Songfacts®:

• The first track on Yonder Mountain String Band's Black Sheep album, "Insult and an Elbow" has lyrics composed by their lead singer, Ben Kaufmann. The song is based on his younger years when he did a lot of ill-advised smoking and drinking, but finds him ready to move on to a new phase in his life. The title came to him one day, and eventually he hashed out an autobiographical song around it where he sings about getting "stoned as rock and roll." As we've learned from many famous songs, getting "stoned" had many interpretations.
• When we spoke with YMSB banjo player Dave Johnston, he explained that he has his own interpretation of this song. "I think it's about a guy who is trying to apply some real world escapism to his particular surroundings," he said. "For me, that feels like the theme - the guy wants to get as stoned as he imagines his rock n' roll idols get. He wants to be out of it, and not dealing with the real world."