21st Century Schizoid Man Lyrics

Lyric discussion by trich daddy 

Cover art for 21st Century Schizoid Man lyrics by King Crimson

"Cats foot, iron claw"

I noticed some people have taken this to mean bionic synthesis and the loss of organic form.

However, I have a slightly different take: Iron claw is merely a play on words... it's merely a metaphor for authoritative rule while reflecting the preceding "cat's foot." The "cat's foot" is important because what does a cat's foot do, or more importantly what does it NOT do? It's padded and silent... it slips around unnoticed in the night.

This lyric is thus about a surreptitious transition to authoritative rule.