If you like this song look at the cover by 'three o'clock'/'the salvation army' (the band changed it's name) It's as good as this version I don't like the guitar solo in that version though.
hearing that dark harmony again. 20000 years later. RUN (with my headphones on) another great to look up is Gil Scot-Heron check it out young ones and sicties people then run for the hills
@sjdinergrrl, you're so right, Grace's voice was UNIQUELY SUPREME in female vocal terms. This pre-Plane band's "live" album at SF's Matrix in 66 that this song comes off, Conspicuous In Only In Its Absence, is a psychedelic masterpiece.A CLASSIC
your lyrics are a bit off: it's "gypsies drunk and roaring" - "a BAT was softly crying" (not a vat!) - add "the red cross girls came after" at end of 1st stanza - "ribbon sabers flying" not "reddened sabers" - "the beggars came to find that there was nobody buying" - but thanks very much for posting one of the greatest songs by this fine group!
oh thank you so much, I was unsure of some of the words, I emailed peter Van Gelder to ask him what they were, but he said grace changed the words every time so he didn't rember
dude - it's atmosphere and mood - something the great society has in spades. i've listened to this song a bazillion times, and that's what she's saying. "in a tangled jungle nest, a bat was softly crying." she's painting a picture here.
Also, grace is not known for lyrics exactly making sense. listen, for example, to "two heads" on crown of creation. typical lines: "Priests are made of brick with gold crosses on a stick and your nose is too small for this land." or "wearing your comb like an ax in your head."
ya know, that kinda makes sense, marrrrrks. though i'm still confused by that priest being made of brick etc. i suppose it means he's rigid (dogmatic). when i was in high school english, the teach asked us to pick a poem to analyze and i chose two heads! god help me...
I always thought "wearing your comb like an axe in your head" was a reference to guys with "afros" having their comb stuck in their hair. That was just my spin on it.
the great society - the welfare state. sorry but it is. social conciousness the band had in spades, and so the starship. could call em a cult band, really they were.
This is the song that made me realize the great society is a fantastic band, this was also the first song by TGS I heard, I actually love every part of this song the drum intro, the guitar and grace singing this song should've become a hit to bad TGS was mostly obscure
Was also my first "taste" of TGS! Back in the late 70s I had a cassette tape of several of their songs. No memory of how I got them. What a pleasure to find them all and more here!
One of my faves too, from the great Great Society! The 80s "paisley underground" L.A. band Three O'Clock did a wonderful cover of this fabulous tune, by the way.
This and Somebody To Love were probably written around the same time.
bwanna23 1 month ago
NO cover is as good as this... so shut up.
afa78djd 1 month ago
If you like this song look at the cover by 'three o'clock'/'the salvation army' (the band changed it's name) It's as good as this version I don't like the guitar solo in that version though.
marrrrrrks 1 month ago
I believe Peter Van Gelder wrote this
jackhillty 3 months ago
@jackhillty
yes he did, I thought I put that in the description, I'll change that.
marrrrrrks 3 months ago
@marrrrrrks- easily my favourite pre-Plane tune
merseymained 1 year ago
hearing that dark harmony again. 20000 years later. RUN (with my headphones on) another great to look up is Gil Scot-Heron check it out young ones and sicties people then run for the hills
sjdinergrrl 1 year ago
I love this song!
GarageRockRadio 1 year ago
Poetry is interpreted by the reader, that's how it works.....
