Favorite TAAB2 lyric thread!

[Nonfatman]

Well, the lyrics have been posted on the official site for about a week now, and it's a lot to digest, but I think they are absolutely stunning.

I think I'm more excited about the concept and lyrics on this new album than anything else. Ian always writes great music, so we all knew the music was going to be very good, but frankly, much as I loved SLOB and about half of Rupi, the lyrics and subject matter on those two albums, while good, did not always quite cut it for me. These lyrics, on the other hand, are as worthy and memorable as anything Ian has ever composed.

Which brings me to the question. What are your favorite lyrics so far from Brick 2, and more importantly, why? I have several in mind, including this one, which I really love, from Wooten Bassett Town:

"I lie in sweat, cry others’ tears and write a letter to my Mum,
my wife, my God unheard, unseen, Who never thinks to intervene."

The line about lying in sweat, crying others' tears (for instance a soldier having witnessed comrades perish), and writing home about what he is going through, recalls a story that my grandmother told me about her brother, my Uncle Milton, who fought in the trenches in France during WW2, and wrote to her about the horrific events he was witnessing, concluding with his request: "Rosie, please send me a Bible because I don't think I will be coming home." (He did.) So Ian's line really nails what it is like to be a soldier during a war, which many people nowadays have seem to forgotten, or maybe it's just taken for granted in the era of professional armies.

Also the line about "my God, unheard, unseen, who never thinks to intervene" is an expression of the natural doubt that all of us have, from time to time, about the existence of a "god", who seems not to care very much about the strife and suffering in the world, which is supposed to be the "perfect" creation of a "perfect" god. I think all of us have had such thoughts, probably dating back to our teenage years.

Jeff

[Zombywoof]

I enjoyed "Give 'Till it Hurts" pretty much all of the through. Very Zappa-esque

[Nonfatman]

Mar 27, 2012 22:31:14 GMT -5 Zombywoof said:

I enjoyed "Give 'Till it Hurts" pretty much all of the through. Very Zappa-esque

I love that one too. I like the speaking parts at the beginning and end, because they work well with the song, but I just wish the song itself were longer. A lot of people have said the same thing, because it just ends much too soon.

Jeff

[giveguybrushgrog]

honestly, i wasnt getting my hopes up about this album lyrically. i think for the most part, after storm watch, his lyrics became far less interesting.

when i say that, i mean by ian anderson standards. take anything hes ever written, and lyrically, its head and shoulders above just about anything, in my opinion. but it was largely the lyrics that attracted me to ian/tull in the first place. i listened to tull ad nauseum as a child (six years or earlier) but regained interest in ninth grade, when paying attention to lyrics like aqualung and bungle in the jungle. thick as a brick and minstrell in the gallery are two of my favorite written works of all time.

his lyrics have gotten a bit cheesy in several cases. with the exception of mouse police, i can live without songs about cats. i just cant imagine ian anderson of the 70s writing songs about "beasties" in such a cheesy, overt, and obvious fashion.

unfortunately over the past decade or so, his lyrics have gotten a bit more basic, a bit more ABAB in their rhyme pattern. fairly straight forward and predictable. i was glad to hear a bit more wordiness on this album. i find the concept(s) of the lyrics very appealing, they just lack the wow factor of something like sealion. i consider myself satisfied .

as far as favorite lines, i dont have many. "phantoms pop from cupboard doors, mocking manic laughter shrieks, dark promises of blood and gore" is ripe with imagery though, and the guitar behind it is very effective. "he was your golden boy, hes adrift and dumfounded, with nowhere to go, no appointments to keep, hes our little man, hes adrift and dumfounded, head on hard pillow waiting for sleep" is appealing, equally appealing is the melody. i really enjoy kismet in suburbia, and the use of the various mulberry residencies (mulberry lane, drive, gardens, etc) appeals to me.

ps. i meant baker street muse, not minstrell in the gallery, but ill take both

[Nonfatman]

