Album: War ChildAvg rating:
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Length: 3:21
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when you belonged to no one
You didn't stand a chance son,
if your pants were undone.
`Cause you were bred for humanity and sold to society
One day you'll wake up in the Present Day
A million generations removed from expectations
Of being who you really want to be.
Skating away
Skating away
Skating away on the thin ice of the New Day.
So as you push off from the shore,
Won't you turn your head once more
and make your peace with everyone?
For those who choose to stay,
Will live just one more day
To do the things they should have done.
And as you cross the wilderness,
spinning in your emptiness:
You feel you have to pray.
Looking for a sign
That the Universal Mind
has written you into the Passion Play.
Skating away
on the thin ice of the New Day.
And as you cross the circle line,
the ice-wall creaks behind
You're a rabbit on the run.
And the silver splinters fly in the corner of your eye
Shining in the setting sun.
Well, do you ever get the feeling that the story's
Too damn real and in the present tense?
Or that everybody's on the stage, and it seems like
You're the only person sitting in the audience?
Skating away
on the thin ice of the New Day.
What an odd reflection this brings up in me (now).
I first heard this little "ditty" back in 1974. I must have been about....19 at the time. I loved all things Tull back then.
And now at this point in my life I'm hearing it again. And after an absence of some time, too.
I feel like I'm looking back thru a long, very long, tube at my younger self. Not in a bad way mind you. Just.....odd.
How else to explain that the person I am now seems to be dancing with the person I was then. All in one-way glass fashion with that younger self who's totally oblivious to me, his older self.
So strange. So grand.
Makes me wonder if some future self is doing the same thing to me, now? The world of the Quantum writ large.
All that you are, the entire arch of your life, sometimes it collapses into one moment. Call it a transition point.
Listening to this tune is one such moment for me. Is it for (some of) you?
(And no I'm not smokin' anything funny....if you can't tell I don't find I need any assistance from that sort of thing these days. My mind can go there all by its lonesome. Heh)
Highlow
American Net'Zen
Well said!
Will not visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until it includes Jethro Tull. What a travesty
Why does anyone get exercised about inclusion/exclusion from the self-regarding circle jerk that is the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame?
Will not visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until it includes Jethro Tull. What a travesty
more room for us then.
Will not visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until it includes Jethro Tull. What a travesty
But tbey do have that Grammy for best heavy meatal group.............
I was walking back to my car in Tarrytown NY last summer with a bag of mexican takeout, when I passed the Tarrytown Music Hall. I could barely hear a flute being played coming from within. I paused and recognised this tune. Out of sheer curiousity why anyone would be playing this, I ventured in. The doors were unlocked as it was around 5:30 in the afternoon and no one was around to query my entry. As I enterred the darkened hall, I noticed a beret wearing man on stage moving a mic stand and tugging on some wires. There was an overstuffed couch behind him and a few oriental rugs on the floor. Thinking I heard a bootleg copy of Tull on the PA, I was about to leave when I noticed the man on stage had a flute in his hands. I paused quietly and watched as he once again played a quick rendition of "Skating Away" and then some bizarre riff to end with. A,"That's good" came over the PA, confirming what I imagined to be the sound man accepting the volume level. I stated quite assuredly,"No, that's timeless." Ian shielded his eyes to see me and replied,"Cheers, mate", or something similar and then followed with,"Did I pass the audition?" To my dismay, the concert that evening was sold out, but I got a 14 second private mini show to stoke the fires of memory lane. My wife still thinks I dreamt it.
Wow. Just wow. What a nice short story. Love it and no... I think it really happened haha
I was walking back to my car in Tarrytown NY last summer with a bag of mexican takeout, when I passed the Tarrytown Music Hall. I could barely hear a flute being played coming from within. I paused and recognised this tune. Out of sheer curiousity why anyone would be playing this, I ventured in. The doors were unlocked as it was around 5:30 in the afternoon and no one was around to query my entry. As I enterred the darkened hall, I noticed a beret wearing man on stage moving a mic stand and tugging on some wires. There was an overstuffed couch behind him and a few oriental rugs on the floor. Thinking I heard a bootleg copy of Tull on the PA, I was about to leave when I noticed the man on stage had a flute in his hands. I paused quietly and watched as he once again played a quick rendition of "Skating Away" and then some bizarre riff to end with. A,"That's good" came over the PA, confirming what I imagined to be the sound man accepting the volume level. I stated quite assuredly,"No, that's timeless." Ian shielded his eyes to see me and replied,"Cheers, mate", or something similar and then followed with,"Did I pass the audition?" To my dismay, the concert that evening was sold out, but I got a 14 second private mini show to stoke the fires of memory lane. My wife still thinks I dreamt it.
I had a similar experience in Central Park, NYC around 1990-91. Paul
Simon was doing a soundcheck. Maybe 7-8 songs. My softball teammates and
I could not believe our luck.
Love this Is it just me, but (and I’ve never noticed it before), there is something about the phrasing and key that overlaps Thick As A Brick?
Certain musical phrasings on Thick as a Brick are very similar to this song.
The local college radio station (WREK-FM) has a similar concept in one of their station I.D. recordings: "Listening to ALL the birds in the forest."
Musicians have voted. The tune stands up. 10
Edit: For Americans, the French practice bloodless bull-fighting in certain provinces, at least for public spectacle. It involves snatching something akin to a rose from between the horns of a young bull. However, there is no escaping its bloody legacy.
One of the most original, unique and wonderful groups to come out of the 60's!
Severely under-appreciated. I sat in the 7th row at Madison Square Garden in NYC for the "Aqualung" tour. Did not ever get any better than Jethro Tull!
We saw that show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto - so brilliant. Also the Thick As A Brick Tour.
Tull were some deep deep thinkers. Consider the final lines of this song,
"Well, do you ever get the feeling...that everybody's on the stage and it seems like, You're the only person sitting in the audience?"
I think JT predicted modern social media obsession
That's certainly how I feel on a daily basis
Those lines always struck me as very insightful or predictive as you've stated...especially for as long ago as they were written...
I was walking back to my car in Tarrytown NY last summer with a bag of mexican takeout, when I passed the Tarrytown Music Hall. I could barely hear a flute being played coming from within. I paused and recognised this tune. Out of sheer curiousity why anyone would be playing this, I ventured in. The doors were unlocked as it was around 5:30 in the afternoon and no one was around to query my entry. As I enterred the darkened hall, I noticed a beret wearing man on stage moving a mic stand and tugging on some wires. There was an overstuffed couch behind him and a few oriental rugs on the floor. Thinking I heard a bootleg copy of Tull on the PA, I was about to leave when I noticed the man on stage had a flute in his hands. I paused quietly and watched as he once again played a quick rendition of "Skating Away" and then some bizarre riff to end with. A,"That's good" came over the PA, confirming what I imagined to be the sound man accepting the volume level. I stated quite assuredly,"No, that's timeless." Ian shielded his eyes to see me and replied,"Cheers, mate", or something similar and then followed with,"Did I pass the audition?" To my dismay, the concert that evening was sold out, but I got a 14 second private mini show to stoke the fires of memory lane. My wife still thinks I dreamt it.
he could have given you a free AllAreas pass... nice memory anyway.
"Well, do you ever get the feeling...that everybody's on the stage and it seems like, You're the only person sitting in the audience?"
I think JT predicted modern social media obsession
That's certainly how I feel on a daily basis
If I could personally ban one artist from RP, it'd be Jethro Tull. So happy for PSD, and am happy for the rest of you enjoying JT :-).
If everyone could ban just one artist...what would we listen to?
"Doesn't age well" ?
I was thinking just the opposite.. First heard this when a friend included it on a mix tape for me, around 1990. I assumed it was from one of JT's late 80s albums. Quite surprised to see this was actually from `74!
Hall of Fame soon - one can hope!
The memory is 'golden' and that is all that matters. Thanks for sharing! Magical.
'Hobbit-rock'? I don't know what that is, but I raised my rating of the song from a 7 to a 9 just to be more un-like you.
Her and I didn't last much longer after that. But the new and old memories that the Tull band brought to me that night will stay with me forever.
I first heard this little "ditty" back in 1974. I must have been about....19 at the time. I loved all things Tull back then.
And now at this point in my life I'm hearing it again. And after an absence of some time, too.
I feel like I'm looking back thru a long, very long, tube at my younger self. Not in a bad way mind you. Just.....odd.
How else to explain that the person I am now seems to be dancing with the person I was then. All in one-way glass fashion with that younger self who's totally oblivious to me, his older self.
So strange. So grand.
Makes me wonder if some future self is doing the same thing to me, now? The world of the Quantum writ large.
All that you are, the entire arch of your life, sometimes it collapses into one moment. Call it a transition point.
Listening to this tune is one such moment for me. Is it for (some of) you?
(And no I'm not smokin' anything funny....if you can't tell I don't find I need any assistance from that sort of thing these days. My mind can go there all by its lonesome. Heh)
Highlow
American Net'Zen
..."8"!I had a similar experience, although not so up close and personal, when the Stones toured last. Their show in the nearby Georgia Tech football stadium was long ago sold out, so I wasn't going to that. But at some point in the afternoon, I walked my dog out back of the house to a green common space that forms a weird kinda bowl, physically and acoustically. As TI's (former) rap studio is nearby, we used to get a lot of strong audio, and the assorted gunfire/shooting/murder, in the bowl-green that way until the city cracked down on all that kinda thing. But that day Jagger's universally-recognizable voice floated right into the green, followed by "Some Girls" clear as a bell during the Stones' sound check at the stadium a few miles away. And then a couple of other instantly-recognized hits followed. So yeah, a private mini show. Still makes me grin, thinking about it.
particularly apt today
I would say the best line is "...everybody's on the stage and you're the only person sitting in the audience".
particularly apt today
Ageing changes one's priorities. Perhaps he now gets more joy from his salmon than from his flute. Besides, "all this great music" hasn't been deleted ....
konakid wrote:
Severely under-appreciated. I sat in the 7th row at Madison Square Garden in NYC for the "Aqualung" tour. Did not ever get any better than Jethro Tull!
A swift PSD will do the trick, no need for a tantrum Pat
That's a cool story. I used to live in North Tarrytown (now known as Sleepy Hollow) many years ago; there wasn't much to that music hall back then; in fact I think it was boarded from the late '70s until the early '80s.
Hobbits whoop ass with a limb and have good music taste
Agree. I love so much prog including PFM and Gentle Giant, but Tull has never been a pleasant experience for me. YMMV, which is OK.
Looking foward to to seeing him in concert this week.
Thank you, motobecane! Hope it was a great show! I wrote a poem this morning about rollerskating on railroad tracks... everybody in my hotel room loves this marvelous song from a classic album... we be skating like bowlegged gypsy muleskinners... love Radio Paradise...
All things considered it was a good show, but it wouldn't have killed him to bring a few singers and do it all live. The West coast shows were completely or close to sold out.
Hehe. The longer I listen to this, the truer your assessment becomes.
thanks Bill!
And what's more important than the talent by itself: he had the guts to work it out into something unique....
Hobbits are quite fun to party with, especially when a wizard and some dwarves show up.
'Hobbit-rock'? I don't know what that is, but I raised my rating of the song from a 7 to a 9 just to be more un-like you.
Good tune too.
definate improvement, with the city in negative view it matches the title of the album better
.
English? I think not. Ian Anderson is Scottish. Born in Dunfermline grew up in Edinburgh
Stepped in it, din 'e?
Chased them everywhere live. Met the band once. Mad, tripped out, creative shows were orgasmic affairs. All lost to history. Never captured for posterity. Unlike the dreary, worthless bands of today so well documented in high def, but worthless.
WELL STATED!
I concur!
English? I think not. Ian Anderson is Scottish. Born in Dunfermline grew up in Edinburgh
Chased them everywhere live. Met the band once. Mad, tripped out, creative shows were orgasmic affairs. All lost to history. Never captured for posterity. Unlike the dreary, worthless bands of today so well documented in high def, but worthless.
Fortunately a fairly short list.
Add one-legged flautist and the list shrinks considerably.
My girlfriend does too. You must be under 50 years old. Guess you had to live through it.
Stunning stuff before the "Songs From The Wood album. Meh thereafter. Best albums from "This Was" through "Passion Play."
Dig around those tracks and come into the fold!
It has little to do with age. Being born before 1965 does not make one automatically like this song; I know that for a fact.
Fortunately a fairly short list.
My girlfriend does too. You must be under 50 years old. Guess you had to live through it.
Stunning stuff before the "Songs From The Wood album. Meh thereafter. Best albums from "This Was" through "Passion Play."
Dig around those tracks and come into the fold!
thanks Bill!
Everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...
A Visit With Ian Anderson – Yes, That Ian Anderson!
Thanks for the link to the interview.
Looking foward to to seeing him in concert this week.
I am proud of bringing narcissism to a whole nude level... love this song...
Everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...
A Visit With Ian Anderson – Yes, That Ian Anderson!
This is very sad - I always liked Cornick's style best of all the Tull bassists - there was always this great counterpoint between him and Martin Barre's guitar playing.
Like "Thick As A Brick" - the "predecessor".
Met them (Martin and Barriemore) in a hotel hallway once, stalking them.
Had spoken to Ian on the hotel phone.
Those were the days.
Tons of genius and virtuosity.
Nothing remotely like this today.
Hey Bill, play "Mother Goose" please!!
Kokoloco53 wrote:
Agree completely!
not nearly enough tull, more please.
You are now replying to yourself? You bring narcissism to a whole new level.
I am making song comments... I am not poaching...
I am proud of bringing narcissism to a whole nude level... love this song...
What an odd reflection this brings up in me (now).
I first heard this little "ditty" back in 1974. I must have been about....19 at the time. I loved all things Tull back then.
And now at this point in my life I'm hearing it again. And after an absence of some time, too.
I feel like I'm looking back thru a long, very long, tube at my younger self. Not in a bad way mind you. Just.....odd.
How else to explain that the person I am now seems to be dancing with the person I was then. All in one-way glass fashion with that younger self who's totally oblivious to me, his older self.
So strange. So grand.
Makes me wonder if some future self is doing the same thing to me, now? The world of the Quantum writ large.
All that you are, the entire arch of your life, sometimes it collapses into one moment. Call it a transition point.
Listening to this tune is one such moment for me. Is it for (some of) you?
(And no I'm not smokin' anything funny....if you can't tell I don't find I need any assistance from that sort of thing these days. My mind can go there all by its lonesome. Heh)
Highlow
American Net'Zen