Goingbeach 1 year ago
@sjdinergrrl, you're so right, Grace's voice was UNIQUELY SUPREME in female vocal terms. This pre-Plane band's "live" album at SF's Matrix in 66 that this song comes off, Conspicuous In Only In Its Absence, is a psychedelic masterpiece.A CLASSIC
merseymain 1 year ago
Thank you thank you thank you for posting this
peace4raissa 1 year ago
@peace4raissa
sure
marrrrrrks 1 year ago
your lyrics are a bit off: it's "gypsies drunk and roaring" - "a BAT was softly crying" (not a vat!) - add "the red cross girls came after" at end of 1st stanza - "ribbon sabers flying" not "reddened sabers" - "the beggars came to find that there was nobody buying" - but thanks very much for posting one of the greatest songs by this fine group!
ivycompton 2 years ago
oh thank you so much, I was unsure of some of the words, I emailed peter Van Gelder to ask him what they were, but he said grace changed the words every time so he didn't rember
marrrrrrks 2 years ago
is it really "a bat was softly crying" I mean what does that have to do with anything?
marrrrrrks 2 years ago
dude - it's atmosphere and mood - something the great society has in spades. i've listened to this song a bazillion times, and that's what she's saying. "in a tangled jungle nest, a bat was softly crying." she's painting a picture here.
ivycompton 2 years ago
Also, grace is not known for lyrics exactly making sense. listen, for example, to "two heads" on crown of creation. typical lines: "Priests are made of brick with gold crosses on a stick and your nose is too small for this land." or "wearing your comb like an ax in your head."
ivycompton 2 years ago
I actually thought it was "In Its tangled jungle mess" not "in a tangled jungle nest" so that's way it didn't make sense to me
marrrrrrks 2 years ago
@marrrrrrks
ya know, that kinda makes sense, marrrrrks. though i'm still confused by that priest being made of brick etc. i suppose it means he's rigid (dogmatic). when i was in high school english, the teach asked us to pick a poem to analyze and i chose two heads! god help me...
ivycompton 1 year ago
@ivycompton
oops - i meant that for californiaportugee... sorry.
ivycompton 1 year ago
@ivycompton
I always thought "wearing your comb like an axe in your head" was a reference to guys with "afros" having their comb stuck in their hair. That was just my spin on it.
californiaportugee 1 year ago
The Salvation Army cover is equally good.
flowwarp 2 years ago 3
so true, flowwarp - i love the original to death, but the SA's cover is simply great, like so much of their stuff. underrated band!
ivycompton 2 years ago
the great society - the welfare state. sorry but it is. social conciousness the band had in spades, and so the starship. could call em a cult band, really they were.
sjdinergrrl 2 years ago
Cool Grace
merseymain 2 years ago
she was the coolest women of the sixties. miss slick had it all.
sjdinergrrl 2 years ago
The lyrics somehow remind me of all along the watchtower, somehow dark and ambiguous...
noreagacnn 2 years ago
"She" took this album that I have had for sooo long..... I still listened to it too... Then its gone.
cadin2020 2 years ago
what do you mean, who's she?
marrrrrrks 2 years ago
brilliant band
Futureownagevid 2 years ago 2
Please add the lyrics of the song!!►♥
sunsweet15 2 years ago 2
This is the song that made me realize the great society is a fantastic band, this was also the first song by TGS I heard, I actually love every part of this song the drum intro, the guitar and grace singing this song should've become a hit to bad TGS was mostly obscure
marrrrrrks 3 years ago
Was also my first "taste" of TGS! Back in the late 70s I had a cassette tape of several of their songs. No memory of how I got them. What a pleasure to find them all and more here!
joemelcher 2 years ago
One of my faves too, from the great Great Society! The 80s "paisley underground" L.A. band Three O'Clock did a wonderful cover of this fabulous tune, by the way.
ivycompton 3 years ago
I found the cover it sounded nice but the website that provided it gave a really bad sounding version so I don't know what to think of it
marrrrrrks 3 years ago
Salvation Army at the time they recorded Grimly Forming,not 3 O' Clock yet.
harirumrum 2 years ago
Yeah! Great song, thanks for posting it. If anyone likes this kind of '60s music, go check out GarageRockRadioDOTcom, you might like the music there.
KennyWrites 3 years ago
Come back to Mill Valley!
sportingsails 3 years ago
I love this song !
can you please post the song " Arbitration " from the same album.
thanks !
boerborn 3 years ago 2