Recorded at Island Records' studio in London, it was their first album with John Evan as a full-time member, their first with new bassist Jeffrey Hammond and last album featuring Clive Bunker on drums. Something of a departure from the band's previous work, the album features more acoustic material than previous releases; and—inspired by photographs of homeless people on the Thames Embankment taken by singer Ian Anderson's wife Jennie—contains a number of recurring themes, addressing religion along with Anderson's own personal experiences.
Aqualung has sold over 7 million units worldwide according to Anderson, and is thus Jethro Tull's best selling album. The album was generally well-received critically, and has been included on several music magazine best of lists. The album spawned one single, "Hymn 43", and has been cited as an inspiration by bands such as Iron Maiden.
Aqualung
Jethro Tull Lyrics
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Eying little girls with bad intent
Snots running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey, Aqualung
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run, hey, Aqualung
Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, oh, Aqualung
Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely
Taking time, the only way he knows
Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end
He goes down to a bog and warms his feet
Feeling alone, the army's up the road
Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea
Aqualung, my friend, don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Do you still remember
December's foggy freeze
When the ice that clings on to your beard
It was screaming agony
Hey and you snatch your rattling last breaths
With deep-sea diver sounds
And the flowers bloom like
Madness in the spring
Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely
Taking time, the only way he knows
Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end
He goes down to a bog and warms his feet
Feeling alone, the army's up the road
Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea
Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Sitting on a park bench
Eying up little girls with bad intent
Snots running down his nose
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey Aqualung
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run, hey Aqualung
Feeling like a dead duck
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, hey Aqualung
Oh Aqualung
The song "Aqualung" by Jethro Tull is a haunting ballad that tells the story of "Aqualung," a homeless man who spends his days sitting on a park bench, watching little girls with "bad intent" and feeling like a "dead duck." The lyrics paint a picture of a destitute man, with "snots running down his nose" and "greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes." The refrain of "hey, Aqualung" is a pointed commentary on how society views and dismisses the homeless.
The second verse describes Aqualung's loneliness and physical pain, as he wanders through the city, picking up cigarette butts and warming his feet in a bog. The line "Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea" is a sarcastic reference to the idea that a cup of tea and some charity are all that's necessary to solve the problem of homelessness. The final verse brings the song full circle, with the chorus repeating the opening lines, as if to reinforce the idea that for Aqualung, there is no escape from his circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting on a park bench
Observing life from a bench in the park
Eying little girls with bad intent
Looking at young girls with inappropriate thoughts
Snots running down his nose
Mucus dripping from his nostrils
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey, Aqualung
Dirty hands leaving marks on his tattered clothes, addressed to Aqualung
Drying in the cold sun
Standing in the sun, but finding no warmth
Watching as the frilly panties run, hey, Aqualung
Observing women's undergarments blowing in the wind, directed at Aqualung
Feeling like a dead duck
Feeling hopeless like a bird out of its element
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, oh, Aqualung
Lamenting his misfortune, with a call to Aqualung
Sun streaking cold, an old man wandering lonely
A lonely old man walking under a cold sun
Taking time, the only way he knows
Moving at a leisurely pace, his only way of coping
Leg hurting bad as he bends to pick a dog end
Experiencing intense leg pain as he picks up a cigarette butt
He goes down to a bog and warms his feet
Heating his feet in a swamp
Feeling alone, the army's up the road
Feeling isolated, while the army is nearby
Salvation a la mode and a cup of tea
Finding comfort in a simple cup of tea
Aqualung, my friend, don't you start away uneasy
Addressing Aqualung and reassuring him from leaving with uneasiness
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Comforting Aqualung that it's only him, and there is no danger
Do you still remember
Recalling a past event
December's foggy freeze
Remembering a winter with a heavy fog and freezing temperatures
When the ice that clings on to your beard
Describing ice forming on his facial hair
It was screaming agony
Expressing that the cold was painfully unbearable
Hey and you snatch your rattling last breaths
The final breaths as a result of illness or old age
With deep-sea diver sounds
Breathing loudly and laboriously like a diver underwater
And the flowers bloom like madness in the spring
Describing how flowers bloom in a frenzy during spring
Aqualung my friend don't you start away uneasy
Addressing Aqualung to comfort him from feeling uneasy
You poor old sod, you see it's only me
Reassuring Aqualung that he has nothing to fear
Sitting on a park bench
Observing life from a bench in the park
Eying up little girls with bad intent
Looking at young girls with inappropriate thoughts
Snots running down his nose
Mucus dripping from his nostrils
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes, hey Aqualung
Dirty hands leaving marks on his tattered clothes, addressed to Aqualung
Drying in the cold sun
Standing in the sun, but finding no warmth
Watching as the frilly panties run, hey Aqualung
Observing women's undergarments blowing in the wind, directed at Aqualung
Feeling like a dead duck
Feeling hopeless like a bird out of its element
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck, hey Aqualung
Lamenting his misfortune, with a call to Aqualung
Oh Aqualung
An addressing sigh towards Aqualung
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind