The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Genesis Lyrics

And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
The lamb, though an unfamiliar sight on the bustling New York City locale, seems to bring a sense of calm and focus to an otherwise chaotic Broadway street scene.

Early morning Manhattan,
The scene is set in the early hours of the day in the midst of the city that never sleeps.

Ocean winds blow on the land.
The winds from the nearby ocean mingle with the smells and sounds of the streets of Manhattan.

Movie-Palace is now undone,
The grand old movie palace, perhaps a relic of a bygone era, is now no longer operational.

The all-night watchmen have had their fun.
The security personnel who worked the night shift at the movie palace have enjoyed their nocturnal escapades, but now it's time to call it a day.

Sleeping cheaply on the midnight show,
Patrons who could afford only the cheaper seats at the midnight show are now dozing off.

It's the same old ending - time to go.
The film may be over, but it's the same old story for these patrons; it's time for them to leave and make their way back out into the city.

Get out!
The security staff are now urging the cinema-goers to vacate the premises.

It seems they cannot leave their dream.
The patrons seem reluctant to leave the dreamlike world of the cinema and return to reality.

There's something moving in the sidewalk steam,
The vapors emanating from the hot pavement create a sense of movement on the empty sidewalk.

And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
The presence of the lamb on bustling Broadway brings a certain stillness to the air.

Nightime's flyers feel their pains.
Those who work at night, including those who distribute flyers, feel the strains of their nocturnal lifestyles.

Drugstore take down the chains.
The shutters of the late-night drugstore are taken down as the staff prepares to close up shop.

Metal motion comes in bursts,
The sound of metal clashing intermittently fills the nighttime air.

The gas station can quench that thirst.
The gas station remains open late into the night and is a place where one can refuel with gas or snacks.

Suspension cracked on unmade road
A truck driving on a poorly-maintained road has a cracked suspension.

The trucker's eyes read 'Overload'
The truck driver realizes that he has overloaded his vehicle and is now paying the price.

And out on the subway,
The scene now moves to the interior of a subway train.

Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid
The singer of the story, a graffiti artist known as Rael, makes his appearance.

Exits into daylight, spraygun hid,
Rael exits the subway car, hiding his spraygun.

And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
Once again, the lamb is seen as a calming presence in the midst of the chaos of Broadway.

The lamb seems right out of place,
Although the lamb is out of place on Broadway, it brings a sense of perspective and focus to the scene.

Yet the Broadway street scene finds a focus in its face.
The presence of the lamb serves as a point of reference in the midst of the chaotic scene on Broadway.

Somehow it's lying there,
Despite the fact that it seems out of place, the lamb is found lying on Broadway, serving as something of a touchstone.

Brings a stillness to the air.
The presence of the lamb is calming and has a stilling effect on the surrounding environment.

Though man-made light, at night is very bright,
The bright neon lights of the city create a very bright, artificial light, even at nighttime.

There's no whitewash victim,
Despite the chaos and bright lights, the city creates no victims who have been whitewashed or subjugated.

As the neons dim, to the coat of white.
As the neon lights begin to fade, the coat of whitewash on the buildings becomes more visible.

Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid
The graffiti artist Rael reappears in the story.

Wipes his gun - he's forgotten what he did,
Rael finds himself in a sort of fugue state, unable to remember what he has done with his spraygun.

And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
Once again, the calming presence of the lamb is invoked, providing a sort of anchor amidst the chaos of the city.

Suzanne tired her work all done,
At the end of a long day, Suzanne has finished her work and is feeling fatigued.

Thinks money - honey - be on - neon.
Suzanne thinks about how money, or the pursuit thereof, is like honey to the bright neon lights of the city.

Cabman's velvet glove sounds the horn
The cab driver honks his horn, not aggressively, but using a sort of velvet touch.

And the sawdust king spits out his scorn.
The sawdust king, perhaps an allusion to a person of shady and disreputable character, sneers contemptuously at the cab driver.

Wonder women you can draw your blind!
Rael, taking on a sort of superhero persona, addresses the women of the city, encouraging them to take risks and be bold.

Don't look at me! I'm not your kind.
However, Rael also asserts his otherness and distance from these women, underscoring the tension between connection and separation that animates the song.

I'm Rael!
Rael declares his identity and individuality, asserting his own unique perspective on the world around him.

Something inside me has just begun,
Though he has lived in the city for some time, Rael senses something new and transformative stirring within himself.

Lord knows what I have done,
This new sensation brings a certain degree of uncertainty and even fear, as Rael is unsure what he has unleashed within himself.

And the lamb lies down on Broadway.
As throughout the story, the lamb serves as a sort of touchstone amidst the turmoil of the city.

On Broadway
The chorus of the song repeats that the lights are bright and there is always magic in the air on Broadway.

They say the lights are always bright on Broadway.
The refrain becomes something of a mantra, underscoring the evergreen quality of the city and its enigmatic allure.

They say there's always magic in the air.
Once again, the song invokes the mysterious and alluring qualities of New York City, hinting at the transformative experiences that can happen there.