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.
White Bird
The Incredible String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who among you has not laid his head
Beneath some holy awning
Would think that such a night of tortured travelling
Could bring such a glory morning
And feel his heart sucked to his head
His head so wide that all life says
For such a scene of beauty
For such a scene of beauty
Encompasses
See the white bird on the water
In beauty calm and still
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
See he watches the white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
See he watches the white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
Warm in his ecstasy
A shimmering gentle backward fall
He leaves his body there so small and mirror black against the sun
With deities for strength
He sees his body wracked with pain
And hears his voice so stained with sadness deep
It asks the day to weep away
Loved her so strong now
She is gone
My heart will break for ever
Sun and moon change around
Me the games seem so strange
Walk in the light
I shall never
Walk in the light
I will never
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird,
Speak to me with your beauty
Oh white bird of the morning
Oh he cried Oh he cried
But stopped
Short
Seeing not water but ice
Death not life
Dead white bird dead white bird
Walking onward every day
Sunshine in our faces
Sun knows what goes on below
But still our faces graces
No disgraces
No distastes
Nothing wasted at all
White bird, white bird, white bird
Of the morning
White bird, white bird
The lyrics to The Incredible String Band's White Bird explore themes of transcendence, enlightenment, and the beauty of nature. The opening lines describe a traveler who has experienced a night of hardship and is now witness to a stunningly beautiful morning. The lyrics suggest that the traveler has undergone some sort of spiritual journey, as his "heart [is] sucked to his head" and he sees the world with greater clarity and joy. He is able to appreciate the beauty and peace of a white bird on the water, and feels that this moment of beauty "encompasses" all of life.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more abstract and surreal. The traveler seems to have an out-of-body experience, leaving his physical form behind and experiencing pain and sadness. He mourns the loss of someone he loved and feels that his heart will break forever. Yet even in the midst of this pain, the beauty of the white bird continues to inspire him. The song closes with a series of repetitions of the phrase "white bird of the morning," as if the traveler is trying to hold onto this moment of beauty and transcendence.
Overall, the lyrics to White Bird are deeply poetic and mystical. The song seems to be exploring the idea that there is beauty and wonder to be found in even the most difficult and painful experiences. The white bird on the water becomes a symbol of hope and transcendence, a reminder that even in the midst of darkness, there is light and beauty to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
Who among you has not laid his head
Asks the listener who has not found comfort under some form of spiritual protection
Beneath some holy awning
Under some form of divine or symbolic shelter
Would think that such a night of tortured travelling
Could lead to an equally glorious morning, after enduring hardships
And feel his heart sucked to his head
Experiencing overwhelming emotions, with the heart and mind as one
His head so wide that all life says
The expansive, all-encompassing feelings of life flow through him
Has room to live and breathe and have its being - and more
There's enough space in his heart and mind to hold everything, even more than that
For such a scene of beauty
This beauty is unmatched
For such a scene of beauty
This beauty is unmatched
Encompasses
It surrounds him completely
See the white bird on the water
Observes the peaceful white bird floating on the water
In beauty calm and still
Presenting itself as a serene, beautiful creature
White bird, white bird, white bird
Repeats the bird’s color and species, emphasizing its purity
Of the morning
Indicates the time of day the bird comes alive
White bird, white bird
Continues to address the bird
See he watches the white bird
The singer continues to observe the bird’s movements
Of the morning
Indicates the time of day the bird comes alive
White bird, white bird
Continues to address the bird
See he watches the white bird
The singer continues to observe the bird’s movements
Of the morning
Indicates the time of day the bird comes alive
White bird, white bird
Continues to address the bird
Warm in his ecstasy
Feeling overjoyed and content as he watches the bird
A shimmering gentle backward fall
Transcending the physical realm, losing himself in the beauty before him
He leaves his body there so small and mirror black against the sun
In a state of pure transcendence, his physical form appears insignificant in comparison to the sun’s vastness
With deities for strength
He feels divinely strengthened
He sees his body wracked with pain
He feels the pain of his own mortality
And hears his voice so stained with sadness deep
Hearing the echoes of his own pain, deep and unyielding
It asks the day to weep away
Expressing a desire to be free of this pain
Loved her so strong now
Being overwhelmed by a deep love
She is gone
But that love has been lost
My heart will break for ever
This loss is unbearable and will never truly heal
Sun and moon change around
The world remains in motion, unaffected by his sorrow
Me the games seem so strange
The frivolities of life feel insignificant in comparison
Walk in the light
To walk in harmony with the world and oneself
I shall never
He doesn’t believe that harmony is possible for him
Walk in the light
To walk in harmony with the world and oneself
I will never
He will always be consumed by his sorrow
White bird, white bird, white bird
Repeats the bird’s color and species, emphasizing its purity
Of the morning
Indicates the time of day the bird comes alive
White bird, white bird
Continues to address the bird
White bird, white bird, white bird
Repeats the bird’s color and species, emphasizing its purity
Of the morning
Indicates the time of day the bird comes alive
White bird, white bird
Continues to address the bird
White bird, white bird, white bird
Repeats the bird’s color and species, emphasizing its purity
Of the morning
Indicates the time of day the bird comes alive
White bird, white bird
Continues to address the bird
Speak to me with your beauty
Calling out to the bird to communicate with him through its serene beauty
Oh white bird of the morning
Addressing the bird with a title that emphasizes its purity
Oh he cried Oh he cried
Interrupted by a sudden shock
But stopped Short
Cut off by the realization of something startling
Seeing not water but ice
Observing something not expected - the water he saw earlier is now frozen
Death not life
This is not a sign of renewal, but of something ending
Dead white bird dead white bird
The once-peaceful bird is now dead, reinforcing the theme of death and loss
Walking onward every day
Life continues, despite these losses and setbacks
Sunshine in our faces
Despite the hardships of life, there is still beauty in the world
Sun knows what goes on below
The world continues to operate, ignoring human suffering
But still our faces graces
Even though we suffer, we still have our dignity and grace
No disgraces
We should not let our pain diminish our sense of dignity
No distastes
Don’t allow pain to prevent you from experiencing the beauty of the world
Nothing wasted at all
All experiences are valuable, even the painful ones
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MIKE HERON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lorraine Trout Mask
Appreciating this song even more now than before... Absolute magic.. ❤⛅💧
emory michael
So magical. The flutes, the organ, and the guitar make such musical magic together. A hymn to beauty
Patrick Luzzi
The song will forever remind us of the peaceful ecstatic space of the White Bird where we may rest in peace and light but from which we go to adventures of disappointment and despair only to rebound step by step in hope and efforts to flight and light in and with the White Bird and into ecstatic serenity in rebirth.
Alastair Hunter
This ethereal song will be forever imprinted on my mind - as a 17 yr old wannabe hippie tripping in Brighton in 1970!
Keitha Granville
have never forgotten this song from a time long ago on a tour . . . . instantly transports me back to my youth
Peter O'Brien
Did we know what we were swallowing back then? Sometimes, I wonder! Still, always liked their music & saw Robin & his wife Bina in Bristol a couple of years ago! He plays the Welsh harp & tells 'shaggy dog' stories. She plays some kind of miniature harp & sings well. It was a trip (no pun intended) down memory lane!
Micheal Hofton
This song always reminds me of block release at the School of Printing 50 years ago, playing Changing Horses on the record player. And seeing the band live at the Birmingham Town Hall
Greville .Oh
Incredible is right - I have loved this band for donkeys years...nothing to beat them :)
Pete Cranmer
I love this song so much and it has really good memories, thank you!!!
JJ Howell
Memories of being with them in 1969 when they played this - one of my all time favourite songs