In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
So pardon me, boys
I'm gonna be late
I don't have the choice
I've got to get into shape
It's eight on the nose
And I gotta go
So pass me my coat
I've got to get to the show
Ain't got no feelin'
Ain't got no pain
Ain't got no reason
To try again
Don't need no finger
To point at me
Can't let it linger
I must get free
So send me away
'Cause I need a break
What more can I say?
There's just so much I can take
But don't be so sad
I'm feelin' alright
It won't be so bad
If I can get through tonight
It seemed so simple
Let's go out and have some fun
Someone to play to
We didn't know what we'd begun
Then as things grew
We really thought we had it made
But soon we all knew
That we'd be ending up like slaves
The simple fact is
There really ain't no in between
You're either up there
Or scurryin' round and lookin' lean
And when you're up there
They just can't wait to tear you down
Just like a treadmill
You find yourself goin' 'round
So pardon me, boys
I'm gonna be late
I don't have the choice
I've got to get into shape
So just one more time
Yeah, that is for sure
And then I'll be fine
Ah, but I've said it before
I'm gonna be late
I don't have the choice
I've got to get into shape
It's eight on the nose
And I gotta go
So pass me my coat
I've got to get to the show
Ain't got no feelin'
Ain't got no pain
Ain't got no reason
To try again
Don't need no finger
To point at me
Can't let it linger
I must get free
So send me away
'Cause I need a break
What more can I say?
There's just so much I can take
But don't be so sad
I'm feelin' alright
It won't be so bad
If I can get through tonight
It seemed so simple
Let's go out and have some fun
Someone to play to
We didn't know what we'd begun
Then as things grew
We really thought we had it made
But soon we all knew
That we'd be ending up like slaves
The simple fact is
There really ain't no in between
You're either up there
Or scurryin' round and lookin' lean
And when you're up there
They just can't wait to tear you down
Just like a treadmill
You find yourself goin' 'round
So pardon me, boys
I'm gonna be late
I don't have the choice
I've got to get into shape
So just one more time
Yeah, that is for sure
And then I'll be fine
Ah, but I've said it before
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Strangely enough nobody commented this song... as so far.
If you listen well, even without the lyrics, you can hear that it is an very powerfull and brilliant song. I believe it's the narrator telling how he got stuck -nevertheless the amount of money and fame he has- in the 'system'. How he is used by it as a slave. And how he, because of that, is forced to neglect the ones he loves.
When you've sacrificed nearly everything to gain fame and fortune, it's a shock to realize that as soon as you get there, everyone and everything will seek to take you back down.
Five years or so before this album was released, Supertramp was at its peak. 'Breakfast in America' was a top selling album - played seemingly everywhere on the radio.
By the time this song came out (and after Roger Hodgson's departure), the band's prospects were increasingly bleak. The 70's were over, and bands like this were relegated (fairly or unfairly), to 'dinosaur' status.
To Rick Davies, this had to be galling. He and his musicians were still just as talented, still just as hard working. His bitterness comes out here and it's clear that although the music is important, success is a double-edged sword.