The song features Jeff Beck's musical use of feedback, which he learned to control by finding the guitar's resonant points and bending the strings. Music writers have called his work groundbreaking and cited its influence on Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix. Several live Yardbirds recordings with Beck and later with Jimmy Page have been released.
In 1968, Beck reworked it for the lead track on his debut album Truth. The new arrangement, along with other album tracks, has been described as a precursor of heavy metal. "Shapes of Things" is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent exhibit of the "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and several artists have recorded renditions of the song.
According to the Shapes of Things Songfacts, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith told NME staffer and press officer Keith Altham that he wrote this song about the destruction of the planet. He added: āI wrote it in a bar in Chicago. I just lifted part of a Dave Brubeck fugue to a marching beat. Itās a sort of protest song.ā
Shapes Of Things
The Yardbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just teach me to despise
Will time make men more wise?
Here within my lonely frame
My eyes just heard my brain
But will it seem the same?
Come tomorrow, will I be older?
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?
Now the trees are almost green
But will they still be seen
When time and tide have been?
Fallin' into your passing hands
Please don't destroy these lands
Don't make them desert sands
Come tomorrow, will I be older?
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?
Soon I hope that I will find
Thoughts deep within my mind
That won't displace my kind
In "Shapes of Things," The Yardbirds explore the idea of the impact of time on the world and on the individual. The first stanza describes a sense of disillusionment and disdain for the shapes and forms of the world. The singer wonders if time will bring the answer to understanding the nature of things. In the second stanza, the singer reflects on personal growth and change, questioning whether he will age into a wiser, stronger version of himself or not. The final stanza conveys a desire for inner peace and a quest for self-discovery that won't lead to a rejection of one's identity or values.
On the surface, "Shapes of Things" appears to be a song about the state of the environment and the impact of human involvement, and it can certainly be interpreted that way. However, the lyrics here speak to a broader sense of change and uncertainty in the world, as well as the search for meaning and purpose in existence. The Yardbirds deliver a potent message that is both personal and universal.
Line by Line Meaning
Shapes of things before my eyes
The visual perceptions of my surroundings are influencing my thoughts and emotions.
Just teach me to despise
These perceptions are causing me to develop negative attitudes and feelings.
Will time make men more wise?
I wonder if the passing of time will lead to greater wisdom for humanity.
Here within my lonely frame
I am isolated and disconnected from the world around me.
My eyes just heard my brain
The things I am seeing are affecting my thoughts and emotions.
But will it seem the same?
I wonder if my perceptions and feelings will remain the same over time.
Come tomorrow, will I be older?
I wonder how time will affect me and my life.
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier
Perhaps tomorrow I will need to fight for my life or my beliefs.
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?
I hope that I will become braver and more courageous over time.
Now the trees are almost green
Spring is almost here and the trees are beginning to bud.
But will they still be seen
I wonder if these trees will still be here in the future.
When time and tide have been?
After the passage of time and the changes it brings.
Fallin' into your passing hands
I feel helpless and at the mercy of outside forces.
Please don't destroy these lands
I implore those in power to preserve the environment and natural resources.
Don't make them desert sands
I fear that careless action will lead to desertification and other forms of environmental degradation.
Soon I hope that I will find
I am optimistic that I will discover something important and meaningful.
Thoughts deep within my mind
I am looking for profound and insightful ideas that resonate with me.
That won't displace my kind
I hope that these ideas won't cause me to reject or be rejected by others like me.
Lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management
Written by: Paul Samwell-Smith, Jim McCarty, Keith Relf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexpetrachkov2657
Jeff Beck, Father of Rock Guitar
Since Jeff Beck's untimely death in January 2023, many of his peers hailed him as the greatest rock guitarist of all, "the guitarists' guitarist". Much deserved praise has been given to Beck's inimitable skills, musical taste and perpetual evolution. His works, including albums Truth and Blow by Blow, are both pioneering and influential.
However, one key aspect of Jeff Beck's legacy is often overlooked and is probably unknown to many music fans.
In the mid-1960s, a distinctive new genre - rock - began to emerge from British pop music. The electric lead guitar with sound distortion was at the heart of it. In August1964 Dave Davies of the Kinks slashed the cones of the speaker cones to alter the sound of his guitar in You Really Got Me. The two-note riff was primitive but attracted huge attention: guitar distortion entered British pop. Messing with the razor, however, was not the way forward. The new music era that was about to begin required quality equipment and guitar prodigies to master it.
At that time, Eric Clapton was playing blues, Jimmy Page was busy as session guitarist and Jimi Hendrix was nowhere until October 1966. It was Jeff Beck who became Britain's most respected and influential guitar player in the nascent rock scene. Four episodes illustrate how Jeff Beck laid the foundations of rock guitar playing during his eighteen-month spell with the Yardbirds.
Episode 1. The Riff. Heart Full of Soul (recorded in April 1965)
Episode 2. The Solo. Shapes of Things (recorded in January 1966)
It could have been just another British pop song, albeit with dark avant-garde lyrics. However, the ferocious 25-second guitar solo imagined and performed by Jeff beck established the song's legacy. It probably contributed more than any other piece of music to the birth of rock from British pop. Psychedelic rock is also counted down from Shapes of Things. Since then, every composition in rock music had to have a distorted guitar solo. To feel an early impact, one should listen to Paul McCartney's guitar in Taxman (April 1966). In May 1968, Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart imagined a "dirty and evil" (in Jeffās words) rendition of Shapes of Things, probably the first song in hard rock recorded in Britain. Comparing both versions allows seeing the immense progress of rock music in Britain over just a two-year period.
Episode 3. Rock Rhapsody with Heavy Metal. Beckās Bolero (recorded in May 1966)
Episode 4. Double Lead Guitar. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (recorded in September 1966)
RIP Jeff Beck and thank you
@robertallen6710
Try to find a lyric that comes close to...
Soon, I hope that I will find,
Thoughts deep withing my mind,
That won't disgrace my kind.
Anywhere in the musical lexicon...esp. hip hop, rap, country, etc. Written by 20 year olds!
@nataliacarolina97
Shapes of things before my eyes
Just teach me to despise
Will time make men more wise?
Here within my lonely frame
My eyes just hurt my brain
But will it seem the same?
Come tomorrow, will I be older?
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?
Now the trees are almost green
But will they still be seen
When time and tide have been?
Fallin' into your passing hands
Please don't destroy these lands
Don't make them desert sands
Come tomorrow, will I be older?
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?
Soon I hope that I will find
Thoughts deep within my mind
That won't disgrace my kind
Read more: Yardbirds - Shapes Of Things Lyrics | MetroLyrics
@tonytanner6186
We have lost one of the most influential, innovative, and masterful guitarists of all time. RIP Jeff Beck.
@kenneth-pc7mf
Truth Tony!!!
@magneto7930
He's still my favorite guitarist, gone but certainly not forgotten!
@rjjcms1
Amen. RIP.
@JaxonSmithers
Solo stuff vastly underrated.
@Stives1979
Agreed šÆššøšøšø
@12fretsteven
Relevant in 1967, relevant in 2024. The message and that guitar, timeless Jeff.
The lyrics speak of today.
@jkf9167
The Yardbirds for me were the ultimate in guitar solos. I love how they'd pop up, explode with 20 or 30 seconds of Jeff Beck weirdness, and then simmer down. That's how you do it! Leave em wanting more. RIP Jeff Beck.
@GuyTunes
As in the great "Misty you`re a better man than I".
@rick4electric
@@GuyTunes Mister, not Misty