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.
The Iron Stone
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over all the land the wild flowers grow,
Echoing kind to kind
On that day when I found the iron stone
Heavy in my hand in the sloping rain
Ever the seas rolled on and o'er my heart
They roofed their slates of grey
The iron stone I brought it home
Heavy in my hand I brought it home
Black as the thoughts of doom
A man told me it came from the moon
Flying through time it flew
Upon the long beach where I found it
Dancing horses told their tale
Among the stones it called me
There my hand it knew
Seeing in the thickness of the thick black sight
Forests and centaurs and gods of the night
Never that sun shone on
Where high Atlantis raised her shores
How sang the dragons of the sea
Love paints the carts with suns for wheels
The jester's bauble, cap and bells
The brave, perhaps, Mustachio
Sir Primalform Magnifico
The dragon me with golden toes
And golden fire my flaming nose
And memories, memories
My cave was bright with sulky gems
That paled the stars like diadems
Silver lost and buried gold
Such was my home in days of old.
The Incredible String Band's "The Iron Stone" is a vividly imaginative piece of poetic lyrics that carries rich imagery throughout it. The song begins with a reference to the natural beauty of the Earth as wind weaves its way and wildflowers grow. The singer or singer goes on to describe discovering an "iron stone" that is heavy in their hand, amidst the rains and the rolling seas. The stone seems to have a profound significance as it calls out to the singer and says that it came from the moon and flew through time. The stone, originally dark as the thoughts of doom, is then described in increasingly brighter terms. The thickness of the black sight reveals forests and centaurs, and gods of the night appear, while the high Atlantis raised her shores.
The lyrics in the latter part of the song are also fantastical and dreamlike. There are references to dragons, caves with sulky gems that shine brightly, lost gold and silver, and jester's baubles. All these images weave together a magical world that is filled with mystical creatures, cavemen, and strange sights.
Overall, "The Iron Stone" is a song that is filled with fantastic and surrealistic imagery. It creates an imaginative landscape that is a reflection of the dreams and hopes of humanity, and the power of the natural world. The song is a testament to the band's songwriting ability as well as their creativity and artistic vision.
Line by Line Meaning
A long wind a weaving mind
The singer has a wandering mind with many thoughts and ideas.
Over all the land the wild flowers grow,
The flowers grow all around, in the land where the singer wanders.
Echoing kind to kind
The flowers reflect each other's beauty and complement their surroundings.
On that day when I found the iron stone
The artist stumbled upon a unique iron stone on a particular day.
Heavy in my hand in the sloping rain
The iron stone was heavy and the artist held it tightly, even in the rain.
Ever the seas rolled on and o'er my heart
The constant rolling of the seas had an impact on the singer's emotional state.
They roofed their slates of grey
The singer perceives the rolling waves as covering the sky with grey, slate-like clouds.
The iron stone I found it on that day
The artist is reiterating that they found the iron stone on a particular day.
The iron stone I brought it home
The artist took the iron stone home with them.
Heavy in my hand I brought it home
The artist experienced difficulty carrying the heavy iron stone home.
Black as the thoughts of doom
The singer describes the iron stone as dark and ominous, similar to their own negative thoughts.
A man told me it came from the moon
The artist heard from someone that the iron stone may have come from the moon.
Flying through time it flew
The iron stone may have traveled through time and space to end up where the singer found it.
Upon the long beach where I found it
The singer found the iron stone on a long, spacious beach.
Dancing horses told their tale
The singer may have seen horses dancing on the beach, or heard a story that involved such a scene.
Among the stones it called me
The artist was drawn to the iron stone among the other stones on the beach.
There my hand it knew
The artist felt a connection with the iron stone when they touched it.
Seeing in the thickness of the thick black sight
The singer saw visions or imagined things when looking at the dark, heavy iron stone.
Forests and centaurs and gods of the night
The singer saw imagery of trees, half-human creatures, and mythological gods in the iron stone.
Never that sun shone on
The artist envisions a place where the sun never shines.
Where high Atlantis raised her shores
The artist describes a mythical place, Atlantis, where the land rose high above the ocean.
How sang the dragons of the sea
The artist imagines dragons singing in the vast depths of the ocean.
Love paints the carts with suns for wheels
Love can make ordinary things extraordinary, even to the point of painting suns on wheels.
The jester's bauble, cap and bells
The jester's accessories, such as their hat and bells, are a symbol of their playful personality.
The brave, perhaps, Mustachio
Mustachio is a brave-sounding person's name, perhaps belonging to a knight or hero.
Sir Primalform Magnifico
Sir Primalform Magnifico is an extravagant, over-the-top name for an unknown character.
The dragon me with golden toes
The singer sees themselves as a dragon with golden toes, symbolizing their uniqueness.
And golden fire my flaming nose
The artist's imagination takes flight, picturing their nose as flaming and golden like the dragon's toes.
And memories, memories
The artist reflects on their past and the powerful emotions and memories they hold.
My cave was bright with sulky gems
The singer describes their home, their 'cave,' as being full of dark or moody gems.
That paled the stars like diadems
The gems in the singer's home were so bright that they could even outshine the stars in the sky.
Silver lost and buried gold
The artist imagines treasure, like silver and gold, hidden away and forgotten.
Such was my home in days of old.
The artist is reminiscing on a past when their home was filled with precious gems and possible treasures.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBIN WILLIAMSON, ROBIN D.H. WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind