SMiLE release thoughts from a returnee and some questions for the scholars

[Runaways]

Feeling like a cork on the ocean, a rock in a landslide or a leaf on a windy day is NOT feeling like nothing. Those are tumultuous images; they are all related to the feeling of not being in control of one's life. But that feeling is fairly universal. The first statement in a common 12 step program requires that you admit you are not in control and religions, both Eastern and Western, request that you give up (the illusion) of that control. Because this state of being is impossible to change, you could see the song as pessimistic. Acceptance of this state of being makes the song optimistic. Which one is it? I guess it depends on the listener.

well i don't think that's the state.  Didn't he say it was written from realizing how "infinitesimally small in the universe" we are.  So he thought of images of things that give off that.  Which i guess isn't "nothing", i just like how blunt that sounded.  To me, it's a rock in a landslide, not too important in the gist of it.  but how can it be optimistic if you're accepting that till the day you die you'll never have peace.

I understand what you're saying though. 
but then again, "it kills my soul". DAMN. 

[Mr. Cohen]

I just want to say that I appreciate your efforts Mr. Fishmonk. I agree that there are obvious drug allusions in the first version of "Vegetables". The first thing I thought of when I heard the "tripped on a..." and "stripped the stalk..." lyrics was the singer taking mushrooms and pot. It's obvious to me, and they're not the kind of lyrics that I'd imagine would take Van forever to think up. I'm willing to believe that they were casually thought up in an afternoon. I think the concept of "Vegetables" being about drugs was lost somewhat when Brian made the move to turn the song into a single. He had to make it more radio friendly. But the lyrics on the released version of "Vegetables" still make you wonder if the singer's ludicrously absent-minded behavior (and corny sense of humor) is the result of a drug high.

Anyway, I have to go now. I'm writing a letter to Brian. Right now, here's what I have:

Dear Brian,
My favorite vegetable is marijuana.

[Dunderhead]

I'm just going to throw this one out here. This is going to drive some of you nuts, but I was thinking about the actual lyrics of I'm In Great Shape, and if you look closely at them, from a grammar standpoint, they don't quite seem to mean the obvious things that you just assume them to mean. Now I know this is open to interpretation, and not every thing I'm about to say is 100%, but I just wanted to take a closer look at the lyrics:

Freshen Air Around My Head

Now this lyric is pretty disputable, it could be "Fresh Zen Air..." or "Freshened Air..." and it was even altered to "fresh clean air..." on BWPS
But let's consider "Freshen Air Around My Head", which is what it sounds like to me on the demo.  

It's an imperative statement. Not a description of the state of the air, not an adjective. It's the singer telling himself to clean/purify/naturalize/clear the air around his head. This could mean a bunch of things, perhaps a call for fresh ideas, perhaps a call for an open mind. Perhaps most controversially, this could be a line like Tomorrow Never Knows' "Relax, Turn Off Your Mind and Float Downstream", an invocation of the mental state leading to ego death, of turning off your mind, clearing away the bramble of thoughts swirling around your head.

Even if you think the line is "freshened" and not "freshen" you still have to wonder, what made the air fresh? What process occurred to clear the air?

And if you interpret the line "Fresh Zen Air" it's even more interesting...

Mornings Tumble Out of Bed

Alright, the regular way to think about this line, is "It is morning, I tumble out of bed", but that's not what the line says, is it?
Again, this is a imperative statement directed at "mornings". The singer of the song is talking to the dawn, asking it to begin. Perhaps he means to call for a new dawning of consciousness, a new beginning, a new birth. The dawn isn't dawning of its own accord, its dawning at the behest of the singer.

Eggs and grits and lickety-split, look at me jump

Alright, when it comes to this one, the regular interpretation would just be "I eat breakfast and then go off to jumping, to activity". There doesn't seem to be much going on in "Eggs and grits" than just breakfast. Eggs often symbolize barrier breaking, birth, transformation things of that nature. Grits don't seem to mean anything, it's a crushed corn porridge of Native American origin. Perhaps "grits" could be taken as "true grit" as resolve, strength, courage, etc. The courage to pursue down new, unexplored paths of the mind.

Then there's "lickety-split", it's a colloquial phrase meaning "in a hurry". However break it down, look at the origin of that phrase. The exact etymology is open to debate:

"Where it comes from is open to argument. Some dictionaries prefer to say cautiously “origin unknown” but others consider it combines split with a fanciful elaboration of lick. The latter turned up at about the same date in expressions we still have: at a great lick or at full lick, also meaning to move fast. This might have something to do with an animal persuaded to go fast by means of a “lick” from a whip, a figurative use of the standard sense that’s also the source of lick for giving somebody a beating. Another form around in US dialect in the nineteenth century was lick it, as in “he went as fast as he could lick it” and some writers think that lick it was the source of lickety, though the dates of recording of the various forms suggest otherwise.

Split is just an intensifying word that happens to have formed a satisfying combination, perhaps because splitting implied a violent separation. If things had turned out differently, we might now be saying lickety-click instead, which is just as meaningless. In settling on split, however, Americans provided a springboard for split in the sense of leaving or departing, recorded from the 1950s."

Now how do you do LSD? Well, you lick the stamp first of all. And what does LSD cause you to do? Split from regular consciousness in a "violent separation".

Finally what about "look at me jump"? I suppose the regular interpretation of this is "look at my physical vigor". But just jumping isn't a typical exercise, why not "look at me run"? or "look at me go"? or anything like that?
Consider jumping, where do you go when you jump? ... high up. You could also read this as "look at how high I get"  

I'm in the great shape of the agriculture

Again, look at this line more closely. This is NOT a line that says "I'm in great physical condition" it's saying "I am in the form of the agriculture, and that form is great". The singer of the song has assumed the shape of "the agriculture" that's the shape he's in. So what does it mean to take the form of agriculture? Well agriculture involves planting seeds, letting them grow, and cultivating them. Perhaps this is about cultivating your inner self, cultivating ideas, growing as a person, assuming a more organic natural mode.




So...I'm In Great Shape, a song about being in great shape, or a song about LSD induced states of expanded consciousness...

[juggler]

Okay, the only problem is that "agriculture" is a 2003/2004 lyric. 

The 1966 lyric is "open country."

[pixletwin]

Honestly though, you could take any poem/lyric/whatever and do that sort of analysis. I may attempt to if I get a moment.

[Dunderhead]

Okay, the only problem is that "agriculture" is a 2003/2004 lyric.  

The 1966 lyric is "open country."

You're right, I was listening to it and I kept hearing Agriculture for some reason. Brian's vocal is really strained and faint on that part on the version I have.
I think Open Country makes more sense in line with some of the stuff I pointed out. He assumes the form of the open country. A more natural organic mode, perhaps a state of consciousness that's "open" free of pretention, free of thoughts, tie this back to the first line of freshening the air around the head.

[Dunderhead]

Honestly though, you could take any poem/lyric/whatever and do that sort of analysis. I may attempt to if I get a moment.

While this is true, you should consider the grammar of the lines, I think we assume they mean one thing, but when you actually look at the lines, grammatically they don't mean what you think they mean.

"Freshen air around my head" is a imperative statement a command, not a description of the air.
"Mornings Tumble Out of Bed" is not "It's morning, I tumble out of bed."
"I'm in the great shape of the open country" is not "I'm in great shape in the open country" This like should be read as "I'm in the form of the open country and that form is great". Which is really interesting and not at all what we traditionally assume.

[Mahalo]

I had a dream last night that somebody had the booklet to the Box set and I didn't want to see it because I wanted to wait...but I gave in....It was weird. There were song titles and lyrics we never heard of.

I've gone 7 days without listening to SMiLE! stuff, and it hasn't been easy. Lots of Love You and Pet Sounds though...

[hypehat]

You are a braver man than I! I might wait for a release date to take said vow...

[Bill Barnyard]

Okay, the only problem is that "agriculture" is a 2003/2004 lyric.  

The 1966 lyric is "open country."

Brian rather rushes his way through the H&V demo and often mumbles his lines but after repeated listening on headphones (come on and try it - millions of others have) you will agree it ain't 'open country' he's singing.
This was discussed on this board before (way back) and the general concensus was that  'I'm in the great shape of the agriculture' is 100% 1966 vintage. Actually it's more like 'I'm in the great shape of the 'agrrrrhuture'.

[bossaroo]

Fishmonk, you've got some ambitious interpretations and I'm quite enjoying them. Especially "lickety split"  

It is an odd line: I'm in the great shape of the open country. (i refuse to accept agriculture... headphones and all)

Psychedelic experience is clearly an underlying theme of SMiLE. Brian was absolutely attempting "enlightenment through music"

and I like the idea of songs like "Wind Chimes" and "Vega Tables" being like Children's songs in their simplicity, but having deeper meaning as well.

[buddhahat]

I had a dream last night that somebody had the booklet to the Box set and I didn't want to see it because I wanted to wait...but I gave in....It was weird. There were song titles and lyrics we never heard of.

