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> Well, sad to say, the real truth of the matter is that no matter what you
> read into it, "The Lamb" is basically a tour of Peter Gabriel In Heroin
> Slumberland.  

It doesn't take long to find articles/interviews of PG to know that he is NOT
a drug user. His reluctance is that his dreams and ideas are already so
way-out that enhancing or expanding them would be terrifying.

> In fact, by the end of the recording process, the rest of
> the band had to step in and finish up the writing of the 3rd and 4th sides
> because PG was so strung out he practically couldn't function.

According to Tony Banks, PG wrote 99% of the lyrics to "Lamb", and he may
have felt that the band would never let him do such a thing again; thus
contributing to his decision to leave Genesis after the "Lamb" tour.
Also, his wife was having their first baby with many complications during
that period, so being strung out is understandable.

> As near as I can tell, most of the imagery is drug-related.  "In The Cage"
> is the most blatant, according to Heroin Users I Have Known.  The feeling
> of shooting up can apparently feel like a warm sensation in your stomach
> and you get VERY drowsy (called "nodding out", any secret smack users wanna
> comment? (-: ).  Thus, "I've got sunshine in my stomach... ...and I can't
> keep me from creepin' sleep".

That's a fascinating simile! The coincidence you mention is probably as hard
to knock as the "Paul is Dead" episode of the Beatles.

> My support
> of this theme was the song "it"... "It's only knock and know-all, but I
> like it"  The obvious pun on "rock 'n roll", and then the idea of "it's not
> anything great, but I can enjoy it anyway".  If anything, the 'idea' of
> the LP is that LP's don't NEED big 'ideas' to be enjoyable.  Just sit back
> and enjoy the twisted storyline.... that's all I do now...

Nowadays whenever someone comes up to PG on a plane or wherever and tells him
how certain lyrics he wrote changed their life or struck them so deeply, he
still thinks it "cute". Then again, Rush's 2112 album had fanatics well past
their transformation away from metal. Artists leave their impact and go on
their way. This is what makes our lives richer: appreciating intricacies where
none were intended (NOT dedicating our entire existence to those perceptions,
either). This is what Kate's and PG's music do for me musically and
lyrically.

> ps.  a better work of PG's to dissect is "Supper's Ready"... full of neato
> religious allegory.. I'm firmly convinced it's all about the End of the
> World....
among other things!!     share and enjoy...  
Rick Yensen
-- 
Richard Yensen; Megatest Corp.                    !!
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