Apr 3, 2012 17:17:10 GMT -5 giveguybrushgrog said:

honestly, i wasnt getting my hopes up about this album lyrically. i think for the most part, after storm watch, his lyrics became far less interesting.

when i say that, i mean by ian anderson standards. take anything hes ever written, and lyrically, its head and shoulders above just about anything, in my opinion. but it was largely the lyrics that attracted me to ian/tull in the first place. i listened to tull ad nauseum as a child (six years or earlier) but regained interest in ninth grade, when paying attention to lyrics like aqualung and bungle in the jungle. thick as a brick and minstrell in the gallery are two of my favorite written works of all time.

his lyrics have gotten a bit cheesy in several cases. with the exception of mouse police, i can live without songs about cats. i just cant imagine ian anderson of the 70s writing songs about "beasties" in such a cheesy, overt, and obvious fashion.

unfortunately over the past decade or so, his lyrics have gotten a bit more basic, a bit more ABAB in their rhyme pattern. fairly straight forward and predictable. i was glad to hear a bit more wordiness on this album. i find the concept(s) of the lyrics very appealing, they just lack the wow factor of something like sealion. i consider myself satisfied .

as far as favorite lines, i dont have many. "phantoms pop from cupboard doors, mocking manic laughter shrieks, dark promises of blood and gore" is ripe with imagery though, and the guitar behind it is very effective. "he was your golden boy, hes adrift and dumfounded, with nowhere to go, no appointments to keep, hes our little man, hes adrift and dumfounded, head on hard pillow waiting for sleep" is appealing, equally appealing is the melody. i really enjoy kismet in suburbia, and the use of the various mulberry residencies (mulberry lane, drive, gardens, etc) appeals to me.

ps. i meant baker street muse, not minstrell in the gallery, but ill take both

The most exciting thing about this project, in my opinion, was the concept and lyrics, and how he managed to connect it with Brick 1, albeit in a more serious than lighthearted manner.

These are some heavy lyrics. I think my favorite is Kismet, because of the irony that Ian deploys in saying for each character "fresh start...." when it's clear from the lyrics that, for each of them, it's a fresh start into loneliness, pain and oblivion. It's very depressing.

Jeff

[giveguybrushgrog]

yes, from that perspective theyre fantastic lyrics. they compel my interest, whereas say, lyrics on underwraps do not. the concept, whats done with the concept, is all very appealing. ian does pretty well when he does 'theme' albums, or concept albums like taab or passion play.

i have something very specific i read/listen for when it comes to lyrics. i appreciate rhyme and playing with words. not just rhyme for the sake of rhyme. it dawned on me the more i crept into ians lyrics that his rhymes were highly intelligent, often complex, theres all sorts of internal rhyme. on certain songs, you can look at them on paper, and its as if each word forms the next. this dynamic does something indescribable to my ear. rhyme after rhyme after rhyme. and it helps if you throw in some other devices as he does, oxymorons/contradictions, double meanings, turns of phrases, etc.

so i guess what im saying is these things all appear in abundance in 70s tull albums. i also tended to find the subject matter more interesting. theres a pretentiousness that demands "LISTEN TO MY LYRICS", and i like that. ian talking down to all of us.

anyway, point is by any other standard these are excellent lyrics, very well written.

[TM]

Mar 27, 2012 12:16:15 GMT -5 Nonfatman said:

Well, the lyrics have been posted on the official site for about a week now, and it's a lot to digest, but I think they are absolutely stunning.

I think I'm more excited about the concept and lyrics on this new album than anything else. Ian always writes great music, so we all knew the music was going to be very good, but frankly, much as I loved SLOB and about half of Rupi, the lyrics and subject matter on those two albums, while good, did not always quite cut it for me. These lyrics, on the other hand, are as worthy and memorable as anything Ian has ever composed.

Which brings me to the question. What are your favorite lyrics so far from Brick 2, and more importantly, why? I have several in mind, including this one, which I really love, from Wooten Bassett Town:

"I lie in sweat, cry others’ tears and write a letter to my Mum,
my wife, my God unheard, unseen, Who never thinks to intervene."

