The Yardbirds is an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's… Read Full Bio ↴The Yardbirds is an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith. The band is known for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things" and "Over Under Sideways Down".

Originally a blues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental breaks, the Yardbirds broadened their range into pop, pioneering psychedelic rock and early hard rock; and contributed to many electric guitar innovations of the mid-1960s. Some rock critics and historians also cite their influence on the later punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal trends. Following the band's split in 1968, Relf and McCarty formed the acoustic-duo Together, and then later Renaissance, a progressive rock group memorable for being heavily influenced by medieval instruments and sound, and guitarist Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin - the latter of which was initially intended as a direct successor to the Yardbirds. Dreja was first invited to play guitar in the new group, then known as "The New Yardbirds", however he turned it down, opting to become a photographer instead. He captured the back cover of Led Zeppelin's first album.

The band formed in the south-west London suburbs in 1963. Relf and Samwell-Smith were originally in a band named the Metropolitan Blues Quartet. After being joined by Dreja, McCarty and Top Topham, they performed at Kingston Art School in late May 1963 as a backup band for Cyril Davies. Following a couple of gigs in September 1963 as the Blue-Sounds, they changed their name to the Yardbirds. McCarty claims that Relf was the first to use the name; he may have got it from Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, where it referred to rail yard hobos. He adds that Topham identified it as a nickname for jazz saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker.

The quintet achieved notice on the burgeoning British rhythm and blues scene when they took over as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, succeeding the Rolling Stones. Their repertoire drew from the Chicago blues of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, including "Smokestack Lightning", "Good Morning Little School Girl", "Boom Boom", "I Wish You Would", "Rollin' and Tumblin'", "Got Love if You Want It" and "I'm a Man".

Original lead guitarist Topham left and was replaced by Eric Clapton in October 1963. Crawdaddy Club impresario Giorgio Gomelsky became the Yardbirds manager and first record producer. Under Gomelsky's guidance the Yardbirds toured Britain as the back-up band for blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II in December 1963 and early 1964, recording live tracks on 8 December and other dates. The recordings would be released two years later during the height of the Yardbirds popularity on the album Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds.

After the tours with Williamson, the Yardbirds signed to EMI's Columbia label in February 1964, and recorded more live tracks on 20 March at the legendary Marquee Club in London. The resulting album of mostly American blues and R&B covers, Five Live Yardbirds, was released by Columbia nine months later, and it failed to enter the UK Albums Chart. Over time, Five Live gained stature as one of the few high-quality live recordings of the era and as a historical document of both the British rock and roll boom of the 1960s and Clapton's time in the band.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. They were included at number 89 in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked number 37 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

The Yardbirds re-formed in the 1990s, featuring drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja as the only original members. In 2003, the Yardbirds released the album "Birdland" featuring original personnel Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja, along with contributions from Jeff Beck, and John Idan replacing Relf on lead vocals.

Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band in the present lineup.

Along with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds were part of the British blues scene of the 1960s. As the blues rock genre developed, some acts like Chicken Shack were playing a louder and more aggressive style, while the Yardbirds emphasized instrumental textures and extended instrumental improvisations. They covered blues classics like Howlin' Wolf's Smokestack Lightning (1956) and Bo Diddley's I'm a Man (1955) which had a repetitive structure where instrumental solos were brief breaks between repetition of verses. The Yardbirds often extended these instrumental sections into "heavy jams", known as 'rave-ups'.

Here 'Tis
The Yardbirds Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I sing...
I sing...

Yeah, now, I love my baby,
And my baby loves me.
Well, if we could get together,
Ow! how happy we could be.
I sing...

Yeah, my, all night,
And all day,
Well, the reason I'm unhappy,
That my baby went away.
I sing...

Yeah, my, all night,
And all day,
Well I want to hold my baby,
All night and day.
Yes, I love my baby,
Yes, I love my baby.
I sing...

I'm alright,
I'm alright,

Oh!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh!
Oh yeah!
Oh-oh-oh,
Here it comes,
There's more, there's more, there's more.
Here it comes,
Here it comes,

Oh,
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Oh,
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Sing...

I sing...

I sing...

I sing...
Yeah, my, all day,
And all night,
Now my baby can write to me,
And everything's all right now.
I sing

I'm alright [Repeat: x4]

Overall Meaning

The Yardbirds's song Here 'Tis is a classic love song with the singer professing his love for his significant other. The first two lines of the song show his deep love for his partner and how they feel the same way about him. The song then takes a slightly melancholic turn where the singer expresses that they are currently separated, and if they could be together, they would be very happy. The repetitive nature of the lyrics emphasizes the singer's longing for his partner as he proclaims that all he wants is to hold his baby all night and day. The use of the phrase "I'm alright" at the end of the song is like a reaffirmation that everything will be okay as long as he has his love.

Line by Line Meaning

I sing...
The singer is expressing their joy of singing.

I sing...
The singer repeats their joy of singing.

Yeah, now, I love my baby,
The singer loves their significant other truly.

And my baby loves me.
The artist's significant other reciprocates their love for them.

Well, if we could get together,
The artist expresses their desire to be with their significant other.

Ow! how happy we could be.
The singer implies that they would be extremely pleased if they could be with their significant other.

Yeah, my, all night,
The singer expresses that their state of mind is constantly on their significant other.

And all day,
The artist's constant focus on their significant other is a 24/7 state of mind.

Well, the reason I'm unhappy,
The artist is aware that their current state of unease has to do with being away from their significant other.

That my baby went away.
This line reiterates the point that the artist's significant other is not by their side currently.

Well I want to hold my baby,
The singer explicitly wants to hold their significant other.

All night and day.
The artist uses an expression that encompasses the entirety of the 24-hour day to emphasize their yearning for their significant other.

Yes, I love my baby,
The singer reinforces their love for their significant other.

Yes, I love my baby.
This is a repetition of the previous line to emphasize the point.

I'm alright,
The singer is addressing their listeners and reassuring them that everything is fine.

I'm alright,
This repetition of the previous line reinforces the artist's statement that they are okay.

Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh!
This is an exclamation of excitement, likely due to the coming events of the song.

Oh yeah!
The singer continues to express their excitement.

Oh-oh-oh,
The singer is making an excited, repetitious sound that adds to the energy of the song.

Here it comes,
The artist is announcing that something is about to happen in the song or in their life.

There's more, there's more, there's more.
This repetition means that there is more coming than what has been previously mentioned, which only adds to the anticipation.

Here it comes,
The artist is repeating their previous statement to reinforce that something is about to happen.

Here it comes,
The singer again anticipates the arrival of the upcoming event in the song or in their life.

Oh,
The artist is likely exclaiming 'oh' in excitement or anticipation.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
This repetition is likely being used as an energetic filler for the song and engages the listeners.

Oh,
The singer uses an expression of emotion to lead into the final repetition of a later line.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
The repeated expression from earlier is being used once again to keep the listeners' engaged through repetition.

Sing...
The artist returns to the original thought of the song where they were singing out of joy.

I sing...
A repetition of the previous line that reinforces the artist's happiness in singing.

I sing...
Another repetition of the same idea from the two previous lines.

Yeah, my, all day,
The singer is still constantly thinking about their significant other throughout the day.

And all night,
The artist's focus still remains on their significant other even when they try to sleep.

Now my baby can write to me,
The artist's significant other can communicate with them through writing or is expected to do so.

And everything's all right now.
As a result of the previous line, the artist's worries and woes regarding separation from their significant other can be resolved.

I'm alright [Repeat: x4]
The singer reiterates once more that they are doing fine, likely to conclude the song in a reassuring way.

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: E. MCDANIEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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