The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from the British Isles. London, Dublin, Spiddal, and Findhorn have all served as a home for the group. The band has played in a number of different styles, but most often their music can be described as a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll, or folk rock. After ten years of recording and touring, the band dissolved in 1993 and Scott pursued a solo career. The band reformed in 2000, and continues to release albums and tour worldwide. Scott himself emphasizes a continuity between The Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."
More than thirty musicians have performed live as a Waterboy. Some have spent only a short time with the band, contributing to a single tour or album, while others have been long-term members with significant contributions. Scott has been the band's lead vocalist, motivating force, and principal songwriter throughout the group's history, but a number of other musicians are closely identified with the band.
Anthony Thistlethwaite was an original member of the band, and remained a member until 1991 when the band broke up, although he also joined a few recording sessions for A Rock in the Weary Land. After Scott and Wickham, Thistlethwaite has more songwriting credits than any other Waterboy. His saxophone, regularly featured in solos, was one half of the early group's distinctive brass section, but he has also played guitar, keyboards and a number of other instruments for the band. He pressed to return The Waterboys to a rock music sound after Room to Roam, but did not appear on Dream Harder, the result of that decision. He is now a member of The Saw Doctors, and has also released three solo albums.
Kevin Wilkinson, another original member, was The Waterboys' drummer from 1983–1984, and continued to play in some studio sessions afterwards. His most recent appearance was on A Rock in the Weary Land. He led the rhythm section of the group during its "Big Music" phase, sometimes without the assistance of any bass guitar. Scott describes Wilkinson's drumming as "bright and angular, an unusual sound".
Karl Wallinger joined the group in 1983, shortly after its formation. He left the group two years later, but in that relatively short period made important contributions to both A Pagan Place and This is the Sea. He co-wrote "Don't Bang the Drum", the environmentalism anthem on This is the Sea. His keyboards and synthesizer work expanded the group's sound, and he also did some studio work for demo sessions. Wallinger's World Party project was heavily influenced by his work with The Waterboys.
Roddy Lorimer's participation in the group began in 1983, contributing his trumpet playing "on and off" through 1990. He and Thistlethwaite took turns leading the brass section of the band, and Lorimer was also a featured soloist, most famously on "The Whole of the Moon" and "Don't Bang the Drum". He further contributed backing vocals to the song. His trumpet style is a combination of his classical training with an experimental approach encouraged by Scott. Lorimer returned for some studio work in 2006.
Steve Wickham transformed the group with his joining in 1985. His strong interest in folk music directly resulted in the band's change of direction. His initial involvement with The Waterboys ended in 1990 when Scott and Thistlethwaite wanted to return to rock and roll, but Wickham rejoined the group again in 2000, and, as of 2007, continues to perform with the band. Described by Scott as "the world's greatest rock fiddle player", he has written more songs for the band than anyone other than Scott, including the group's handful of instrumental recordings.
After 2000, Richard Naiff became one of the three core Waterboys members.Richard Naiff first recorded with the band in 1999, and joined permanently in 2000. As of 2007, he is a core member, along with Scott and Wickham. He is a classically-trained pianist and flautist, and plays keyboards for The Waterboys. Ian McNabb described him as Scott's "find of the century" and reviewers have described him as "phenomenally talented".
Other notable members of the band include bassist McNabb, leader of Icicle Works; Sharon Shannon, who became Ireland's all-time best-selling traditional musician; the experimental musician Thighpaulsandra, producer Guy Chambers, and Patti Smith Group drummer Jay Dee Daugherty.
Isis
The Waterboys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I could not hold on to her very long.
So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away
For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong.
I came to a high place of darkness and light.
The dividing line ran through the center of town.
I hitched up my pony to a post on the right,
A man in the corner approached me for a match.
I knew right away he was not ordinary.
He said, "Are you lookin' for somethin' easy to catch?"
I said, "I got no money." He said, "That ain't necessary."
We set out that night for the cold in the North.
I gave him my blanket, he gave me his word.
I said, "Where are we goin'?" He said we'd be back by the fourth.
I said, "That's the best news that I've ever heard."
I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold,
I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace.
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless.
How she told me that one day we would meet up again,
And things would be different the next time we wed,
If I only could hang on and just be her friend.
I still can't remember all the best things she said.
We came to the pyramids all embedded in ice.
He said, "There's a body I'm tryin' to find.
If I carry it out it'll bring a good price."
'twas then that I knew what he had on his mind.
The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous.
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn.
When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious,
But I made up my mind that I had to go on.
I broke into the tomb, but the casket was empty.
There was no jewels, no nothin', I felt I'd been had.
When I saw that my partner was just bein' friendly,
When I took up his offer I must-a been mad.
I picked up his body and I dragged him inside,
Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover.
I said a quick prayer but I felt dead inside
Then I rode back to find Isis just to tell her I love her, to tell her
She was there in the meadow where the creek used to rise.
Blinded by sleep and in need of a bed,
I came in from the East with the sun in my eyes.
I cursed her one time then I rode on ahead.
She said, "Where ya been?" I said, "No place special."
She said, "You look different." I said, "Well, not quite."
She said, "You been gone." I said, "That's only natural."
She said, "You gonna stay?" I said, "Yeah, I jes might."
Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child.
What drives me to you is what drives me insane.
I still can remember the way that you smiled
On the fifth day of May in the drizzlin' rain.
The Waterboys' "Isis" is a story-song in which an unnamed narrator describes his quest for a treasure that involves Isis, his former wife. The song begins with his brief marriage to Isis on May 5th and his inability to hold on to her. He then cuts off his hair and sets out for the "wild unknown country" where he could not fail. He reaches a place where the dividing line between darkness and light ran through the center of town. He hitches his pony and heads to a laundromat to wash his clothes. There, he meets a man who appears to be out of the ordinary and embarks on a mission with him.
The duo ventures out in the direction of the North, through the canyons and the cold. The singer recalls his thoughts about Isis and how she considered him reckless. He remembers her words that someday they would be together again, but things would not be the same even if he survived and just remained her friend. They reach the pyramids in the ice, where the other man finds a casket, and begins to show his true colors. After a sleepless night, he dies of unknown causes. The singer opens the casket and finds nothing, revealing that the man had only pretended to be friendly. He then steals the body and hides it, feeling dead inside.
The singer rides back to where Isis is, and they eventually reconcile. The song ends with the singer acknowledging Isis as a mystical child, driving him to an insane pursuit of her, and the vivid memory of their wedding day in the drizzling rain on May 5th.
Line by Line Meaning
I married Isis on the fifth day of May,
I got married to Isis on May 5th.
But I could not hold on to her very long.
But we did not stay together for very long.
So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away
For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong.
So I cut my hair and left to a new place where I felt free.
I came to a high place of darkness and light.
I arrived at a place of both darkness and light.
The dividing line ran through the center of town.
A line separated two sides of the town.
I hitched up my pony to a post on the right,
Went in to a laundry to wash my clothes down.
I tied my horse and went to a laundry to clean my clothes.
A man in the corner approached me for a match.
A man in the corner asked me for a matchstick.
I knew right away he was not ordinary.
I could tell immediately he was not a regular person.
He said, "Are you lookin' for somethin' easy to catch?"
He asked if I was looking for an easy way to make money.
I said, "I got no money." He said, "That ain't necessary."
I told him I had no money, but he said it was not needed.
We set out that night for the cold in the North.
We left that night for the cold northern area.
I gave him my blanket, he gave me his word.
I gave him my blanket, and he promised me something in return.
I said, "Where are we goin'?" He said we'd be back by the fourth.
I asked him where we were headed, and he said we would return by the fourth of a certain month.
I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold,
I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace.
I was thinking about valuable things like turquoise, gold, and diamonds.
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless.
As we rode through the cold canyons, I thought of Isis and how she saw me as reckless.
How she told me that one day we would meet up again,
And things would be different the next time we wed,
If I only could hang on and just be her friend.
Isis said our next meeting might change things, but I could only be her friend.
I still can't remember all the best things she said.
I don't recall the best things she said to me.
We came to the pyramids all embedded in ice.
We arrived at the pyramids, frozen in ice.
He said, "There's a body I'm tryin' to find.
If I carry it out it'll bring a good price."
He told me he was looking for a body that could be sold for a good price.
'twas then that I knew what he had on his mind.
That's when I realized what he was planning.
The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous.
The wind was howling and the snow was severe.
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn.
We worked hard all night and into the early morning.
When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious,
But I made up my mind that I had to go on.
When he died, I hoped his condition wasn't contagious, but I decided to keep going.
I broke into the tomb, but the casket was empty.
I broke into the tomb, only to find the coffin empty.
There was no jewels, no nothin', I felt I'd been had.
There were no treasures or anything valuable, so I felt tricked.
When I saw that my partner was just bein' friendly,
When I took up his offer I must-a been mad.
I realized that my partner was only being friendly, and I regretted accepting his proposal.
I picked up his body and I dragged him inside,
Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover.
I carried his body and placed it in the hole, covering it up.
I said a quick prayer but I felt dead inside
Then I rode back to find Isis just to tell her I love her, to tell her
I prayed quickly but felt numb, then went to find Isis to tell her I loved her.
She was there in the meadow where the creek used to rise.
Isis was waiting for me in the meadow near the creek.
Blinded by sleep and in need of a bed,
I came in from the East with the sun in my eyes.
Exhausted and needing rest, I arrived from the East with the sun blinding me.
I cursed her one time then I rode on ahead.
I swore at her once before riding away.
She said, "Where ya been?" I said, "No place special."
She said, "You look different." I said, "Well, not quite."
She asked where I had been, and I said nowhere special. She commented on my appearance, and I replied that I was not much different.
She said, "You been gone." I said, "That's only natural."
She said, "You gonna stay?" I said, "Yeah, I jes might."
She said I had been gone for a while, and I replied that it was normal. She asked if I would stay, and I said I might.
Isis, oh, Isis, you mystical child.
Isis, you are a mystical person.
What drives me to you is what drives me insane.
What pulls me toward you also drives me crazy.
I still can remember the way that you smiled
On the fifth day of May in the drizzlin' rain.
I still recall the way you smiled at me on May 5th in rainy weather.
Contributed by Cameron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.