The line about lying in sweat, crying others' tears (for instance a soldier having witnessed comrades perish), and writing home about what he is going through, recalls a story that my grandmother told me about her brother, my Uncle Milton, who fought in the trenches in France during WW2, and wrote to her about the horrific events he was witnessing, concluding with his request: "Rosie, please send me a Bible because I don't think I will be coming home." (He did.) So Ian's line really nails what it is like to be a soldier during a war, which many people nowadays have seem to forgotten, or maybe it's just taken for granted in the era of professional armies.

Also the line about "my God, unheard, unseen, who never thinks to intervene" is an expression of the natural doubt that all of us have, from time to time, about the existence of a "god", who seems not to care very much about the strife and suffering in the world, which is supposed to be the "perfect" creation of a "perfect" god. I think all of us have had such thoughts, probably dating back to our teenage years.

Jeff

You nailed it Jeff. This is my favorite passage on the entire album as well. Though, not everybody thinks that way - at least in my family!

[Geneman75]

Hi there
First post

I've listened to Taab2 intensly since the release and I absolutely love both the music and the lyrics. I seem to discover new things with every listen. One thing though, one of my favorite lyrics on the whole of taab2 also puzzels me the most. Maybe some of you have a clue as to the significance of the verse? It's in the last track that starts with "Suppose bold woman, quite unsuit, brave in adventure, sojourns wicked etc etc"

Although I have little clue as to what it means and how it relates to the rest of the stories, it is very powerful and one of the best. Can anyone help me and explain what it means?

Thanks - just joined this board today

-Soren

[jtul07]

Aug 25, 2012 14:25:48 GMT -5 Geneman75 said:

Hi there
First post
I've listened to Taab2 intensly since the release and I absolutely love both the music and the lyrics.
I seem to discover new things with every listen.
One thing though, one of my favorite lyrics on the whole of taab2 also puzzels me the most.
Maybe some of you have a clue as to the significance of the verse?
It's in the last track that starts with "Suppose bold woman, quite unsuit,
brave in adventure, sojourns wicked etc etc"

Although I have little clue as to what it means and how it relates to the rest of the stories,
it is very powerful and one of the best. Can anyone help me and explain what it means?

Thanks - just joined this board today
-Soren

Welcome Soren
I am no expert on lyric meaning.
However, this seems to include women into the overall story of
WHAT-IFS, MAYBES, MIGHT-HAVE-BEENS
"Suppose bold woman, quite unsuited, brave in adventure, sojourns wicked.
Velvet touch and lips soft-centred, tossing hair, teeth bared in laughing.
Imagine idyll Summers never-ending, Winter nights beside fire roaring.
Touched by madness, filled with fondness, kissed by love, love without name."
Although the album is mostly about Gerald Bostock, I think Ian wants to add women at this point.
Only an instinctive guess by me. I could be wrong.

[TM]

Aug 25, 2012 14:25:48 GMT -5 Geneman75 said:

Hi there
First post

I've listened to Taab2 intensly since the release and I absolutely love both the music and the lyrics. I seem to discover new things with every listen. One thing though, one of my favorite lyrics on the whole of taab2 also puzzels me the most. Maybe some of you have a clue as to the significance of the verse? It's in the last track that starts with "Suppose bold woman, quite unsuit, brave in adventure, sojourns wicked etc etc"

Although I have little clue as to what it means and how it relates to the rest of the stories, it is very powerful and one of the best. Can anyone help me and explain what it means?

Thanks - just joined this board today

-Soren

Hi Soren,

Welcome to the board.

Like Jim (JTull07), I thought Ian was giving us a woman's perspective in that last stanza, but not according to Ian. In his "Tour Interview" with our board he had this to say about it:

TJTB: Well, this seems further reinforced by the 'Suppose bold woman' stanza, which seems so depressing and regretful to me.

Ian: This is the fantasy longing of the "ordinary man, Gerald" but is hopeful, against the odds. I hope he gets lucky and doesn't have to pay for dinner....

You can read the entire interview with Ian and all the band members here:

thejethrotullboard.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questions&action=display&thread=2881#ixzz24fIcqbWK

Paul

[Geneman75]

Hi Paul and Jim

Thanks for the link!

That a valid point you are making. Although I'm not a native english speaker, and I might miss some of the lyrical nuances,
I don't immediately subscribe to the idea that this is from a woman's perspective. It's still Gerald talking/thinking, but I think this "longing" that Ian talks about could be what binds all the Geralds together (and not only 'the ordinary man') - from when he was a boy and to present day - whatever his life evovled into. All the Geralds on taab2 used to be the same boy and perhaps the lack of a female figure/female love is what he craves now that he's a grown man?
The "summers never-ending", "tossing hair", "filled with fondness" etc are very specific child-like memories, almost glimpses. I was just thinking that these are his childhood memories - and bringing Gerald 'back' to his childhood seems fitting at the end of the record and especially to tie in with the last segment from taab1?

Interesting

Cheers

Soren

[kcrvrrnnr]

My immediate take on this lyric was that it was a tribute to Shona (perhaps not intended but subconsiously), rescuing Ian from the despair of splitting up with his first wife.

Obviously updated for the TAAB2 story, but it cries out to me as a man falling into deep despair who is saved by a woman who on the surface is "quite unsuited" to his current situation.
The references to "tossing hair" and "teeth bared in laughter" are very subliminally sexy and imply flirting/courtship rituals.

The way I see it, this passage is saying that the right woman could have saved any of Gerald's persona from the loneliness that has befallen them....and the lyrics seem so drawn from personal experience that to me they point back to Shona at that desperate time in his life.

[jtul07]

Aug 26, 2012 10:46:18 GMT -5 Geneman75 said:

Hi Paul and Jim
Thanks for the link!

That a valid point you are making. Although I'm not a native english speaker,
and I might miss some of the lyrical nuances, I don't immediately subscribe
to the idea that this is from a woman's perspective.
It's still Gerald talking/thinking, but I think this "longing"
that Ian talks about could be what binds all the Geralds together (and not only 'the ordinary man')
- from when he was a boy and to present day - whatever his life evovled into.
All the Geralds on taab2 used to be the same boy and perhaps the lack of
a female figure/female love is what he craves now that he's a grown man?
The "summers never-ending", "tossing hair",
"filled with fondness" etc are very specific child-like memories, almost glimpses.
I was just thinking that these are his childhood memories - and bringing Gerald 'back' to his
childhood seems fitting at the end of the record and especially to tie in with the last segment from taab1?
Interesting

Cheers
Soren

Very good interpretation of those nuances.
For many Tull songs, I let the meanings evolve into greater familiarity.
The true meaning of "Thick as a Brick" and "A Passion Play" lyrics never hindered my admiration.
Over the years, I have picked up pieces here and there to enhance my understanding.

As with this album, the music grabbed me first, then the lyrics began falling into place.
Ian can hide many meanings behind unfamiliar phrases to all of us.
I just go for the energy in the songs and learn about the lyrics gradually.
Jim "A Very Ordinary Tull Fan" ;D

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2012 14:25:48 GMT -5 Geneman75 said:

Hi there
First post


Thanks - just joined this board today

-Soren

Soren, sorry missed out welcoming you on your joining The Board, best place around and certainly the one with the biggest buzz about it.

Look forward to reading more from you.

Have a good look around and don't forget to sneak a look at our youtube and pinterest pinterest.com/pin/85216617919920667/ sites as well

Plus there's The Boy Scout Manual as well www.theboyscoutmanual.com

All the best

Pat

[Bassackwards]

"Broken societies, selfish, uncaring.
Addled brains clutching at chemicals soothing.
Desperate measures, desperately tearing
at last vestige of dignity, his for the losing."

