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 βart songβ 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 Williamsonβs 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.
Talking Of The End
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
talking of the end
let me hear you say you disagree
talking of the end
talking of the end
let me hear you say it will not be
this is no time for easy riding
better start to play your part
start to live before you start to die
dream the world all alive
busily conspiring humming like a hive
dream the world all alive
I dream it as me
rise as fair and tender leaves
brightening in countless eyes
and the sweet song of whales beneath the sea
if I could sing only one song I'd sing of you
The Incredible String Band's song "Talking Of The End" appears to be a commentary on the state of the world, and humanity's place in it. The repetition of the phrase "talking of the end" throughout the song suggests a sense of urgency, as though the singer is imploring their listener to pay attention to what's happening around them. They want to hear the listener say that they disagree with talk of the end, or that they believe it will not come to pass. The idea of the end is both daunting and inevitable, but the singer is trying to inspire hope in their audience.
The song's lyrics suggest that this is a critical moment in history and that people must take responsibility for creating positive change. The line "this is no time for easy riding" seems to imply that complacency is not an option. Instead, people must "start to play [their] part" and "start to live before [they] start to die." The song's overall message is one of inspiration, encouraging people to dream of a thriving, interconnected world where everything is alive and humming with energy.
Line by Line Meaning
talking of the end
We are discussing the end of something
talking of the end
We are still discussing the end of something
let me hear you say you disagree
Tell me if you disagree with my thoughts on the end
talking of the end
We are still discussing the end of something
talking of the end
We are still discussing the end of something
let me hear you say it will not be
Tell me if you believe the end will not happen
this is no time for easy riding
This is not a time to be complacent
this is no time to cry
This is not a time to be sad
better start to play your part
You should start doing your share of the work
start to live before you start to die
Begin living life to the fullest before it's too late
dream the world all alive
Imagine a world full of life
busily conspiring humming like a hive
Buzzing with activity and life like a beehive
dream the world all alive
Imagine a world full of life
I dream it as me
I envision myself as part of this thriving world
rise as fair and tender leaves
Grow and flourish like the leaves on a tree
brightening in countless eyes
Shining and influencing many people
and the sweet song of whales beneath the sea
And the beautiful sound of whales singing in the ocean
if I could sing only one song I'd sing of you
If I had to choose one song to sing, it would be about you
Contributed by Gabriella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Debstar Divine
a great album!! thanks for uploading!!
A Pa
Funny how this song returns to me over the years, over and over again, in only one song...
il gatopando
The first song by ISB that I listened to. It felt like the first kiss.
Hermetic Philosophy 101
i fugging love this jam
Karen N.
People say the later albums are not as good, they are wrong! I LOVE this song!
BlackWhirlies
This album taught me so much about how music works.
Julio Cesar Pereira
Great. I remember listening to this album on a rainy Sunday afternoon at a girfriend's apartment. Thanks for posting.
Sandy Inguaggiato
They were the quintessential, beautiful personification of usπππ₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯
Sean .D
"Better start to do your part. Start to live before you start to die."
Sean .D
Hey there. Iβm good. How you? Yeah, I first heard them 49 years ago. Still love them