Lyric discussion by bb1974 

Cover art for Humdrum lyrics by Peter Gabriel

The woman he loves (his Valentine) departed on an international flight yesterday.

They might have met at random while going about their daily lives, or perhaps now that he lost her as a companion, he must return to the places where he may again meet new people randomly. In returning to business, he doesn't want to fall prey to the intrusive flood of distracting images and noise of television or the other daily distractions of modern life. He wants to dump them, stop thinking too much, and listen to his heart, which still hurts.

There is a duality and yet an attraction between women and men, war and peace, poor and rich, evil and good. We are born with dark souls, a sinful nature, and are destined to return to dust, yet we aspire toward the divine and sublime. This ambition may be foolish, but we must move forward, forget the echoes of our past (or his previous band, Genesis) and create something new, which may be painful, but something beautiful that we love starts from the smallest beginning.

My Interpretation