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 Renaissance and guitarist Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin - the latter of which was initially intended as a direct successor to the Yardbirds.
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. Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band in the present lineup.
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.
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".
Stroll on
The Yardbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause it's all gone
The reason why
You made me cry
By tellin' me
You didn't see
The future bore
If you want to know
I love you so
And I don't want to let you go
I'm strollin' on
Gonna make you see
I'm strollin' on
You'll find you really love me
I'm strollin' on
Be your turn to cry
I'm strollin' on
You wish you'd never lied
You're going to change your mind
But you ain't gonna find
Any more of my kind
I'm strollin' on
'Cause it's all gone
The reason why
You made me cry
By tellin' me
You didn't see
The future bore
Our lovin' no more
If you want to know
I love you so
I don't want to let you go
I'm strollin' on
Gonna make you see
I'm strollin' on
You'll find you really love me
I'm strollin' on
Be your turn to cry
I'm strollin' on
You wish you'd never lied
You're going to change your mind
But you ain't gonna find
Any more of my kind
The Yardbirds’ song “Stroll On” tells the story of a relationship that has fallen apart due to the man’s foolishness. The lyrics are straightforward and sad, discussing how the woman has been hurt and how the man is trying to win her back. He is walking away from her, but he knows he cannot let her go, and he hopes that she will come to realize how much she loves him. He is confident that he can make her love him again, and that is what drives him on. As the song progresses, he becomes more passionate and assertive, reflecting his increasing desperation to regain his lost love.
The song’s lyrics are straightforward, which can make them seem superficial, but the way they convey the emotion of heartbreak and the longing to win someone back is powerful. The musical accompaniment is also memorable, with its strong rhythm, driving guitar chords, and catchy melody. The song’s simplicity and upbeat tempo contrast with the melancholy of the lyrics, creating a bittersweet tone that captures the pain of lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Strollin' on
Moving forward with my life
'Cause it's all gone
Because our love has ended
The reason why
The cause of our breakup
You made me cry
You caused me emotional pain
By tellin' me
By informing me
You didn't see
You did not envision
The future bore
What the future held
Our love no more
That our relationship would not last
If you want to know
If you are curious
I love you so
I have strong feelings for you
And I don't want to let you go
And I do not want to end our relationship
I'm strollin' on
I am moving forward with my life
Gonna make you see
I will make you understand
You'll find you really love me
You will realize your love for me
Be your turn to cry
You will experience emotional pain
You wish you'd never lied
You regret deceiving me
You're going to change your mind
You will alter your view
But you ain't gonna find
But you will not locate
Any more of my kind
Someone like me
I'm strollin' on
I am moving forward with my life
'Cause it's all gone
Because our love has ended
The reason why
The cause of our breakup
You made me cry
You caused me emotional pain
By tellin' me
By informing me
You didn't see
You did not envision
The future bore
What the future held
Our lovin' no more
That our relationship would not last
If you want to know
If you are curious
I love you so
I have strong feelings for you
I don't want to let you go
I do not want to end our relationship
I'm strollin' on
I am moving forward with my life
Gonna make you see
I will make you understand
You'll find you really love me
You will realize your love for me
Be your turn to cry
You will experience emotional pain
You wish you'd never lied
You regret deceiving me
You're going to change your mind
You will alter your view
But you ain't gonna find
But you will not locate
Any more of my kind
Someone like me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Beck, Chris Dreja, James Stanley McCarty, James Patrick Page, Keith Relf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juancamacho5746
Strollin' on,
'Cause it's all gone,
The reason why.
You made me cry,
By tellin' me,
You didn't see.
The future bore,
Our love no more.
If you want to know,
I love you so,
And I don't want to let you go.
I'm strollin' on,
Gonna make you see.
I'm strollin' on,
You'll find you really love me.
I'm strollin' on,
Be your turn to cry.
I'm strollin' on,
You wish you'd never lied.
You're going to change your mind,
But you ain't gonna find,
Any more of my kind.
🎸🎸🎸🎸
I'm strollin' on,
'Cause it's all gone,
The reason why.
You made me cry,
By tellin' me,
You didn't see.
The future bore,
Our lovin' no more.
If you want to know,
I love you so,
I don't want to let you go.
I'm strollin' on,
Gonna make you see.
I'm strollin' on,
You'll find you really love me.
I'm strollin' on,
Be your turn to cry.
I'm strollin' on,
You wish you'd never lied.
You're going to change your mind,
But you ain't gonna find,
Any more of my kind
@Flyingvrips
How about some Lyric's folks!
Strollin on - Cos it's all gone
The reason why -You made me cry
By tellin me - You didn't see
The future bore - Our love no more
If you want to know - I love you so
And I don't want to let you go
I'm strollin on -Gonna make you see
I' strollin on -You'll find you really love me
I`strollin on -Be your turn to cry.
I' strollin on -You wish you'd never lied
You're going to change your mind
But you ain't gonna find - Any more of my kind (bridge/lead)
I'm strollin on – Cos’ah it's all gone
The reason why - You made me cry
By tellin me - You didn't see (short’stop)The future bore
Our lovin' no more
If you want to know, I love you so
I don't want to let you go!
I'm strollin on -Gonna make you see
Strollin on -You'll find you really love me
Strollin on -Be your turn to cry
Strollin on -You wish you'd never lied
You're going to change your mind,
But you ain't gonna find - Any more of my kind. (bridge/end)
@masimaninlv
59 years old and first time I ever heard this song....awesome!
@NicolasSilvaVasault
is so hard to believe a song this powerful was conceived in 1966, what a masterpiece
@jimtrela7588
Although these lyrics were written at the time, the basic melody was covered by John Burnett and His Trio on the early 50's, as rockabilly. If you do some searching, the song goes back decades before that.
@HH-mw4sq
@Jim Trela - actually Tiny Bradshaw wrote "The Train Keeps A Rollin'" back in 1951, upon which this song is based upon. The Yardbirds called it "Stroll On" to avoid copyright issues. Tiny Bradshaw's version can be appreciated here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci4EQDD4CqA
@lauracook8203
I would be a lot more surprised if it was conceived now. We had so much great powerful music back then. Janis & Jimi come to mind with roaring remakes of blues classics.
@kelechi_77
its heavy metal
@Skip1629
The Beatles tomorrow never knows ‘66
@fs.pureblood
You know what I hear in this song? Train kept a rolling.
@bengtrobbert9264
Jeff was a master of making his guitar sing every tone, from a dragster to an angel singing. He played with opera stars, rock stars and always was evolving his techniques.
@Starkardur
Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. two of the greatest guitarists in one song. Amazing