Stagnation Lyrics
Here today, the red sky tells his tale
But the only listening eyes are mine
There is peace amongst the hills
And the night will cover all my pride
Blessed are they who smile from bodies free
Seems to me like any other crowd
Who are waiting to be saved
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse]
Wait, there still is time for washing in the pool
Wash away the past
Moon, my long-lost friend is smiling from above
Smiling at my tears
Come, we'll walk the path to take us to my home
Keep outside the night
The ice-cold knife has come to decorate the dead
Somehow
[Pre-Chorus]
And each will find a home
And there will still be time
For loving, my friend
You are there
And will I wait forever
Beside the silent mirror
And fish for bitter minnows
Amongst the weeds and slimy water?
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I, I said I want to sit down
I, I, I, I, I
I, I, I, I, I said I want to sit down
I want a drink, I want a drink
To take all the dust and the dirt from my throat
I want a drink, I want a drink
To wash out the filth that is deep in my guts
I want a drink
[Flute Solo]
[Outro]
Then let us drink
Then let us smile
Then let us go
About
“Stagnation” is the fourth song on Trespass, the second album by Genesis. It showed Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford’s combined twelve-string sound, along with Tony Banks taking a lead on piano, organ and Mellotron. This subsequently became a trademark of early Genesis. Rutherford later recalled there were around ten acoustic guitars on part of “Stagnation”, but they cancelled each other out in the final mix. Peter Gabriel described the track as a “journey song” with its lack of a more typical verse/chorus structure and the variety of mood changes it presents. At one point during its development the song was around 13 minutes long as a section of a 45-minute piece called “The Movement” which had been developed in the band’s early live shows. The band have said that this was the first of their recordings with which they were happy.
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