes one wants to murder time, but mostly just follows the path it takes.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll sing you this October song,
I will sing you this song about the month of October.
Oh, there is no song before it.
There is no other song like it that came before.
The words and tune are none of my own,
I did not make up the words or the melody.
for my joys and sorrows bore it.
My experiences of happiness and sadness inspired it.
Beside the sea
Next to the ocean
The brambly briars, in the still of evening,
The prickly plants, during a quiet time of day,
Birds fly out behind the sun,
Birds fly away as the sun sets,
and with them I'll be leaving.
I will leave with the birds.
The fallen leaves that jewel the ground,
The leaves that cover the ground like precious gems,
They know the art of dying,
They know how to die beautifully,
And leave with joy their glad gold hearts,
They happily leave behind their golden hearts,
In the scarlet shadows lying.
In the shadows that are red like scarlet.
When hunger calls my footsteps home,
When I feel hungry and need to go home,
The morning follows after,
The next morning comes,
I swim the seas within my mind,
I imagine swimming in an imaginary sea in my mind,
And the pine-trees laugh green laughter.
And the pine trees seem to laugh a happy green laughter.
I used to search for happiness,
I used to look for happiness,
And I used to follow pleasure,
And I used to pursue pleasure,
But I found a door behind my mind,
But I discovered a door in the depths of my mind,
And that's the greatest treasure.
And that discovery is the most valuable treasure I have found.
For rulers like to lay down laws,
Because leaders enjoy making laws,
And rebels like to break them,
And rebels enjoy breaking them,
And the poor priests like to walk in chains,
And the less fortunate religious leaders choose to walk in literal or figurative chains,
And God likes to forsake them.
And it seems as though God has abandoned them.
I met a man whose name was Time,
I once met a person called Time,
And he said, "I must be going,"
And he told me, 'I have to leave.'
But just how long ago that was,
But I do not know how far back that was,
I have no way of knowing.
I have no means of finding out.
Sometimes I want to murder time,
Occasionally I want to be rid of Time,
Sometimes when my heart's aching,
Especially when I feel emotional pain,
But mostly I just stroll along,
But mostly I just stroll alongside Time,
The path that he is taking.
Following the path that Time is taking.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBIN WILLIAMSON, ROBIN D.H. WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rasmusweinhardt
I know and listen to this song since 40 years, I always sing along with it.... Yet after all this time, I end up drenched in tears and I still don't know wether they are tears of happiness or sorrow... It always feels like it's both at the same time. Is there anyone out there who understands what I try, so futile, to express??? Thanks for all the deep emotions, in times of ups and downs, your music gave me Robin!!!
White Cloud
Yes. Me.
Jeffrey Wilson
That’s a beautiful comment. You captured it perfectly.
Frank Wood
@Amelia Tighe I saw them in London at the Drury Lane theatre. They are really fun and at the end they had a sort of ceillidh session and we all danced in the aisles.
Amelia Tighe
i got to see the string band at the philly folk fest where i had a press pass. i got some great pics. i also saw them at woodstock on the big stage as well as seeing the m close at the warmup stage across the woods. i got to see many performers at that stage close up like joan baez. i was there for 6 days and had my tent close to that small stage
Frank Wood
I call it a beautiful sadness.
Kevan Brown
Bob Dylan liked this song when he first heard it. That's high compliment. Also Lennon and McCartney were both into the ISB. Three of the greatest Songwriters giving high praise to them. You can't argue with that.
55Zeros
I just connected with this song, as my 14 month old grand daughter became gravely ill... she just passed. This song will always remind me of her... " the fallen leaves that jewel the ground they know the art of dying/ and leave with joy their glad gold hearts in the scarlet shadows lying "
Anselm Papendorf
😢
Vicki Eden
I am so very sorry for your loss 😢🙏🏻🍃🍂