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Spontaneous Apple Creation Lyrics
When the world was travelling faster and faster
and colours became just a blur.
And the buildings were falling plaster from plaster
Til things just weren't what they were.
What could save mankind from man?
When the blind the blind overran.
From the scene of confused devastation
Came the great spontaneous apple creation.
And a speck in the sky grew to a cloud.
And fishes flew and laughed aloud.
And hamsters grew wings and flew under doors.
And rich wine was sweated from every man's pores.
And 3000 people ate one strawberry.
And the cloud grew green and pushed out a stalk.
And churches grew suede boots and started to walk.
And the strong silent ones began to talk.
And three million people told butter from Stork.
And the cloud grew greener and greener and harder.
Til it reminded all those there of something from the larder.
And suddenly it was there and in each and every land
Each man, beast, and creature had an apple in his hand.
And from that day came a new recreation,
The great spontaneous apple creation.
What could save mankind from man?
When the blind the blind overran.
From the scene of confused devastation
Came the great spontaneous apple creation.
and colours became just a blur.
And the buildings were falling plaster from plaster
Til things just weren't what they were.
When the blind the blind overran.
From the scene of confused devastation
Came the great spontaneous apple creation.
And fishes flew and laughed aloud.
And hamsters grew wings and flew under doors.
And rich wine was sweated from every man's pores.
And 3000 people ate one strawberry.
And the cloud grew green and pushed out a stalk.
And churches grew suede boots and started to walk.
And the strong silent ones began to talk.
And three million people told butter from Stork.
Til it reminded all those there of something from the larder.
And suddenly it was there and in each and every land
Each man, beast, and creature had an apple in his hand.
And from that day came a new recreation,
The great spontaneous apple creation.
When the blind the blind overran.
From the scene of confused devastation
Came the great spontaneous apple creation.
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I believe Arthur Brown was experimenting with different archetypes on this album, blending occult, Gnostic, pagan, and Christian traditions in creative ways, spurred by the possibilities of creating a psychedelic experience for the listener, reminiscent of something from Alice in Wonderland, or William Blake's prints (or Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds).
In this song, he plays with all of the above themes. Biblical tropes are used, but they are inverted, remixed, distorted, recombined in creative and thought-provoking ways.
On one level, the narrator is narrating an overwhelming psychedelic experience in the present day, or even the future - thus the presence of buildings (and the fact that the buildings are falling apart even suggests a kind of apocalyptic scenario).
But on another level, this song reaches into the past - the Biblical past, in both the Old and New Testaments. As for the New Testament, there is a kind of distorted or rearranged version of Jesus's miracles, such as the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, water into wine, the feeding of the 5000, etc.. Thus 3000 people eat one strawberry, and wine comes out of not of wineskins, but out of people's skins.
But the overriding imagery is from Genesis, the story of the Garden of Eden. Spontaneous Apple Creation - this is a kind of mocking reinterpretation of both God's self-creation, and the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
In the traditional narrative, God creates Himself ex nihilo, (that's one apparent paradox or mystery) and then God, who is all good, creates evil, in the form of the fruit of the tree of knowledge (that's another paradox - how could an all-good-God create evil?). The appearance of God out of nothingness is reflected in this song as a cloud that appears out of a "speck," grows, and eventually seems to rot (like something in the larder) and mutate, turning green and growing stalks.
In this version of the story, we "skip the middle man," so to speak: rather than God creating Himself ex nihilo, the Apple itself appears ex nihilo. And not just one apple but millions of apples, enough for every "man, beast, and creature".
Therefore, I think this song is ultimately a fearful and mysterious meditation on the evil that lies in the heart of every person (where did it come from?) made all the more visceral and frightening, and heightened through surreal, unassimilable imagery.
@hanumanian, that was an incredibly deep and insightful analysis! I'm a big fan of Arthur Brown, but I will admit that I never paid much attention to the lyrics of this song, having brushed it off as something whimsical. You really made it a lot more interesting by pointing out references to various religions, things Arthur Brown certainly is interested in. Thanks so much, I really enjoyed reading what you wrote! I'd love to read what you would say about some of the songs on his first Kingdom Come album!
@hanumanian, that was an incredibly deep and insightful analysis! I'm a big fan of Arthur Brown, but I will admit that I never paid much attention to the lyrics of this song, having brushed it off as something whimsical. You really made it a lot more interesting by pointing out references to various religions, things Arthur Brown certainly is interested in. Thanks so much, I really enjoyed reading what you wrote! I'd love to read what you would say about some of the songs on his first Kingdom Come album!