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Slow Marching Band Lyrics
Will you join a slow marching band
And take pleasure in your leaving
As the ferry sales and tears are dried
And cows come home at evening
Could you get behind a slow marching band
And join together in the passing
Of all we shared through yesterdays
Through sorrows neverlasting
Take a hand and take a bow
You played for me, that's all for now
Oh nevermind the words, just hum along
And keep on going
Walk on slowly
Don't look behind you
Don't say goodbye, love
I won't remind you
Dream of me as the nights draw cold
Still marking time through winter
You paid the piper and called the tune
And marched the band away
Take a hand and take a bow
You played for me, that's all for now
Oh nevermind the words, just hum along
And keep on going
Walk on slowly
Don't look behind you
Don't say goodbye, love
I won't remind you
Walk on slowly
Don't look behind you
Don't say goodbye, love
I won't remind you
Remind you
And take pleasure in your leaving
As the ferry sales and tears are dried
And cows come home at evening
And join together in the passing
Of all we shared through yesterdays
Through sorrows neverlasting
You played for me, that's all for now
Oh nevermind the words, just hum along
And keep on going
Don't look behind you
Don't say goodbye, love
I won't remind you
Still marking time through winter
You paid the piper and called the tune
And marched the band away
You played for me, that's all for now
Oh nevermind the words, just hum along
And keep on going
Don't look behind you
Don't say goodbye, love
I won't remind you
Don't look behind you
Don't say goodbye, love
I won't remind you
Remind you
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The slow marching band concept makes me think of the slow march of time. Maybe the speaker is thanking someone for a long life spent together which has now come to an end, with either the speaker or the subject dying.
At any rate it is a very beautiful song. The best way I could describe it is 'sweet sorrow'
This is such a sad song, but beautiful nontheless. It's one of my favorite songs to listen to.
this is one of my favorite songs by far the lyrics definitely make it seem like it's about a someone dying (maybe of Alzheimer's? cuz he says "never mind the words" which implies that whoever the song was for had trouble remembering lyrics), as "slow marching band" conjures images of a funeral procession (well, all of the lyrics seem to imply something about death), or maybe it's about moving on in some other sad way, like losing all memories and abilities to Alzheimer's. It seems like it's for a former band member (the whole stanza starting with "take a hand"). and ian anderson (or the whole band) is just letting whoever go as they must instead of trying to stop/reverse the inevitable but his tone of voice sound almost like paternal love, especially for a daughter. maybe because of the way he puts the word "love" after "don't say goodbye" cuz i know saying "love" like that is a British* thing that usually men say to girls or younger women as a term of endearment
*yah i know they're Irish, but the point I'm making is a distinction between American English and the rest of the English-speaking world, which uses British spellings and colloquialisms