It's a song about a pedophile I doubt Ian Anderson based it on himself lol. I love aqualung its a great album. There's lots of examples of dirty old perverts portrayed in rock music in the late 60s early 70s for instance Tommy by the who has a song called fiddle about in which the title character is abused by his uncle. Most likely the reason for that is that music was just beginning to delve into hard subject matter.
If you want a really weird coincidence in 70s prog rock look at the lyrics from genesis 'suppers ready' posted below. I actually spent a good few hours investigating this because I kept finding leads but I never got anywhere. First lead was the lyrics themselves 1) 'willow farm' section of the song sounds like a human hunting party, 2) also in 'willow farm' there's a reference to an earlier genesis song called 'musical box' which ends with an old man trying to molest a little girl 3) 'apocalypse in 9/8' section starts with a reference to "magog" and the "pied piper"- according to Wikipedia magog and gog were sons of Noah but are also harbingers of doom later in the bible, and get this, magog is also the name given to the head of THE skull and bones society. 4) at the end of 'apocalyps in 9/8' there's a reference to Pythagoras, essentially the founder of freemasonary. I've been deliberately vague here to avoid influencing a particular interpretation of the lyrics read through and see what you think.:-
Walking across the sitting-room, I turn the television off.
Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes.
As the sound of motor cars fades in the night time,
I swear I saw your face change, it didn't seem quite right.
...And it's hello babe with your guardian eyes so blue
Hey my baby don't you know our love is true.
Coming closer with our eyes, a distance falls around our bodies.
Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright,
Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly.
The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand.
...And it's hey babe your supper's waiting for you.
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true.
I've been so far from here,
Far from your warm arms.
It's good to feel you again,
It's been a long long time. Hasn't it?
[The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man]
I know a farmer who looks after the farm.
With water clear, he cares for all his harvest.
I know a fireman who looks after the fire.
You, can't you see he's fooled you all.
Yes, he's here again, can't you see he's fooled you all.
Share his peace,
Sign the lease.
He's a supersonic scientist,
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary man.
Look, look into my mouth he cries,
And all the children lost down many paths,
I bet my life you'll walk inside
Hand in hand,
gland in gland
With a spoonful of miracle,
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary.
We will rock you, rock you little snake,
We will keep you snug and warm.
[Ikhnaton And Itsacon And Their Band Of Merry Men]
Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest,
We walked across the fields to see the children of the West,
But we saw a host of dark skinned warriors
standing still below the ground,
Waiting for battle.
The fight's begun, they've been released.
Killing foe for peace...bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang...
And they're giving me a wonderful potion,
'Cos I cannot contain my emotion.
And even though I'm feeling good,
Something tells me I'd better activate my prayer capsule.
Today's a day to celebrate, the foe have met their fate.
The order for rejoicing and dancing has come from our warlord.
[How Dare I Be So Beautiful?]
Wandering through the chaos the battle has left,
We climb up a mountain of human flesh,
To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life.
A young figure sits still by a pool,
He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool.
(He is you)
Social Security took care of this lad.
We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower.
A flower?
[Willow Farm]
If you go down to Willow Farm,
to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies
Open your eyes, it's full of surprise, everyone lies,
like the fox on the rocks,
and the musical box.
Oh, there's Mum & Dad, and good and bad,
and everyone's happy to be here.
There's Winston Churchill dressed in drag,
he used to be a British flag, plastic bag, what a drag.
The frog was a prince, the prince was a brick, the brick was an egg,
the egg was a bird.
(Fly away you sweet little thing, they're hard on your tail)
Hadn't you heard?
(They're going to change you into a human being!)
Yes, we're happy as fish and gorgeous as geese,
and wonderfully clean in the morning.
We've got everything, we're growing everything,
We've got some in
We've got some out
We've got some wild things floating about
Everyone, we're changing everyone,
you name them all,
We've had them here,
And the real stars are still to appear.
ALL CHANGE!
Feel your body melt;
Mum to mud to mad to dad
Dad diddley office, Dad diddley office,
You're all full of ball.
Dad to dam to dum to mum
Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing,
You're all full of ball.
Let me hear you lies, we're living this up to the eyes.
Ooee-ooee-ooee-oowaa
Momma I want you now.
And as you listen to my voice
To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause.
You've been here all the time,
Like it or not, like what you got,
You're under the soil (the soil, the soil),
Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil, the soil!).
So we'll end with a whistle and end with a bang
and all of us fit in our places.
[Apocalypse In 9/8 (Co-Starring the delicious talents of Gabble Ratchet)]
With the guards of Magog, swarming around,
The Pied Piper takes his children underground.
Dragons coming out of the sea,
Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me.
He brings down the fire from the skies,
You can tell he's doing well by the look in human eyes.
Better not compromise.
It won't be easy.
666 is no longer alone,
He's getting out the marrow in your back bone,
And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll,
Gonna blow right down inside your soul.
Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon,
In blood, he's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune.
And it's hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue,
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true,
I've been so far from here,
Far from your loving arms,
Now I'm back again, and babe it's gonna work out fine.
[As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)]
Can't you feel our souls ignite
Shedding ever changing colours, in the darkness of the fading night,
Like the river joins the ocean, as the germ in a seed grows
We have finally been freed to get back home.
There's an angel standing in the sun, and he's crying with a loud voice,
"This is the supper of the mighty one",
Lord of Lords,
King of Kings,
Has returned to lead his children home,
To take them to the new Jerusalem.
Pretty weird shit but it becomes weirder when you consider that three of the members of genesis went to a prestigious all boys school, that one those members was Peter Gabriel who wrote the songs lyrics and that the song was based on nightmares his wife had while sleeping in a purple room. I looked into his wife and found out that she's the daughter of Lord Moore of woolvercotte who served on queen Elizabeth's personal staff. I thought I was really on to something but I can't find any evidence that Lord Moore was a Satanist in fact I can't find out much about him at all. I also looked into the school (charterhouse boys school) but the only scandal I could find was a story about a teacher who had sex with an older female student. Maybe this is a lead that someone could do something with but it's more likely it's all a coincidence or at least I hope so because I love this song lol.
Hitch only felt guilty, he said, about one scene. A man holds a gun up next to a camera, waiting with the other photographers and murders the subject. I think it was in The 39 Steps. Not sure.
To be clear, Tull is my favorite band.
The song Aqualung is
about
a pedophile, more or less.
It begins...
Sitting on a park bench
Eying little girls
With bad intent.
Snot running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run.
Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck.
The opening six chords of the title song are some of the most memorable in rock. What follows are two songs about a pedophile and school prostitute and both are early seventies rock at its best. Anderson’s biting lyrics and accompanying vocal create a visual image of old Aqualung sitting on his park bench. “Cross Eyed Mary” both rocks and rolls her through school
Music Review: Jethro Tull - Aqualung - seattlepi.com
Seattlepi.com › blogcritics › article › Mu...
▼ Atatarkus
It's a song about a pedophile I doubt Ian Anderson based it on himself lol. I love aqualung its a great album. There's lots of examples of dirty old perverts portrayed in rock music in the late 60s early 70s for instance Tommy by the who has a song called fiddle about in which the title character is abused by his uncle. Most likely the reason for that is that music was just beginning to delve into hard subject matter.
If you want a really weird coincidence in 70s prog rock look at the lyrics from genesis 'suppers ready' posted below. I actually spent a good few hours investigating this because I kept finding leads but I never got anywhere. First lead was the lyrics themselves 1) 'willow farm' section of the song sounds like a human hunting party, 2) also in 'willow farm' there's a reference to an earlier genesis song called 'musical box' which ends with an old man trying to molest a little girl 3) 'apocalypse in 9/8' section starts with a reference to "magog" and the "pied piper"- according to Wikipedia magog and gog were sons of Noah but are also harbingers of doom later in the bible, and get this, magog is also the name given to the head of THE skull and bones society. 4) at the end of 'apocalyps in 9/8' there's a reference to Pythagoras, essentially the founder of freemasonary. I've been deliberately vague here to avoid influencing a particular interpretation of the lyrics read through and see what you think.:-
Walking across the sitting-room, I turn the television off. Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes. As the sound of motor cars fades in the night time, I swear I saw your face change, it didn't seem quite right. ...And it's hello babe with your guardian eyes so blue Hey my baby don't you know our love is true.
Coming closer with our eyes, a distance falls around our bodies. Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright, Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly. The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand. ...And it's hey babe your supper's waiting for you. Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true.
I've been so far from here, Far from your warm arms. It's good to feel you again, It's been a long long time. Hasn't it?
[The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man]
I know a farmer who looks after the farm. With water clear, he cares for all his harvest. I know a fireman who looks after the fire.
You, can't you see he's fooled you all. Yes, he's here again, can't you see he's fooled you all. Share his peace, Sign the lease. He's a supersonic scientist, He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary man. Look, look into my mouth he cries, And all the children lost down many paths, I bet my life you'll walk inside Hand in hand, gland in gland With a spoonful of miracle, He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary. We will rock you, rock you little snake, We will keep you snug and warm.
[Ikhnaton And Itsacon And Their Band Of Merry Men]
Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest, We walked across the fields to see the children of the West, But we saw a host of dark skinned warriors standing still below the ground, Waiting for battle.
The fight's begun, they've been released. Killing foe for peace...bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang... And they're giving me a wonderful potion, 'Cos I cannot contain my emotion. And even though I'm feeling good, Something tells me I'd better activate my prayer capsule.
Today's a day to celebrate, the foe have met their fate. The order for rejoicing and dancing has come from our warlord.
[How Dare I Be So Beautiful?]
Wandering through the chaos the battle has left, We climb up a mountain of human flesh, To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life. A young figure sits still by a pool, He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool. (He is you) Social Security took care of this lad. We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower. A flower?
[Willow Farm]
If you go down to Willow Farm, to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies Open your eyes, it's full of surprise, everyone lies, like the fox on the rocks, and the musical box. Oh, there's Mum & Dad, and good and bad, and everyone's happy to be here.
There's Winston Churchill dressed in drag, he used to be a British flag, plastic bag, what a drag. The frog was a prince, the prince was a brick, the brick was an egg, the egg was a bird. (Fly away you sweet little thing, they're hard on your tail) Hadn't you heard? (They're going to change you into a human being!) Yes, we're happy as fish and gorgeous as geese, and wonderfully clean in the morning.
We've got everything, we're growing everything, We've got some in We've got some out We've got some wild things floating about Everyone, we're changing everyone, you name them all, We've had them here, And the real stars are still to appear.
ALL CHANGE!
Feel your body melt; Mum to mud to mad to dad Dad diddley office, Dad diddley office, You're all full of ball.
Dad to dam to dum to mum Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing, You're all full of ball.
Let me hear you lies, we're living this up to the eyes. Ooee-ooee-ooee-oowaa Momma I want you now.
And as you listen to my voice To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause. You've been here all the time, Like it or not, like what you got, You're under the soil (the soil, the soil), Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil, the soil!). So we'll end with a whistle and end with a bang and all of us fit in our places.
[Apocalypse In 9/8 (Co-Starring the delicious talents of Gabble Ratchet)]
With the guards of Magog, swarming around, The Pied Piper takes his children underground. Dragons coming out of the sea, Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me. He brings down the fire from the skies, You can tell he's doing well by the look in human eyes. Better not compromise. It won't be easy.
666 is no longer alone, He's getting out the marrow in your back bone, And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll, Gonna blow right down inside your soul. Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon, In blood, he's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune.
And it's hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue, Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true, I've been so far from here, Far from your loving arms, Now I'm back again, and babe it's gonna work out fine.
[As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)]
Can't you feel our souls ignite Shedding ever changing colours, in the darkness of the fading night, Like the river joins the ocean, as the germ in a seed grows We have finally been freed to get back home.
There's an angel standing in the sun, and he's crying with a loud voice, "This is the supper of the mighty one", Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Has returned to lead his children home, To take them to the new Jerusalem.
Pretty weird shit but it becomes weirder when you consider that three of the members of genesis went to a prestigious all boys school, that one those members was Peter Gabriel who wrote the songs lyrics and that the song was based on nightmares his wife had while sleeping in a purple room. I looked into his wife and found out that she's the daughter of Lord Moore of woolvercotte who served on queen Elizabeth's personal staff. I thought I was really on to something but I can't find any evidence that Lord Moore was a Satanist in fact I can't find out much about him at all. I also looked into the school (charterhouse boys school) but the only scandal I could find was a story about a teacher who had sex with an older female student. Maybe this is a lead that someone could do something with but it's more likely it's all a coincidence or at least I hope so because I love this song lol.
▼ ThighHighSwampBoots
Sounds like the research you need to do is in the pub at Woolvercotte. I'll go.
▼ ThighHighSwampBoots
A family member has worked with Peter Gabriel. The thing I'm most jealous of.
▼ Kwijibo
@thighhighswampboots and I suppose Alfred Hitchcock is a murderer?
▼ ThighHighSwampBoots
Hitch only felt guilty, he said, about one scene. A man holds a gun up next to a camera, waiting with the other photographers and murders the subject. I think it was in The 39 Steps. Not sure. To be clear, Tull is my favorite band.
▼ gopluckyourself
thighhighswampboots rule 1 we've talked about this comeon now.
▼ dashit
The song Aqualung is about a pedophile, more or less.
It begins...
Sitting on a park bench Eying little girls With bad intent. Snot running down his nose Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes. Drying in the cold sun Watching as the frilly panties run. Feeling like a dead duck Spitting out pieces of his broken luck.
▼ ThighHighSwampBoots
Thought it was pretty panties. Oh well.
▼ SayWhatNOWAY
The opening six chords of the title song are some of the most memorable in rock. What follows are two songs about a pedophile and school prostitute and both are early seventies rock at its best. Anderson’s biting lyrics and accompanying vocal create a visual image of old Aqualung sitting on his park bench. “Cross Eyed Mary” both rocks and rolls her through school Music Review: Jethro Tull - Aqualung - seattlepi.com Seattlepi.com › blogcritics › article › Mu...
▼ ThighHighSwampBoots
The best.
▼ Talc
Explain?!?
▼ ThighHighSwampBoots
Well, lots of Ian Anderson's songs are about young women, not just Cross-eyed Mary. Flower Girl, Hunting Girl, etc. Idc. I love Tull.