Insult and an Elbow

Album: Black Sheep (2015)
Play Video

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."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."