Predictive Rock

You can really tell he gets the story (not)

It would be quite interesting to hear the different interpretations that members of the forum may have of this mammoth of a prog rock classic. Seeing as it's probably on many a member's desert island list (and not merely for the economy of its length).
Genesis have got some very cryptic lyrics in many of their songs but this has always felt rather straightforward to me as being about the perils of trusting in the words of state propaganda and organised religion - which has both all too often throughout history been fanning the flames of war while speaking beautifully of peace. Any other insights into the meaning of the lyrics I'd be happy to hear!

Let's face it during the early 70s most university chemistry labs were heavily into manufacturing "microdots" or "blotting paper" and it was trendy to be tripped out of yer head. Any young person around at that time who didn't know about it was in a monestery, or perhaps they knew too?

Lucy in the sky with diamonds was obviously about £ S D (pounds shillings and pence - old English money)...

Young blokes went about wearing long hair and beards and wizzard/monk habbits with massive flared sleeves, and equally massively flared jeans.

Bowie had the press believing lyrics like "Time, he flexes like a whore. Falls w**king to the floor" came about by "cut-ups".

So make of it what you will. There are possibly hundreds of interpretations.

And was LSD so new? See...