Genesis – Driving The Last Spike

General CommentThis song is pure genius. It's about Irish immigrants who left they're families and home's to come to England and build the railways. Lyrics by Collins - his best ever in my opinion.

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  @timbo.h

General CommentKnowing nothing about the authors intention I envisioned this as a story about people building the railroads in the United States.

Much of the description of the dangers involved and the fact that the workers were lied to and treated like insignificant cattle rang true in this context as well.

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  @soze_umama

General CommentI agree with Timbo, probably the best song that Phil has ever written. I've worked for the railway for years and I know how difficult it can be for the tracklayers now but back in the 19th century it must have been hell.

The verse, 'We came from the North and we came from the South with picks and with spades and a new kind of order, showing no fear of what lies up ahead. They'll never see the likes of us again', just sends shivers up my spine. It's genius.

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  @Delta-V

General CommentAgreed.

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  @Smokler

General CommentAgreed.

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  @Smokler

General CommentThe sleeve note for the song says it all. Great lyrical work by Mr. Collins. Proves that when he wants to he can measure up to the more complicated lyrics of Tony Banks.

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  @Jibril_Abdullah

General CommentGreatest lyrics Genesis ever did, and this coming from a confirmed lover of the Peter Gabriel era.

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  @Anglagard1

General CommentI dusted this one off recently after hearing of the new tour. I’ve been listening to it for a few weeks. The song is so brilliant. I got to thinking there had to be more to it than just a story about the Navvies.

To me, the key to unlocking the secret is found in the chorus. The narrator is asking a rhetorical question, “will you learn from my mistakes?”

But what are his mistakes, and who is he talking to?

The song tells not one, but three stories from the perspective of three successive generations. The first is literal, the second stories are more metaphorical. The generations are represented as such:

The grandfather leaves his family and goes to work on the railroad.

The father leaves his family and goes to war, then upon returning puts all of his efforts into his career.

The son is a musician, leaving his family for a life on the road.

Each story is being told concurrently and starts at the beginning. The verses progressively walk through each stage of each of the characters’ lives: young adulthood (innocence), adulthood (experience), and old age (enlightenment). Adulthood is separated by the conflict in each of the stories, when each character suffers a midlife crisis (the tunnel collapsing) losing both the vitality and the naivety of his youth. He realizes the meaning of life is to be a good person and put your family and those you love first.

Each generation believes they are the greatest generation but inevitably fails to live up to its promise. So the lyric: “ they’ll never see the likes of us again” is a double entendre. In the first instance, displaying the hubris of youth. That is, “we were the greatest generation.” The second instance is meant to be ironic, “we were a generation of fools.”

Except, in the case of the son, his story is not yet told, so he is asking both himself and his generation, “will we learn from the mistakes of the past?”

So the song concludes with the chorus which is all three stories asking the listener, “are you going to learn from our mistakes?”

Driving the last spike is a metaphor for finishing what you started, living up to the promise of your youth and the promise of your generation. It is a double entendre for putting the final nail in your own coffin. Putting the final ending on your own story.

The tunnel represents tunnel vision. And its collapse marks the point in life when we realize that our youth is over.

There are some wonderful tidbits in here if you look for them. I’ll break down my interpretation of the end of the song or “old age” section.

“How we worked, how we worked like
The devil for our pay
Through the wind, through the snow
And through the rain”

Simply put, we put our life’s work ahead of everything else.

“Blasting and cutting through Gods country like a knife
Sweat stinging my eyes, there has to be a better life”

In this case, God’s country is a metaphor for life, and we wasted it on work and looking for something better when we had it pretty good all along.

“But I can hear my children's cry
I can see the tears in their eyes
Memories of those I've left behind
Oh just still ringing in my ears
Will I ever go back again
Will I ever see her face again
'cause I'll always remember that night
As they waved goodbye to their fathers”

Now as old men, all are the haunted by memories of leaving their families and there is no chance to go back and fix it.

“We came from the North
And we came from the South
With picks and with spades
And a new kind of order
Showing no fear of what lies up ahead
They'll never see the likes of us again”

This is a prideful exclamation, “we were the greatest generation.”

“Driving the last spike
Lifting and laying the track
With blistering hands
And the sun burning your back”

The significance here is the sun burning your back, symbolizing turning away from enlightenment and happiness. The Buddha always meditated facing the east, or the rising sun.

“But I can hear my children's cry
I can see the tears in their eyes
Oh memories of those I've left behind
Still ringing in my ears
'cause I'll always remember that night
As they waved goodbye to their fathers”

Regret for his choices sneaks into his memories once again.

“We followed the rail, we slept under the stars
Digging in darkness and living with danger
Showing no fear of what lies up ahead
They'll never see the likes of us again”

He concludes ironically, we were not the greatest generation, we simply did what we had to do to survive, and we sacrificed true happiness along the way.

“Can you hear me
Can you see
Don't you hear me
Don't you see”

Or for all I know, it could just be about a railroad accident.

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  @gnarlyboris