I've gone 7 days without listening to SMiLE! stuff, and it hasn't been easy. Lots of Love You and Pet Sounds though...

I took your challenge no name! Only two days maybe three for me so far. Tis not easy and probably should've waited for a release date like someone else just suggested. Could be smile fasting for a looooong time ....

[Mahalo]

Lets hope it's not too long...but I know it will be worth it to hear these tracks fresh, with a clarity that is like a clear natural spring as opposed to the county swimming pool. Couple that with some (hopefully) new stuff and it my be just like hearing this stuff for the first time...although you can never regain your virginity, it is the next best thing to do...

[Mr. Cohen]

Even if you think the line is "freshened" and not "freshen" you still have to wonder, what made the air fresh? What process occurred to clear the air?

And if you interpret the line "Fresh Zen Air" it's even more interesting...

I've sometimes interpreted that line as meaning that there's marijuana smoke floating up around him. And "lickety-split" could be licking the joint before you close it.

[Dunderhead]

^^^That's a good point Dada.

I'm torn on open country vs agriculture. It's really hard to tell on the demo. On my headphones I lean a little bit towards open country. I'd like to hear some of your thoughts though, what does it mean to assume the shape of the open country vs assume the shape of the agriculture?

Barnyard:

Out in the barnyard the chickens do their number

Things happen as usual. The chickens go about their routine. Number is often used as in "dance number", maybe the chickens are preforming. Chicken is also often used to describe a coward. Perhaps this line is "The square people go about their days, preforming their routines"

Out in the farmyard the cook is chopping lumber

This one seems pretty simple to me. I've always wondered about it, why is there a cook? Do farms keep a dedicated cook on staff? Why is the cook chopping lumber? That's not a job one would normally think of a cook doing.

But it's easy really, the cook is chopping lumber to cook the chickens. What else would a cook need lumber for, if not to make a fire in his stove?

These two lines together seem really simple "The chickens (i.e. the average unhip/unenlightened fellow) go about their days, business as usual, perhaps unaware of the cook who's going to roast them.

Jump in the pigpen next time I'll take my shoes off

The singer of the song gets dirty, he dives into life, and it's a messy affair, he makes mistakes, his shoes get dirty, but he learns that next time he can do better.

Hit the dirt do two and a half

Two and a half of what? This line suggests a sort of "drop and give me twenty" type thing. One would assume that he was talking about pushups or situps or something. But how do you do 2.5 of an exercise? I've read somewhere that Brian considered his three LSD trips as really 2.5 trips, that one wasn't a full one, or a really real trip. That seems to be what this line is referencing. But I'd like to hear any theories on what the 2.5 is. 2.5 of what? It's a weird number to pick.

Next time I'll leave my hat on

Why would he leave his hat on? If he was dropping to do push ups and sit ups, why would he want a hat on? This could be a way of saying "next time I'll keep my wits about me"? Hats can symbolize jobs or roles. Hats can also protect from the elements, they can keep your head warm and dry.

What exactly is the point of leaving the hat on, I'm not sure. But I think the general point of Barnyard, is to live life by the fullest, make mistakes, take chances, get your feet dirty, and that's better than dancing around while you wait for the cook to throw you in the pot.

[pixletwin]

I always thought 2 and half was a reference to summer saults. Not even sure why, really. 

[Dunderhead]

I always thought 2 and half was a reference to summer saults. Not even sure why, really. 

Maybe Brian was a Charlie Sheen fan.

[hypehat]

It's more like he hits the ground and then "ONE.....TWO....THRE-sod this". Not a physically fit kinda guy, was our Bri. Maybe he should smoke more marijuana eat more vegetables!  

[desmondo]

^^^That's a good point Dada.

I'm torn on open country vs agriculture. It's really hard to tell on the demo. On my headphones I lean a little bit towards open country. I'd like to hear some of your thoughts though, what does it mean to assume the shape of the open country vs assume the shape of the agriculture?

Barnyard:

Out in the barnyard the chickens do their number

Things happen as usual. The chickens go about their routine. Number is often used as in "dance number", maybe the chickens are preforming. Chicken is also often used to describe a coward. Perhaps this line is "The square people go about their days, preforming their routines"

Out in the farmyard the cook is chopping lumber

This one seems pretty simple to me. I've always wondered about it, why is there a cook? Do farms keep a dedicated cook on staff? Why is the cook chopping lumber? That's not a job one would normally think of a cook doing.

But it's easy really, the cook is chopping lumber to cook the chickens. What else would a cook need lumber for, if not to make a fire in his stove?

These two lines together seem really simple "The chickens (i.e. the average unhip/unenlightened fellow) go about their days, business as usual, perhaps unaware of the cook who's going to roast them.

Jump in the pigpen next time I'll take my shoes off

The singer of the song gets dirty, he dives into life, and it's a messy affair, he makes mistakes, his shoes get dirty, but he learns that next time he can do better.

Hit the dirt do two and a half

Two and a half of what? This line suggests a sort of "drop and give me twenty" type thing. One would assume that he was talking about pushups or situps or something. But how do you do 2.5 of an exercise? I've read somewhere that Brian considered his three LSD trips as really 2.5 trips, that one wasn't a full one, or a really real trip. That seems to be what this line is referencing. But I'd like to hear any theories on what the 2.5 is. 2.5 of what? It's a weird number to pick.

Next time I'll leave my hat on

Why would he leave his hat on? If he was dropping to do push ups and sit ups, why would he want a hat on? This could be a way of saying "next time I'll keep my wits about me"? Hats can symbolize jobs or roles. Hats can also protect from the elements, they can keep your head warm and dry.

What exactly is the point of leaving the hat on, I'm not sure. But I think the general point of Barnyard, is to live life by the fullest, make mistakes, take chances, get your feet dirty, and that's better than dancing around while you wait for the cook to throw you in the pot.

Mate - this is just about living on a farm - no more - no less

[Dunderhead]

Mate - this is just about living on a farm - no more - no less

I don't think so. Do you often go jumping into the pig pens on a farm? Is it standard farm procedure to take your shoes off before hand?

Since when do farms have dedicated chefs? When I think of a farm I certainly don't think of them as having their own cooks, I rather think of probably the farmers wife as being the one doing all the cooking and the farmer being the one who chops the lumber.
What would a cook need lumber for? If not to cook?

What is the two and a half about? Doing two and a half of what? What could that possibly be a reference to? What common farm activity do you do in half intervals?
Why would you want to leave your hat on when you do that?


Really the lyrics don't make much sense as they stand. If Brian wanted to just portray a farm, why would there be lyrics like that? You could easily rewrite this song in a way that fit the meter that was much less esoteric.
I mean, why not just do a cover of Old Mcdonald?

I just don't buy it. Your "it's just about farms" thing doesn't answer any of those questions. You don't attempt to answer them, you avoid it and just want to hand wave all the inconsistencies away by assuming that there was no meaning to anything.

[rab2591]

There was a thread a while back that discussed the barnyard song: and it made perfect sense. Someone went through and discussed what taking your shoes off meant, and when taking your hat off meant (something to do with fighting, I think....but my memory is terrible). It was all based off of old-timey language used in the west or something. I may be totally off...but anyways, I'll try and find it. It was a great thread.

[rab2591]

Dang, I found that fast:
http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,6645.msg109081.html#msg109081

post #58,

I wonder about some of the less discusses SMiLE lyrics, as well. For example, "Barnyard". The first verse is fairly direct and self-explanatory. "The chickens drew their number...", though, could mean a few things. A "number" could refer to  "a tune or arrangement for singing or dancing/ a song" or "a single or distinct performance within a show, as a song or dance". They're drawing a song or performance , within the canvased town and its brushed backdrop, where our doodle lives (remember the line "what a dude'll/doodle do in town full of heroes and villains"?, which also references the phrase "galo a doodle do"). Or, I imagine that the chickens could be numbered for slaughter, and thy're picking their numbers to wait in line. The cook, after all, is chopping lumber for dinner. But what about the second verse?

"Jump in the pigpen,
next time I'll take my shoes off
hit the dirt, do two and a half
next time I'll leave my hat on"

What exactly does that mean? "Do two and a half" of what? Some relate this to how much acid Brian took on his mystical trip (didn't he say he took 250 micrograms of acid, which is 2.5 mg, or perhaps 2 and 1/2 hits?). The references to shoes and hats could mean a lot of things. First, we'll look at the reference to hats, by relating them to a couple of popular phrases:

To throw or toss one's hat in or into the ring: to become a participant in a contest, esp. to declare one's candidacy for political office. Perhaps next time the narrator will not throw his hat into the pigpen, meaning that he doesn't want to be a participant.
Under one's hat: confidential; private; secret. The narrator doesn't want to take his hat off and reveal his secrets.
Hat in hand: humbly; respectfully. He went into the pigpen without his hat on, perhaps meaning humbly so with hat in hand?
Take off one's hat to: to express high regard for; praise. By taking his hat off, he was praising the pigpen.

Perhaps the pigpen represents Brian's acid trip, or simply, just returning to nature and country life. Or both? "Hit the dirt" implies that the narrator got down and dirty, perhaps rolling around with pigs (did he roll two and a half times?).

