The band's onetime stated aim was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular," although this stance was to alter significantly with time. While never achieving the commercial heights of progressive rock contemporaries such as Jethro Tull, Genesis, Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant was considered to be one of the most experimental bands in the genre (as well as one of the most experimental rock bands of the 1970s).
Gentle Giant's music was considered complex even by progressive rock standards, drawing on a broad swathe of music including folk, soul, jazz, and classical music. Unlike many of their progressive rock contemporaries, their "classical" influences ranged beyond the Romantic and incorporated mediaeval, baroque, and modernist chamber music elements. The band also had a taste for broad themes for their lyrics, drawing inspiration not only from personal events but from philosophy and the works of both François Rabelais and R. D. Laing.
Band members:
Members of classic lineup listed in bold.
Derek Shulman - lead vocals, saxophone, recorder, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, "Shulberry" (3-string custom electric ukulele) (1970-1980)
Ray Shulman - bass, trumpet, violin, vocals, viola, drums, percussion, recorder, guitar (1970-1980)
Kerry Minnear - keyboards, lead vocals (on recordings only), cello, vibraphone, xylophone, recorder, guitar, bass, drums (1970-1980)
Gary Green - guitar, mandolin, vocals, recorder, bass, drums, xylophone (1970-1980)
John Weathers - drums, percussion, vibraphone, xylophone, vocals, guitar (1972-1980)
Phil Shulman - lead vocals, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, recorder, percussion (1970–72)
Martin Smith - drums, percussion (1970–1971)
Malcolm Mortimore - drums, percussion (1971–1972)
Think of Me With Kindness
Gentle Giant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Close the door, put out the lights and go.
Late in the night, in the night your shadow falls between us.
Nevermore, never know.
There, memories are sorrow,
When there's no tomorrow.
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream;
Sleep while you think of me with kindness, please remember former days.
And you know, and you know,
And you know, long ago when first we made our promise -
Empty words, I wonder did you know -
The laugh that love could not forgive,
Is gone and tells no more to live,
And we who look in beauty's love;
Must now, through all, look back on before -
The tears that I first cried, no more;
Your love has come and gone, no more.
And we who look in beauty's love
Must now through all think back on before.
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream
Sleep while you think of me with kindness, please remember former days.
And you know, and you know.
And you know, when we two parted in tears
and silence
past the days, the parting ways.
Fare thee well, fare thee well, you that was once dear to me.
Think of me with kindness
Think of me.
The lyrics of Gentle Giant's "Think of Me With Kindness" contain a message of longing, regret, and acceptance. The singer appears to be addressing a former lover whom they wish to hold in their thoughts through the passage of time, "sleep while you think of me with kindness, please remember former days." The song is a reflection on a love that has ended and the memories that remain as well as the realization that the love has come and gone, "your love has come and gone, no more." The words convey a sense of sadness that is palpable throughout the song.
The singer acknowledges that the memories of their time together are tinged with sorrow, "there, memories are sorrow, when there's no tomorrow," but still they yearn for the happy times, "sweet the song that once we sang, the silent parting ways." Additionally, the song conveys a sense of acceptance of the end of the relationship, "the laugh that love could not forgive, is gone and tells no more to live." The lyrics express the universal experience of love ending but convey a hope that the memories of love can continue and sustain both parties.
Line by Line Meaning
Why am I using words, no more to say without you
I'm at a loss for words without you
Close the door, put out the lights and go.
Leave me alone in darkness
Late in the night, in the night your shadow falls between us.
Your absence looms large over us
Nevermore, never know.
We'll never know what could have been
There, memories are sorrow,
Our memories are painful
When there's no tomorrow.
When there's no hope for the future
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream;
I find solace in sorrowful daydreams
Sleep while you think of me with kindness, please remember former days.
Remember me fondly and cherish our past together
Sweet the song that once we sang, the silent parting ways.
Our breakup was heartbreaking after sharing sweet moments
And you know, and you know,
You know it too
And you know, long ago when first we made our promise -
We made promises long ago
Empty words, I wonder did you know -
Our promises were not kept, and I question if you knew their weight
The laugh that love could not forgive,
Our love couldn't survive the betrayal
Is gone and tells no more to live,
Our love has died, and there's no going back
And we who look in beauty's love;
We were once in love
Must now, through all, look back on before -
We must now reflect on our past
The tears that I first cried, no more;
I won't shed any more tears for you
Your love has come and gone, no more.
Our love has ended permanently
And we who look in beauty's love
We were once in love
Must now through all think back on before.
We must now reminisce on our past
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream
I find solace in sorrowful daydreams
Sleep while you think of me with kindness, please remember former days.
Remember me fondly and cherish our past together
And you know, and you know.
You know it too
And you know, when we two parted in tears and silence past the days, the parting ways.
We parted ways painfully, and the memory haunts us
Fare thee well, fare thee well, you that was once dear to me.
Goodbye, my former love
Think of me with kindness
Remember me in a positive light
Think of me.
Remember me always
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DEREK VICTOR SHULMAN, KERRY CHURCHILL MINNEAR, PHILIP ARTHUR SHULMAN, RAY SHULMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Antonella-cn8rl
....
The laugh that love could not forgive,
Is gone and tells no more to live,
And we who look in beauty's love;
Must now, through all, look back on before
The tears that I first cried, no more;
Your love has come and gone, no more
And we who look in beauty's love
Must now through all think back on before
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream
Sleep while you think of me with
Kindness, please remember former days
And you know, and you know
And you know, when we two parted in tears and silence
Past the days, the parting ways
Fare thee well, fare thee well, you
That was once dear to me
Think of me with kindness
Think of me
@franciscojavierrodriguez8236
[Verse 1]
Why am I using words
No more to say without you
Close the door, put out the lights and go
[Verse 2]
Late at night, in the night
Your shadow falls between us
Nevermore, I'll never know
[Pre Chorus]
There, memories are sorrow
When there's no tomorrow
[Chorus]
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream
Sleep while you think of me with kindness
Please remember former days
Sweet the song that once we sang
That silent parting ways
And you know
And you know
[Verse 3]
And you know, long ago
When first we made our promise
Empty words, I wonder did you know
[Bridge]
The laugh that love could not forgive
Is gone and tells no call to live
And we who look in beauty's love
Must now through all think back on before
The tears that first I cried, no more
Your love has come and gone, no more
And we who look in beauty's love
Must now through all think back on before
[Chorus]
Sleep while the sweet sorrow wakes my daydream
Sleep while you think of me with kindness
Please remember former days
And you know
And you know
[Verse 4]
And you know, when we two
Parted in tears and silence
Lost the days, the parting ways
[Outro]
Fare thee well, fare thee well
You that was once dear to me
Think of me with kindness, think of me
@isaacyure
Just discovered this band and can't stop listening
@leonardoD81
I also just discovered them. Not sure how I managed to miss them all these years as I was and still am such a fan of progressive rock music
@profk3742
thats my experience with Gentle Giant as well
@renepeterse1884
Join the club, welcome
@cosmicdrifter287
I Had the same experience.It"s a sign your music taste is developing and blossems.
@guidenredhawk
welcome all to the Giant! I really got into them some years back. I recommend looking at some earlier Kansas and Camel, both are also great IMO.
@mikereiss4216
RIP Ray Shulman. I will think of him with kindness.
@ignaciogarciablanco3995
You saw the IG post too? 😅. Ray was the best.
@paulswietek4059
This is one of my favorite songs... so beautiful! Thank you!
@ChristopherMorss
Hard not to cry to this one. Gets me every time.