my lord and lady we have fortuitously happened upon these er strolling players who will provide you with er goodly tunes whilst you set about your errr prandial delights albeit in the lamentable absence of your guests so my lord and lady for your entertainment
‘so we’re going to through with this’ ‘yeahh suppose we better had i can’t see down there all right i don’t think they’re going to like this much though’
the minstrel in the gallery
looked down upon the smiling faces
he met the gazes observed the spaces
between the old men’s cackle
he brewed a song of love and hatred
oblique suggestions and he waited
he polarised the pumpkineaters
statichumming panelbeaters
freshly dayglow’d factory cheaters
salaried and collarscrubbing
he titillated men of action
belly warming hands still rubbing
on the parts they never mention
he pacified the nappysuffering infantbleating
oneline jokers tv documentary makers
overfed and undertakers
sunday paper backgammon players
familyscarred and womenhaters
then he called and he called the band down to the stage
and he looked at all the friends he’d made
interlude
the minstrel in the gallery
looked down upon the smiling faces
he met the gazes observed the spaces
inbetween the old men’s cackle
then he brewed a song of love and hatred
oblique suggestions and he waited
he polarised the pumpkineaters
statichumming panelbeaters
the minstrel in the gallery
looked down on the rabbitrun
then he threw away his lookingglass
saw his face in everyone
hey
he titillated men of action
belly warming hands still rubbing
on the parts they never mention
salaried and collarscrubbing
yeah
he pacified the nappysuffering
infantbleating oneline jokers
tv documentary makers
overfed and undertakers
sunday paper backgammon players
familyscarred and womenhaters
then he called the band down to the stage
and he looked at all the friends he’d made
the minstrel in the gallery
looked down on the rabbitrun
then he threw away his lookingglass
and saw his face in everyone
hey
the minstrel in the gallery yeees
looked down upon the smiling faces
he met the gazes yeah
mm the minstrel in the gallery
Artist: Jethro Tull
Year: 1975
Decade: 70s
Language: en
Word Count: 203