Now, for the shoes:

Fill someone's shoes: to take the place and assume the obligations of another person.
In someone's shoes: in a position or situation similar to that of another: I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. Could it be that the narrator is taking of his shoes so we can take a walk in his shoes ourselves and experience what he experienced?
Drop the other shoe: to complete an action or enterprise already begun. By dropping his shoes for us to walk in, the narrator has made it clear that he is now enlightened, his spiritual journey complete, and we can now join him.
Where the shoe pinches: the true cause of the trouble or worry. Maybe the narrator's shoes were pinching his feet, and he is going to drop his troubles and worries. By taking his shoes off, his feet can really feel the dirt and earth below.

Now, I realize that some of these conjectures may be wildly off the mark, but I'm just shooting in the dark and hoping I'll hit something. "Barnyard" truly is a mysterious song when you really try to analyze it. I doubt Van Dyke thought of all of those phrases when he wrote the song, at least directly. He just knew phrases of the sort existed, probably, and that referencing to shoes and hats would lead to interesting literary allusions.

[Mahalo]

Sometimes great art just doesn't need an explanation. It just is.

[Dunderhead]

Dang, I found that fast:
http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,6645.msg109081.html#msg109081

post #58,

I wonder about some of the less discusses SMiLE lyrics, as well. For example, "Barnyard". The first verse is fairly direct and self-explanatory. "The chickens drew their number...", though, could mean a few things. A "number" could refer to  "a tune or arrangement for singing or dancing/ a song" or "a single or distinct performance within a show, as a song or dance". They're drawing a song or performance , within the canvased town and its brushed backdrop, where our doodle lives (remember the line "what a dude'll/doodle do in town full of heroes and villains"?, which also references the phrase "galo a doodle do"). Or, I imagine that the chickens could be numbered for slaughter, and thy're picking their numbers to wait in line. The cook, after all, is chopping lumber for dinner. But what about the second verse?

"Jump in the pigpen,
next time I'll take my shoes off
hit the dirt, do two and a half
next time I'll leave my hat on"

What exactly does that mean? "Do two and a half" of what? Some relate this to how much acid Brian took on his mystical trip (didn't he say he took 250 micrograms of acid, which is 2.5 mg, or perhaps 2 and 1/2 hits?). The references to shoes and hats could mean a lot of things. First, we'll look at the reference to hats, by relating them to a couple of popular phrases:

To throw or toss one's hat in or into the ring: to become a participant in a contest, esp. to declare one's candidacy for political office. Perhaps next time the narrator will not throw his hat into the pigpen, meaning that he doesn't want to be a participant.
Under one's hat: confidential; private; secret. The narrator doesn't want to take his hat off and reveal his secrets.
Hat in hand: humbly; respectfully. He went into the pigpen without his hat on, perhaps meaning humbly so with hat in hand?
Take off one's hat to: to express high regard for; praise. By taking his hat off, he was praising the pigpen.

Perhaps the pigpen represents Brian's acid trip, or simply, just returning to nature and country life. Or both? "Hit the dirt" implies that the narrator got down and dirty, perhaps rolling around with pigs (did he roll two and a half times?).

Now, for the shoes:

Fill someone's shoes: to take the place and assume the obligations of another person.
In someone's shoes: in a position or situation similar to that of another: I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. Could it be that the narrator is taking of his shoes so we can take a walk in his shoes ourselves and experience what he experienced?
Drop the other shoe: to complete an action or enterprise already begun. By dropping his shoes for us to walk in, the narrator has made it clear that he is now enlightened, his spiritual journey complete, and we can now join him.
Where the shoe pinches: the true cause of the trouble or worry. Maybe the narrator's shoes were pinching his feet, and he is going to drop his troubles and worries. By taking his shoes off, his feet can really feel the dirt and earth below.

Now, I realize that some of these conjectures may be wildly off the mark, but I'm just shooting in the dark and hoping I'll hit something. "Barnyard" truly is a mysterious song when you really try to analyze it. I doubt Van Dyke thought of all of those phrases when he wrote the song, at least directly. He just knew phrases of the sort existed, probably, and that referencing to shoes and hats would lead to interesting literary allusions.

Great post, hits on lots of the same things I did.

[rab2591]

Jeesh, I didn't even see your post lol....I have enjoyed your slew of posts on this subject (SMiLE lyrics) by the way. Well, Dada really did a great job on that post anyway. It got me thinking about every SMiLE lyric and how they all have the possibility of having incredibly deep underlying meanings.