Hell,these words just roll off the tongue, beautiful! The whole of Adrift and Dumbfounded is excellent

[Bassackwards]

And this brings tears to my eyes every time:

"And we treasure all, all that we left behind us.
No pointed cold and dark regrets.
No nameless blame to lay.
Resolute, the optimist, I ride fresh horse and spur it on."

No one could sing this like Ian does.... aching, strong, gentle and optimistic all at once!

[Bassackwards]

Hey Jeff, I read Kismet again as I never took it as ironic or depressing. It seem trulys a fresh start for everyone except for Gerald the most ordinary Man. (He never strove for anything, which i think for Ian is the greatest sin, though in his interviews he seems to be of a different view) Anyway, each character has gone though a lot and seems to"aquies" to new lives of simple comforts, memories, renewed purpose, "bowed but alive","treasured moments,past AND present", "count my blessing...soon pipe and slippers"

[Bassackwards]

Or how about the statement of the theme:

"Chance path taken, page unturned or brief encounter, blossomed, splintered."
and
"What-ifs, Maybes and Might-have-beens fly, soft petals on a breeze."
I love the spoken stuff, seems just the right amount and adds new dimention.

[Bassackwards]

Well, I'm on a roll now- screw work!

How about Ian's best catchy nasty chorus, perhaps of all time!

"Treat myself to quality time, test a Porsche and snort a line, eat Hermione for lunch.
Set that glum PA a-jumping, book front-row tickets for something after we munch."

Take that you "pigs a troughing" bastards!

[Bassackwards]

And one of the most beautiful melodies and succint lines in all the Anderson Canon"

"Mr Jennings, good housemaster, seemed instinctively to understand.
Touched me with his gentle presence. Under bedclothes, underhand. Underhand."

Gentle, seductive and twisted

[Bassackwards]

Here's another that rolls off the tongue beautifully:

"Touch down after muddy rugby in the softer evensong.
Steal through open doors to heaven in angelic sing-along.
Tinsel echoes in the rafters still the air in stained glass light."

Not earthshaking stuff but profound in its descriptive power. I mean,"Tinsel echoes" that's frickin' genious. Echoes as ornament.

[Nonfatman]

Aug 28, 2012 15:29:53 GMT -5 Bassackwards said:

"Broken societies, selfish, uncaring.
Addled brains clutching at chemicals soothing.
Desperate measures, desperately tearing
at last vestige of dignity, his for the losing."

Hell,these words just roll off the tongue, beautiful! The whole of Adrift and Dumbfounded is excellent

The wordplay of this passage reminds me very much of the lyrics on Minstrel, don't you think?

Jeff

[Nonfatman]

Aug 28, 2012 15:46:28 GMT -5 Bassackwards said:

Hey Jeff, I read Kismet again as I never took it as ironic or depressing. It seem trulys a fresh start for everyone except for Gerald the most ordinary Man. (He never strove for anything, which i think for Ian is the greatest sin, though in his interviews he seems to be of a different view) Anyway, each character has gone though a lot and seems to"aquies" to new lives of simple comforts, memories, renewed purpose, "bowed but alive","treasured moments,past AND present", "count my blessing...soon pipe and slippers"

Hey, Jer,

I know that's what Ian said too, in response to the question I asked him in our recent Q&A, but I think it was just because he didn't like that I had nailed the true meaning. ;D

All kidding aside, I think each of these characters ends up depressed and unhappy, because they've all lost so much, with really nothing to look forward to.

Gerald the Military Man, once a proud and valiant warrior, is alive, but "bowed", having lost his leg and his best friends, whose photos he views while (necessarily) sitting and staring at the mantle. They are like ghosts, and he is haunted by his horrible, painful memories. Not much hope for him.

