Couldn't find this in any searches so hopefully it hasn't been done before.

I've read that the beginning of Supper's Ready (six saintly shrouded men) comes from a dream Peter Gabriel had and it's generally a good vs evil thing, but I'd be interested in people's interpretations e.g. what is Willow Farm?, who are Iknaton and Itsacon and their band of merry men?

(Ĭknä´ten) or Akhenaton [Egyptian,=Aton is satisfied], d. c.1354 BC, king of ancient Egypt (c.1372-1354 BC), of the XVIII dynasty; son and successor of Amenhotep II

 'Itsacon' might be a wordgame, Genesis used often Puns and privat jokes, 'Band of Merry men' = Robin Hood ? Robin Hood shows up again in 'the battle of Epping Forest'.

• The protagonist (perhaps Peter himself) is surprised by the presumed possessing of his wife.
• Meanwhile, the anti-Christ (The Guarunteed Eternal Sanctuary Man) is spreading false teachings and gathering a following.
• The forces of the G.E.S.M. engage in battle with the righteous.  The outcome is unclear.
• The survivors are bewildered in the ruins of the old world.
• Willow Farm can mean any of the following
• A meaningless contrasting device, possible since Willow Farm was written as a seperate song before the rest of the epic.
• The passage of time before apocalypse and salvation.
• The hedonism and confusion following the armageddon
• The lovers witness the destruction of the innocent and righteous at the hands of 666, the serpent, et al.
• Just when all seems lost, God ends the world, Jesus comes down, and brings the innocent to the New Jerusalem.

beterdedthnred4 wrote: The general accepted outline is as follows.... The protagonist (perhaps Peter himself) is surprised by the presumed possessing of his wife. Meanwhile, the anti-Christ (The Guarunteed Eternal Sanctuary Man) is spreading false teachings and gathering a following. The forces of the G.E.S.M. engage in battle with the righteous.  The outcome is unclear. The survivors are bewildered in the ruins of the old world. Willow Farm can mean any of the following A meaningless contrasting device, possible since Willow Farm was written as a seperate song before the rest of the epic. The passage of time before apocalypse and salvation. The hedonism and confusion following the armageddon The lovers witness the destruction of the innocent and righteous at the hands of 666, the serpent, et al. Just when all seems lost, God ends the world, Jesus comes down, and brings the innocent to the New Jerusalem. In esscence, its a psychedelic retelling of the book of Revelation told (partly) in the first person.

Can I hum along to it though?

(From the GENESIS FAQ)

What is Supper's Ready all about? Who is Gabble Ratchet?

"There was one particular incident that gave me the inspiration for Supper's Ready. There was this room at the top of Jill's (his wife) parents' house. The room was the coldest part of the house. I always used to get the shivers when I went in there. It was covered in strong purple and turquoise wallpaper. Everything was bright purple and turquoise. Anyway, we had this strange evening up there which ended with Jill feeling like she'd been possessed. It was extremely frightening. I don't know how to explain it - it was as if she had had a fit, or something. I experienced a sense of evil at that point - I saw another face in her face. I don't know how much of this was going on inside my head and how much was actually happening, but it was an experience I could not forget and was the starting point for a song about the struggle between good and evil." - Peter Gabriel

For a more unique explanation, this annotation comes from a program from the Foxtrot or early Selling England tours:

i) Lover's Leap

In which two lovers are lost in each other's eyes, and found again transformed in the bodies of another male and female.

ii) The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man

The lovers come across a town dominated by two characters: one a benevolent farmer, and the other the head of a highly disciplined scientific religion. The latter likes to be known as "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" and claims to contain a secret new ingredient capable of fighting fire. This is a falsehood, an untruth, a whopper and a taradiddle, or to put it in clearer terms; a lie.

iii) Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men

Who the lovers see clad in grays and purples, awaiting to be summoned out of the ground. At the G.E.S.M.'s command they pour forth, from the bowels of the earth, to attack all those without an up-to-date "Eternal Life License" which were obtainable at the head office of the G.E.S.M.'s religion.

iv) How Dare I Be So Beautiful?

In which our intrepid heroes investigate the aftermath of the battle and discover a solitary figure, obsessed by his own image. They witness an unusual transmutation, and are pulled into their own reflections in the water.

v) Willow Farm

Climbing out of the pool, they are once again in a different existence. They're right in the middle of a myriad of bright colours, filled with all manner of objects, plants, animals and humans. Life flows freely and everything is mindlessly busy. At random, a whistle blows and every single thing is instantly changed into another.

vi) Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)

At one whistle the lovers become seeds in the soil, where they recognize other seeds to be people from the world in which they had originated. While they wait for Spring, they are returned to their old world to see the Apocalypse of St. John in full progress. The seven trumpeters cause a sensation, the fox keeps throwing sixes, and Pythagoras (a Greek extra) is deliriously happy as he manages to put exactly the right amount of milk and honey on his corn flakes.

vii) As Sure as Eggs is Eggs (Aching Mens' Feet)

Above all else an egg is an egg. 'And did those feet ..............' making ends meet.

As for Gabble Ratchet - apparently it is the sound of wild geese that heralds the arrival of archangels (or something similar).

  Thanks for the explanations. Genesis with Peter Gabriel was just so deep I doubt anyone can pick up everything that the music contained. Someone did a master's thesis on The Lamb.

