Love the lyrics of this song. In particular
"They say she comes on a pale horse, But I'm sure I hear a train"
"she" being Death, of course. Is Death coming on a train because a train is faster? Because it can hold more victims? To me, this evokes the image of the industrialization of death in the 20th century (i.e., the trains filled with people heading for concentration camps in Nazi Germany). Probably not what the writer had in mind, but that's what it evokes in me.
Maybe it's referring to how the world has industrialized, and a more modern version of Death now rides on a train.
Maybe it's referring to how the world has industrialized, and a more modern version of Death now rides on a train.
gorgeously written thoughts before dying part of the lamb story. obviously he doesnt die but he seems to think at this point he's about to. being obscure as the story is its hard to pin individual phrases down as meaning anything on their own. the lamb story doesnt exactly revolve around logic.
Lamb story is very stream-of-consciousness, though there is some logic to it. This is a spiritual journey and the confrontation with death is part of it. It is not, of course, the end.
The piano intro by Tony Banks is a masterpiece.
There is an embryonic version of this tune that was part of a very early pre-Collins-Hackett Genesis project where they made music to some artwork by a fellow named Jackson. I have not seen the art, but the lyrics suggest a mad scientist who created a woman for the purpose of pleasure. The word "anyway" is actually in the early version, and seems to be the only word in common.
I think that Death comes on a train now because it had modernized like the rest of society. This song terrifies me... all the thoughts that are running through Rael's head as he realizes he doesn't want to die this way... being crushed under rocks. I also wonder if the line "It won't be long, yeah" could be a subtle reference to the Beatles?