Home from work our Juliet
Clears her morning meal
She dabs her skin with pretty smells
Concealing to appeal
I will make my bed
She said, but turned to go
Can she be late for her Cinema show ?
Cinema show ?

Romeo locks his basement flat
And scurries up the stair

With head held high and floral tie
A weekend millionaire
I will make my bed
With her tonight, he cries
Can he fail, armed with his chocolate surprise ?
Take a little trip back with Father Tiresias

Listen to the old one speak of all he has lived through
I have crossed between the poles, for me there's no mystery
Once a man, like the sea I raged
Once a woman, like the earth I gave
And there is in fact more earth than sea

Take a little trip back with Father Tiresias
Listen to the old one speak of all he has lived through
I have crossed between the poles, for me there's no mystery
Once a man, like the sea I raged
Once a woman, like the earth I gave
And there is in fact more earth than sea

Sounds really like it.

Perhaps Gabriel meant that men don't give out enough sperm?

Once a man, like the sea I raged
Once a woman, like the earth I gave
And there is in fact more earth than sea

You could only guess.

Or did he mean that there were more women than men in the 15th century in Italy?

My head is going to explode if I am going to think of just ONE more idea.

The lyrics weren't by Gabriel, they were a more or less direct quotation from T.S. Eliot courtesy of Rutherford and Banks, and yes of course the lyrics are about nudey prod games. Tiresias was a figure in Roman (or possibly Greek) mythology, who lived for 7 years as a man and 7 years as a woman (forget why, but it was probably some god's idea of a joke). That was how he 'crossed between the poles' and gained such a great insight into the human condition - 'for me there's no mystery'.

That's the kind of song you get when a bunch of classically educated public schoolboys form a rock band.

Syzygy wrote: The lyrics weren't by Gabriel, they were a more or less direct quotation from T.S. Eliot courtesy of Rutherford and Banks, and yes of course the lyrics are about nudey prod games. Tiresias was a figure in Roman (or possibly Greek) mythology, who lived for 7 years as a man and 7 years as a woman (forget why, but it was probably some god's idea of a joke). That was how he 'crossed between the poles' and gained such a great insight into the human condition - 'for me there's no mystery'.

The Tiresias lines were actually written by Peter Gabriel, when most of the song was already composed by Banks and Rutherford.

Syzygy wrote: That's the kind of song you get when a bunch of classically educated public schoolboys form a rock band.

That's prog!

richardh wrote: Boy buys chocolates for girl..... takes girl to Cinema..and later gets laid.....probably.Well it beats giant computer takes over world and fights humanity in one last apocalyptic battle...I suppose.

Hey i dunno about that Richard,no supposing.

Shagging in an un-tidy beds not too good either.Just hope he's slapping that chocolate in the appropriate places.

It's from this passage of "The Waste Land":

The-Bullet wrote: David Palmer was a fan of Tiresias

Harsh...

....but absolutely, terribly funny!

Matt

Syzygy wrote: The lyrics weren't by Gabriel, they were a more or less direct quotation from T.S. Eliot courtesy of Rutherford and Banks, and yes of course the lyrics are about nudey prod games. Tiresias was a figure in Roman (or possibly Greek) mythology, who lived for 7 years as a man and 7 years as a woman (forget why, but it was probably some god's idea of a joke). That was how he 'crossed between the poles' and gained such a great insight into the human condition - 'for me there's no mystery'. That's the kind of song you get when a bunch of classically educated public schoolboys form a rock band.

That's a great thing to know, where do you find stuff like this? I want to understand other prog sounds like that as well? Is there any source that explains things or is it your solid education?

Also, I had fun laughing at the last sentence.

The song's about rape. I've seen it performed a few times. Peter Gabriel and later Phil Collins would explain it before they played the song. I loved it when people would come to hear Colins' solo pop love songs and instead get a date rape ballad.

No, it was more like

Syzygy wrote: The lyrics weren't by Gabriel, they were a more or less direct quotation from T.S. Eliot courtesy of Rutherford and Banks, and yes of course the lyrics are about nudey prod games. Tiresias was a figure in Roman (or possibly Greek) mythology, who lived for 7 years as a man and 7 years as a woman (forget why, but it was probably some god's idea of a joke). That was how he 'crossed between the poles' and gained such a great insight into the human condition - 'for me there's no mystery'. That's the kind of song you get when a bunch of classically educated public schoolboys form a rock band.

Tiresias was a greek figure. Athena got sick and tired of him being a male chauvinist pig and being insensible to women (outside of f**king them that is) and changed him out as a her to serve him a lesson.

But when he changed back he became the blind seer. Think Oedipus Rex- if you know the story.

Starette wrote: But when he changed back he became the blind seer. Think Oedipus Rex- if you know the story.

Never saw any link from Tiresias to Oedipus, but I do not know the full stories. Oedipus was wriiten by Sophocles as a trilogy including Antigone (his niece) and Creon (his uncle that took over Thebes - Greek city not the Eguptian - after the death of Oedipus's father)  and Chimena, his other niece. I think Tiresias was from Athens.

except maybe in Cinema show

It's a damn good thing that it includes one of the best keyboard solos around, 'cause on the Seconds Out version the guys really screw up the 12-string guitar passage just as the last section of vocals comes in (about 4:15 in).

/pedantic

/Still probably my favourite album ever