Gerald the Banker has lost all of his money, is being charged with tax fraud, despite working so hard his whole life and now having nothing to show for it. He used to live life in the fast lane, snorting coke, buying front row tickets to the hottest events, and fucking beautiful women. He had money, power and a purpose in life. Now, he's reduced to having morning coffee at Starbucks, once associated with his high-powered life, but now it's just the start of another boring day, sitting around in his robe and slippers watching daytime television.

Gerald the Preacher has lost his congregation and means of supporting himself. He was once an important and respected leader, a position he craftily exploited to his own financial gain, but now he's been exposed as a fraud and is resigned to "lay himself down" to live in loneliness, acquiescence and submission. The phrase "lay myself down to live" is odd, because that phrase is more descriptive of death than life, and all of these Geralds are, in the end, half-dead.

Gerald the Ordinary Man (as you mentioned) has lost his shop, his acquaintances, customers and friends with whom he was accustomed to chatting and bantering, the only thing that he has to live for, and the only thing that keeps him away from Madge, that barren old bat who he's now condemned to spend every waking minute with for the rest of his life.

Viewed in this context, the stanza about "supposing a bold woman and idyll summers", etc., does seem ironic and regretful to me, because it represents the dashed hopes and dreams of these characters, who will never enjoy such pleasurable experiences again.

What it boils down to, as I see it, is that TAAB2 is really an album about regrets, having spent ones whole life at something, and then ending up with nothing in the end.

In many ways, it seems to me that this album is an elaboration of the song A Time for Everything, with the character in that song too looking back over his wasted life with frustration and sorrow. That song said the same thing in very few words, and it's interesting because Ian was very young when he wrote it, but his protagonist was fifty, probably around the same age as these Geralds. Ian, now forty years older, is revisiting that same theme from an older man's perspective.

Jeff

[Morthoron]

Great commentary, Jeff. Very perceptive and well-considered.

I have mused on the different Geralds as well, and find Ian's conclusions unsatisfying and decidedly bitter. What I find odd is that Ian, in addition to leading each character to a rueful conclusion, has neglected Gerald the Poet! Strange that such a prodigy (dubbed "Little Milton", after all) should go through life without any further attempts at writing. Stranger still, his creator Ian Anderson, himself a poet and lyricist, has ignored that prospect.

[Nonfatman]

Aug 28, 2012 18:19:15 GMT -5 Morthoron said:

Great commentary, Jeff. Very perceptive and well-considered.

I have mused on the different Geralds as well, and find Ian's conclusions unsatisfying and decidedly bitter. What I find odd is that Ian, in addition to leading each character to a rueful conclusion, has neglected Gerald the Poet! Strange that such a prodigy (dubbed "Little Milton", after all) should go through life without any further attempts at writing. Stranger still, his creator Ian Anderson, himself a poet and lyricist, has ignored that prospect.

Thanks, and I left out Gerald the Child Abuse Victim/Homeless Homosexual, who loses his partner, presumably to AIDS. Again, I don't see how this is an optimistic "fresh start" for that particular Gerald.

I also found it curious that Gerald the Poet was not included, which would have brought more continuity to the album. It's doubtful that Poet Gerald would have followed any of the paths that these Geralds did, with the possible exception of Gerald the Homeless. I don't see him entering the military, priesthood, or investment banking world.

I think Ian is using Gerald as an Everyman figure, and the fact that they all wind up so pitiful may be a reflection of Ian's awareness that most people do have such regrets when they grow older, bringing to mind two famous quotes (by philosophers, but I don't recall whom), that go like this: "Youth is a mistake, manhood a Struggle, old age a regret" and "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

I was not convinced at all by Ian's explanation of Kismet in Suburbia being in any sense optimistic, because the overall picture is so bleak, and that is why I believe the "fresh start" lyric is ironic.

In his post, Jer does point out two lyrical exceptions to this (the "count my blessings" line and the "past and present" line), so that adds some ambiguity, but again, I think Ian is employing irony there too, at least with the count my blessings lyric. Banker Gerald is counting his blessings that he's not incarcerated, but that's hardly a new lease on life.

Jeff