All the pumping's nearly over for my sweet heart.
This is the one for me,
Time to meet the chef,
Oh boy! The running ma s out of death.
Feel cold and old, its getting hard to catch my breath.
Its back to ash, "now, you've had your flash boy"
The rocks, in time, compress
Your blood to oil,
Your flesh to coal,
Enrich the soil,
Not everybody's goal.

Anyway, they say she comes on a pale horse,
But I'm sure I hear a train.
Oh boy! I don't even feel no pain
I guess I must be driving myself insane.
Damn it all! Does earth plug a hole in heaven,
Or heaven plug a hole in earth - "how wonderful to be so profound,
When everything you are is dying underground."
I feel the pull on the rope, let me off at the rainbow.
I could have been exploded in space
Different orbits for my bones
Not me, just quietly buried in stones,
Keep the deadline open with my maker!
See me stretch; for God's elastic acre
The door bell rings and it's
"Good morning Rael
So sorry you had to wait.
It won't be long, yeah!
She's very rarely late."

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Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by Undinal

Anyway Lyrics as written by Steve Hackett Peter Gabriel

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Anyway song meanings

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6 Comments

+2
General Comment
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.

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.

Reason:

joebarninon November 17, 2008 Link
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@joebarnin

Maybe it's referring to how the world has industrialized, and a more modern version of Death now rides on a train.

EnduringChillon July 03, 2012
+1
General Comment
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.

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.

Reason:

parberooon May 07, 2005 Link
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+1
General Comment
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.

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.

Reason:

Fourtoeson April 08, 2008 Link
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+1
General Comment
The piano intro by Tony Banks is a masterpiece.

The piano intro by Tony Banks is a masterpiece.

Reason:

topher57on March 18, 2013 Link
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0
General Comment
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.

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.

Reason:

Hybritaron August 02, 2012 Link
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0
General Comment
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?

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?

Reason:

EnduringChillon February 11, 2013 Link
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