Certif1ed wrote: (From the GENESIS FAQ) What is Supper's Ready all about? Who is Gabble Ratchet? "There was one particular incident that gave me the inspiration for Supper's Ready. There was this room at the top of Jill's (his wife) parents' house. The room was the coldest part of the house. I always used to get the shivers when I went in there. It was covered in strong purple and turquoise wallpaper. Everything was bright purple and turquoise. Anyway, we had this strange evening up there which ended with Jill feeling like she'd been possessed. It was extremely frightening. I don't know how to explain it - it was as if she had had a fit, or something. I experienced a sense of evil at that point - I saw another face in her face. I don't know how much of this was going on inside my head and how much was actually happening, but it was an experience I could not forget and was the starting point for a song about the struggle between good and evil." - Peter Gabriel For a more unique explanation, this annotation comes from a program from the Foxtrot or early Selling England tours: i) Lover's Leap In which two lovers are lost in each other's eyes, and found again transformed in the bodies of another male and female. ii) The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man The lovers come across a town dominated by two characters: one a benevolent farmer, and the other the head of a highly disciplined scientific religion. The latter likes to be known as "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man" and claims to contain a secret new ingredient capable of fighting fire. This is a falsehood, an untruth, a whopper and a taradiddle, or to put it in clearer terms; a lie. iii) Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men Who the lovers see clad in grays and purples, awaiting to be summoned out of the ground. At the G.E.S.M.'s command they pour forth, from the bowels of the earth, to attack all those without an up-to-date "Eternal Life License" which were obtainable at the head office of the G.E.S.M.'s religion. iv) How Dare I Be So Beautiful? In which our intrepid heroes investigate the aftermath of the battle and discover a solitary figure, obsessed by his own image. They witness an unusual transmutation, and are pulled into their own reflections in the water. v) Willow Farm Climbing out of the pool, they are once again in a different existence. They're right in the middle of a myriad of bright colours, filled with all manner of objects, plants, animals and humans. Life flows freely and everything is mindlessly busy. At random, a whistle blows and every single thing is instantly changed into another. vi) Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-Starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet) At one whistle the lovers become seeds in the soil, where they recognize other seeds to be people from the world in which they had originated. While they wait for Spring, they are returned to their old world to see the Apocalypse of St. John in full progress. The seven trumpeters cause a sensation, the fox keeps throwing sixes, and Pythagoras (a Greek extra) is deliriously happy as he manages to put exactly the right amount of milk and honey on his corn flakes. vii) As Sure as Eggs is Eggs (Aching Mens' Feet) Above all else an egg is an egg. 'And did those feet ..............' making ends meet. As for Gabble Ratchet - apparently it is the sound of wild geese that heralds the arrival of archangels (or something similar).

Hardly suprising that "Lamb" comes from the same mind is it? Some striking similarities e.g Transformations, pools etc.

Thanks for all your replies, especially certif1ed, it makes for interesting reading.

Now who wants to start on Close To The Edge?

AbsentEnemy wrote: I'm almost positive that Jon Anderson's lyrics don't actually mean anything. He just writes gibberish and calls it artistic.

Yea, I Know. But still, the songs themselves are just amazingly good and Jon Anderson's voice ugh... Is something.... To dieeeee. foooorrrr

Empathy wrote: Snow Dog wrote: Hardly suprising that "Lamb" comes from the same mind is it? Some striking similarities e.g Transformations, pools etc. That must have been some fantastically powerful acid!

Apart from assumptions and rumors, has it been confirmed that Gabriel was on lots of drugs?  I prefer to think he wasnt, though I wouldnt be surprised if he was.  I've seen some live footage of Genesis and he looks pretty sober despite his odd antics.  It is possible to create really weird things without drugs, but it does seem unlikely...

Dennis wrote: If you read any of the books of Armando Gallo's that he's written on Genesis, it states clearly that Gabriel NEVER used drugs. He's just naturally strange.

That's refreshing to hear that someone can create something so great without the use of drugs.  It seems like too rare a thing these days...

GoldenSpiral wrote: Dennis wrote: If you read any of the books of Armando Gallo's that he's written on Genesis, it states clearly that Gabriel NEVER used drugs. He's just naturally strange.    That's refreshing to hear that someone can create something so great without the use of drugs.  It seems like too rare a thing these days...

Remember Uncle Frank didn't use any neither. And when one listens to his music one must think that it has been done with a lot of chemical help!

Logos wrote: GoldenSpiral wrote: Dennis wrote: If you read any of the books of Armando Gallo's that he's written on Genesis, it states clearly that Gabriel NEVER used drugs. He's just naturally strange.    That's refreshing to hear that someone can create something so great without the use of drugs.  It seems like too rare a thing these days... Remember Uncle Frank didn't use any neither. And when one listens to his music one must think that it has been done with a lot of chemical help!

Of course! How could I forget?  what a total madman.

I remember reading somewhere that Peter once in his life smoked pot but the effect was so terrible that after that always hated drugs.

I found it in the Genesis Forum:

The story goes that Gabriel attended some party, ate some hash cake and stumbled home in the dark, barely knowing where to go...   He remarked later that it was the most fearful and afraid he had ever been and never tried it again or any drug.     Collins smoked pot (by his own admittance + there are a couple of photos around of PC 'lighting up'). I'd also heard that Hackett admitted to 'some' drug usage in the early days. Banks and Rutherford I'm not sure of...

I also remember one interview by the Italian TV where Peter said that he hated when people was wasted in their concerts and that he wanted an audience trying to understand the music, Mike Rutherford made the translation to Italian, but he didn't seemed so sure about what he was saying

Iván

Easy Livin wrote: I read somewhere that Marillion were upset that people thought their song "Supper's nearly ready" was a rip off of this Genesis classic.

Fish around 84: Grumble, Grumble , Grumble, Grendel, Grumble, Grendel, Grumble

^So then Gabriel must be pretty hard core religious. I mean witnessing the Apocalypse and all.