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.
Smoke Shovelling Song
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my fire smoke would not rise
Soon as the smoke tried to depart,
It'd be froze up harder that a landlord's heart.
I called up the police and they came around
Three days later and very brought down.
The sergeant he gave me this hysterical croak.
(Of course I wasn't laughing)
He says, "You're causing us officers so much grief,
Why don't you give us some relief?
Why don't you call the fire brigade?
Or maybe why don't you try shovelling the smoke up the chimney with a spade."
I borrowed a spade from the woman next door,
And I broke up the smoke that remained on the floor,
I was shovelling away, till the closing day singing a smoke-shovelling song.
After working so hard I went out to my yard,
And I looked up to my chimney so long, (there was nothing to see there)
Just a thousand foot high, way into the sky,
Was a pillar of smoke full of song.
There was an airplane stuck in it,
But I didn't notice at first it was so cunningly disguised as a dragon.
Came the summer at last, though it was rainy and fast,
The pillar it melted away,
The airplane fell with a big smoky smell,
And echoing around all over the town,
Was the words of the smoke shovelling song.
Any anyone telling a bigger story would have to be telling a lie,
And anyone think a bigger one up,
Have to be very high.
The Incredible String Band's Smoke Shoveling Song is a whimsical depiction of the winter when the singer's chimney became clogged with smoke because it was so cold. The problem was so bad that the singer even called the police, but they were unhelpful, and only suggested that he try to shovel the smoke up the chimney with a spade. Taking the advice he received, the singer borrowed a spade from his neighbor and worked hard to clear the smoke. Finally, after much effort, he managed to push the smoke up and out, and as it rose, it transformed into a thousand-foot-high pillar of smoke spirit, complete with an airplane disguised as a dragon.
The song can be interpreted as a metaphor for hard work, perseverance, and innocent humor. The incredible effort that the singer took to fix the smoke problem shows the importance of taking steps to solve problems rather than waiting for others to help. The police, who are supposed to protect and serve the public, were unhelpful and indifferent, which speaks to the overall message of self-reliance and self-sufficiency.
The lyrics of the song have a childlike wonder and simplicity that is reflective of the psychedelic folk music scene in the late 1960s. It is a song that reminds us of the power of creativity and imagination, and the need to find joy in the everyday world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Last winter blew so cold no lies,
The previous winter season was incredibly cold, and the singer is not exaggerating.
And my fire smoke would not rise
The smoke from the singer's fireplace would not ascend as expected.
Soon as the smoke tried to depart,
As soon as the smoke tried to exit the chimney,
It'd be froze up harder that a landlord's heart.
It froze quickly and completely, as cold as the heart of a landlord who refuses to repair their tenants' homes.
I called up the police and they came around
The artist contacted the police for help.
Three days later and very brought down.
The police showed up three days later, and they seemed discouraged when they arrived.
The sergeant he gave me this hysterical croak.
The sergeant spoke in a high-pitched, almost comical voice.
Says, "What do you think you have going here, some kind of joke?"
The sergeant questioned whether the situation was some kind of prank.
(Of course I wasn't laughing)
The artist did not find the situation humorous.
He says, "You're causing us officers so much grief,
The sergeant let the artist know that they were causing a lot of trouble for the police.
Why don't you give us some relief?
The sergeant requested that the singer take action to make the situation more manageable for them.
Why don't you call the fire brigade?
The sergeant suggested that the artist call the fire department for assistance.
Or maybe why don't you try shovelling the smoke up the chimney with a spade."
Alternatively, the singer could attempt to shovel the smoke back up the chimney using a spade.
I borrowed a spade from the woman next door,
The singer asked their neighbor for a spade and borrowed one.
And I broke up the smoke that remained on the floor,
The singer broke apart the remaining smoke on the ground.
I was shovelling away, till the closing day singing a smoke-shovelling song.
The artist spent a lot of time shoveling smoke up the chimney, even creating a song about it.
After working so hard I went out to my yard,
Once the artist finished shoveling the smoke, they went outside into their yard.
And I looked up to my chimney so long, (there was nothing to see there)
The singer gazed up at the chimney for a while but saw nothing.
Just a thousand foot high, way into the sky,
The chimney was impressively tall and reached far up into the sky.
Was a pillar of smoke full of song.
There was a large column of smoke that was accompanied by a song.
There was an airplane stuck in it,
The column of smoke contained an airplane that was trapped.
But I didn't notice at first it was so cunningly disguised as a dragon.
Initially, the artist did not realize that the airplane was pretending to be a dragon.
Came the summer at last, though it was rainy and fast,
Eventually, summer arrived, though it was a brief and rainy season.
The pillar it melted away,
The column of smoke dissipated.
The airplane fell with a big smoky smell,
The airplane crashed down from the sky, leaving behind a strong smell of smoke.
And echoing around all over the town,
The sound of the airplane's crash echoed throughout the entire town.
Was the words of the smoke shovelling song.
The song that the singer had created to accompany their smoke shoveling efforts could be heard everywhere.
Any anyone telling a bigger story would have to be telling a lie,
The artist believes that their story is already so interesting that anyone who claims to have experienced something more extraordinary must be lying.
And anyone think a bigger one up,
Furthermore, anyone who can come up with a more incredible story must be very imaginative.
Have to be very high.
The singer suggests that only someone who is under the influence of drugs could imagine an even more unbelievable story.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBIN WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind