Genesis: I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=114191
Printed Date: March 05 2025 at 21:17
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Topic: Genesis: I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Posted By: moshingsafely
Subject: Genesis: I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Date Posted: March 14 2018 at 09:55
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Just a question about this song's lyrics. Most of it makes pretty clear sense. It's a song about a guy who mows lawns, what he experiences as he does his work, and how he's happy doing it. But there's one line in the chorus that I can't quite figure out: I know what I like And I like what I know Getting better in your wardrobe Stepping one beyond your show For one, those words are just hard to parse. For two, I have no idea what they could be referring to. Knowing Genesis, it is probably something slightly naughty. But there's no indication at all anywhere else that this is a love song, or that there's a woman he's lusting after. Can anyone help me parse this? Is it yet another obtuse British-ism? |
Replies:
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: March 14 2018 at 10:20
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It's all metaphor for the pretense of everything. Individuals have an array of window dressing, but true self is always in closet. Yet it's not hard to find people that claim to know the real person behind the array of facades. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: March 14 2018 at 10:20
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I won't lie; I'm with you here. I've always wondered wtf he was talking about. My brain makes up all sorts of scenarios, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were all wrong knowing Gabriel. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 14 2018 at 12:35
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Saw this online.... "Armando Gallo reveals 'the inspiration for Peter's lyrics in "I Know What I Like" came from a painting by Betty Swanwick, which he saw at an exhibition. Peter immediately noted down the characters of the song on the exhibition catalogue, and later on Betty Swanwick agreed to make some additions and enlarge her painting for the cover of Selling England by the Pound.' One addition was the lawn mower, which was not present in the original painting. It fits in nicely with the English themed covers of the last 3 albums. This allegedly was written for Genesis' roadie from 1971-1973. His name was Jacob Finster, and he could never hold jobs - he was a lawn mower, a pawn store clerk and a cashier. By the time he died, he worked in a doughnut shop where he overdosed on heroin. Much to the disapproval of everyone else, the protagonist in the song is rebuking modern society and all its vices (consumerism, careerism, etc.) in favor of a simpler life. He may be regarded as an underachiever but he is content in the knowledge that he is creating beauty. Art is perhaps the only medium where one need know nothing, yet still be a critic: we all know the chestnut, "I may not know art, but I know what i like." This can also be viewed in a negative sense, where, after all, art is something worthy of knowing about - to ignore it is to set your sights low. This has led one reviewer to say that in this song - "the uselessness of the upper class youth is pointed out in I Know What I Like (in your wardrobe). The origin of the phrase "I may not know Art, but I know what I Like" is uncertain. My favourite instance of it is during the Last Supper sketch of Monty Python during their "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" film. In it, the Pope tells the painter (Michelangelo?) that he doesn't want his painting of the Penultimate Supper with three Christs and a Kangaroo - he wanted what he ordered, and ends the sketch with the phrase. The Garden Wall was the name of one of the Charterhouse groups that contained future members of Genesis. The Farmer, who's trade is apparently escaping from the fire, comes straight out of Supper's Ready. "getting better in your wardrobe" - some relation to the Chronicles of Narnia, or another reference to the British obsession with cross dressing like Pink Floyd's Arnold Layne? " ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: moshingsafely
Date Posted: March 15 2018 at 14:30
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Good thoughts, all. I'm just going to assume the point is to contrast the lawn mower's philosophy ("I know what I like, and I like what I know") with somebody pretending to higher aspirations... "getting better in your wardrobe" could be like "dressing for success". So it's probably just some clumsy lyrics (which Gabriel was not innocent of in those days ^_^ ) |
Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: March 15 2018 at 16:22
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Probably completely wrong - but I always thought of 'getting better in your wardrobe' alluded to the image of a man hiding in a wardrobe in old films or Whitehall farces, when the husband of his lover returns. It had an implication of saucy fun despite his lowly position as a gardener! ....then again, I've sung enough Yes lyrics at full volume without knowing what the hell they mean!  ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: March 15 2018 at 17:19
Good stuff!  Do you happen to have the link to where you found this, dr?------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
dr wu23 wrote:Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: March 15 2018 at 20:22
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^Scroll down to general comments...or do a Google search with Armando Gallo's name in it.... http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/1629/ or read the book... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2890959-genesis ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: March 16 2018 at 01:56
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^Perfect, thank you. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: April 03 2018 at 05:35
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well it was nearly 45 years ago! I think that the answer lies somewhere in one of the post's above! I had not heard about the Roadie ever - If he died tragically in 1973 - it would be a poignant epitaph for the unfortunate chap - That is the most satisfying explanation I think. Immortalised on the finest symphonic prog album ever!
Of course then firstname matches - but since that is the first time I had ever heard that - it may be an unsubstantiated claim! (I'm always getting the claxon in QI me.....) ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |