1. The UK g… Read Full Bio ↴There are several bands that have recorded as The Smoke.
1. The UK group The Smoke consisted of Mick Rowley on vocals, Mal Luker on guitar, Zeke Lund on bass and Geoff Gill on drums. They released a handful of singles from 1967 - 1970, with their biggest hit 'My Friend Jack' reaching no. 2 in Germany and no. 45 in the UK. See The Smoke (UK).
2. The Smoke was a one-off baroque-psyche studio project headed by Los Angeles producer/musician Michael Lloyd (vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, horn and string arrangements). The other two members were Stan Ayeroff (guitars) and Steve Baim (drums). Their sole album was The Smoke (1968). http://thealwaysbluesociety.blogspot.jp/2008/03/smoke-us-1968.html
3. The singles 'Sweet Spanish' and 'Defeat Retreat' are by the Australian band The Smoke, taken from the 2009 album 'Blood Orange'. See: The Smoke (Oz)
4. The Smoke is a Finnish Depressive Black Meta/Noise-band.
Cowboys and Indians
The Smoke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"One, Two, One Two Three Four"
The land is changing a lot since days of long ago
The buffalo no longer roams the prairie
Railroad takes his place
Cowboys and Indians
It means a lot to see your homeland taken
Man must win or die
Cowboys and Indians
Young and free beneath the sunlight
Sleeping deep beneath the starlight
Learning how to live and do what's right
This just might be the last time I will ride back from war
I think that more and still more wars are coming
Dead men soon to die
Cowboys and Indians
Cowboys and Indians
In the Smoke's song Cowboys and Indians, the lyrics paint a picture of a changing world where the traditional ways of life for Native Americans are being disrupted. The buffalo is no longer roaming free and is being replaced by the railroad. The song recognizes the inevitable change that comes with progress but at the same time acknowledges that progress comes at a cost. The lyrics also reflect the tumultuous relationship between the Native American tribes and the cowboys who were taking over their land. The wars between the two groups were a sign of the desperation of the tribes fighting to keep their homeland.
The lyrics suggest that the wars between the cowboys and Indians were both a matter of pride and survival. The tribes were fighting to keep their identity and way of life while the cowboys were fighting for their livelihoods. The song acknowledges the inevitability of the cowboys overtaking the way of life of the tribes. The line, "Man must win or die" suggests that it is essential for all parties involved to fight for what they believe in or risk losing everything.
Overall, the message of the song Cowboys and Indians is that change is inevitable, but it comes at a cost. The lyrics recognize the struggles and difficulties both sides faced and suggest that despite their differences, they shared a common bond.
Line by Line Meaning
The land is changing a lot since days of long ago
The environment is constantly changing and no longer remains the same like in earlier times
The buffalo no longer roams the prairie
Buffalo, which was once abundant, is now scarce and may not exist anymore on the prairie
Railroad takes his place
The railroad now takes the place of the buffalo on the prairie due to modernization and development
Cowboys and Indians
The two groups, who used to have different ways of life, are now coming together due to the changes happening in the land
The tribes are dwindling down from wars that must be fought
The Indian tribes are becoming fewer in number because of the constant wars they are required to engage in to protect their homeland
It means a lot to see your homeland taken
The loss of their homeland is a significant loss for the Indian tribes
Man must win or die
The survival of the Indian tribes depends on winning wars, as losing means certain death
Young and free beneath the sunlight
The youth live a carefree life under the sun, enjoying their freedom
Sleeping deep beneath the starlight
The youth rest peacefully under the starry night sky
Learning how to live and do what's right
The youth are taught the right way to live and must learn to make the right choices
This just might be the last time I will ride back from war
The soldier may not come back from the war alive, making it possibly the last time he may come back riding
I think that more and still more wars are coming
The soldier anticipates that there will be more wars in the future
Dead men soon to die
Many soldiers will die in the upcoming war
Cowboys and Indians
The two groups, who used to have different ways of life, are now coming together due to the changes happening in the land
Cowboys and Indians
The two groups, who used to have different ways of life, are now coming together due to the changes happening in the land
Contributed by Nathaniel W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.