In the living-room a man on a sofa is laying
Two strangers at the door and one is knocking
The man stands and opens the great wooden door
The one who knows the host tells the other visitor


An old man with top hat and a dark walking stick
Gets through the wooden door and says without a trick
“I want to buy the portrait of this old heroine”
“I’ll never sell this one not even to a king”


“since he finished his last work
Percy’s gone wild and casts strange lurks
Like a mad man who went too far
His oil is the cause let’s take it afar”


“come back tomorrow” says the painter’s friend
“Sir, maybe tomorrow in a sale it’ll end
tonight, we’ll try to make his mind change
and off with the oil, Sir, thou might get a chance”


“since he finished his last work
Percy’s gone wild and casts strange lurks
Like a mad man who went too far
His oil is the cause let’s take it afar”


All eve long young ones tried to convince him
To let the old man by this sale enrich him
The talks are loud and words are high
“Nothing to do but leave him tonight”


All alone the painter stares at his work
There’s a woman face with dark and long hair
Percy takes a book and reads it aloud
“beautiful & perverse, Genuine a slave was made
Priestess of mysteries bought by a strange old man”
He falls asleep and the portrait comes alive
And dressed with black ribbons lays by his side


Lyrics submitted by uglymisteryellow

Geniune, A Fantastic Revue song meanings
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    General Comment

    Here is what I think:

    A ghost spoke to a painter and made him paint a portrait of her, so that she could go into the painting.

    Before the ghost (presumably a priestess named Genuine) died, she had been sold into slavery. Long after she and her owner had died, the ghost of her owner had found the painter (Percy), and tried to buy his slave back.

    There is also a possibility that Percy had fallen in love with Geniune's ghost, hence the refrain's lyrics. The portrait coming alive can be taken in several contexts: literally, as a dream, or as the ghost of Geniune possessing him.

    Another possibility is that Genuine was a prostitute, although I'm not sure of that one.

    me75234on April 13, 2006   Link

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