Lay Your Hands On Me

For me, the meaning rests in how the lyrics combine the banal with the spiritual. Consider, the mention of the "Garden Grill", a banal place whose name references the original garden (Eden), its pale reflection made more obvious by the fact that the plant life there is plastic.

The line about no more miracles, contrasting with the washing of the dishes, highlights the protagonist's inability to connect to the hints of divinity all around him due the distractions of more mundane concerns. Thus, he feels this kind of "stimuli" obscures his ability to connect.

The next stanza demonstrates how alienating this situation has become; vast oceans exist, but without any spiritual component behind it, all that can be drawn from the world is cold emotion, and paranoia.

The next part, (But still the warmth flows through me...) would seem to indicate that, internally at least, the narrator has some remnant of desire to connect to the divine; the lines that follow represent that some sort of action is taking place at this point in the story, something that the protagonist feels is inevitable.

Gabriel's songs often put the joys of physical connection in the same league as spiritual ones -- and it helps that the line, "Lay your hands on me" is a double-entendre. The laying on of hands is a common element of many religious observances. It is also a pretty blunt request to be touched in a more general, perhaps sexual way. Thus, perhaps the narrator finds in physical contact something more profound than the weak shadows of spiritual fulfillment described earlier in the song.

(Then again, I'm probably way off!)

I find it interesting that there are two songs about being touched- I Have The Touch and Lay Your Hands On Me. (I don't remember, but aren't they on the same album as well?) I wonder what that signifies, if anything.

God, I just love the live version of this. (With the repeated lyric "Lay your hands on me!" during the crowd-surf...)

Here are men and women languishing in the fragmented & false "perfectionism" of suburbia. They lack the connection and contact they need so desperately; and they seek ministry of others- often only found in dark places underground. See last comment on Secret World. Dead on. They are willing to take dark risks to find that contact. They know there are no accidents in their choices. And they are willing. Like so many! And once they find each other- they certainly do know each other well.

In his live concerts, during a lengthy instrumental vamp Gabriel would walk to the edge of the stage, turn his back to the audience and fall backwards into their outstretched arms. I've seen the video of this dozens of times and I still get chills up and down my spine when he does it. It's incredible, and an incredible demonstration of trust and connection between performer and audience. Wow.

yeah PG, what does this song mean?\nsound like its about more planet earth fairy tails

It's only common sense There are no accidents round here ...he says.

I think all of these comments are soo far out.. Gabriel made fun of Church. He is making fun of the laying on of hands done in the Church that is part of the transference of the power of the Holy Spirit by the Church leaders.

No more miracles, loaves and fishes Been so busy with the washing of the dishes is in reference of Jesus' first miricle of multiplying the loaves of bread and fish to feed the multitude.

sigh.