Keep It Dark Lyrics
He wandered in his home.
It don't seem to bad if you consider
Just what he's been through.
Who mistook him for a man of means,
They locked him up then found he had no money,
So they let him go again.
Now he's back at home and happy
Just to see the kids.
All the things that happened to me
And all that I have seen.
A world full of people their hearts full of joy,
Cities of light with no fear of war,
And thousands of creatures with happier lives,
And dreams of a future with meaning and no need to hide.
About a world so bright.
And tell instead a made-up story,
From the world of night.
All the things that happened to me
And all that I have seen,
A world full of people their hearts full of joy,
Cities of light with no fear of war,
And thousands of creatures with happier lives,
And dreams of a future with meaning and no need to lie,
No need to hate,
No need to hide.
apparently this ones about a bloke bein abducted by aliens, shown a world much better than the one we all inhabit and so on bein dropped off back at home opted to lie about hwat had happened rather than be locked up for telling the truth of his experience... surpression of your own freedom of speech song i spose regardin how the world perhaps isnt ready to know what a mess its in just yet.
parberoo nailed it right on the head
parberoo got it right first time - aducted by aliens, upon his return our hero is forced to lie about his wonderful experiences about a 'world so bright'. The phrase 'keep it dark' literally means keep it a secret, the advice the aliens have given him if he doesn't want locking up for being a nutcase.
It is the reverse situation to A Trick of the Tail where an 'alien' (the beast with the horns) strays into the human world and can't wait to get back to 'the city of gold'.
@proggie I love that you made the connection to A Trick of the Tail as well. It always seemed to me that there was a connection to that song here and I thought it just must be me.
@proggie I love that you made the connection to A Trick of the Tail as well. It always seemed to me that there was a connection to that song here and I thought it just must be me.
Does anyone know what city the video was shot in? It looks European.
Fabulous use of the bass pedals, drives the song far better than a standard bass guitar riff
@nagromnai the percussion progression is about as insane as it gets, Phil was quiet but perfect in this song
@nagromnai the percussion progression is about as insane as it gets, Phil was quiet but perfect in this song
I'm about to reveal how much of a nerd I am...if he got abducted by aliens, it seems very "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to me. Remember how they erase the memories of prehistoric cultures so nobody can recall what the futuristic world is like? Keep it dark, folks, keep it dark.
And who would believe that a gang of thieves would let somebody go? If they "locked him up and found he had no money," they would probably either kick the crap out of him or kill him.
This song, especially its chorus, is absolutely charming. Imagining this other, bright world leaves me with a smile. Although, actually, the story of the man who has been to a better world and now is forced to live again in ours, not even being able to talk about what he's seen, is quite sad.
We know he has been abducted by aliens because Tony Banks said so in one or more interviews. The lyrics themselves don't reveal this, I think.
@WhiteWolfDief Once you've seen that city of light, you can't describe it where folks will believe you, this song is the aftermath of Trick of the Tail..."am I wrong to believe in the city of gold, that lies in the deep distance"...I've personally had these feelings..lived in a place where people were unafraid and lived a happy life to the fullest..no one believes you can have happiness in life..Phil explained it on the ABACAB tour, twas alien abduction and revelation.
@WhiteWolfDief Once you've seen that city of light, you can't describe it where folks will believe you, this song is the aftermath of Trick of the Tail..."am I wrong to believe in the city of gold, that lies in the deep distance"...I've personally had these feelings..lived in a place where people were unafraid and lived a happy life to the fullest..no one believes you can have happiness in life..Phil explained it on the ABACAB tour, twas alien abduction and revelation.
It seems the abducted by aliens story fits best. The news tells the story that this man was kidnapped by thieves, so when the man returns he goes with that since the true story, the one about aliens, cities of lights, no war... would not be believed by the general public even though it's a more beautiful (and real... well in the song anyway) story.
Catchy tune. Post-Gabriel Genesis at its best. 6/4 time signature. The lyrics are self-explanatory. Surprised that it did not catch on at pop and rock radio stations back in the early 80's.
Yes, I acknowledge that it's a pretty straightforward account of an alien abduction and the abductee's need to cover it up lest people think he's nuts.
However, it can be taken in a more general sense of someone who has had a spiritual vision, possibly enhanced by psychedelics. This song came out not long after my first psychedelic experience and meant a lot to me. I felt that I had seen that "world full of people, their hearts full of joy," but there was no way I could communicate it to people who hadn't already had a similar experience (few and far between).
I felt that I had been shown another world, but any attempt to describe it to people just resulted in funny looks and "drugs will do that to you."