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)
Underground
Gentle Giant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A passage run, go down, descend.
And underground the air is stale
With blurring light and endless rail.
On the wheels in motion, underground.
Silent noise, relentless sound.
Through shuttered aisle, the wheels go 'round.
From port to port, with miles to kill.
On wheels in motion, underground.
Just the locomotion, underground.
Windows dark, no view obscured.
With moving eyes, no sight assured.
Yet moving on, from place to place,
Through corridors, without a face.
On the wheels in motion, underground.
Just the locomotion, underground.
The Gentle Giant's song "Underground" is a gloomy and haunting song, exploring the thrilling and scary world below the ground. The song's lyrics establish a powerful image of the underground world, where the wheels keep moving from one end to the other, leading down and descending. The passengers sit in a suspended state of limbo, watching the world pass by through the windows, but not really grasping anything. The underground air is stale and suffocating, the lights are blurry, and the rails go on forever. There is no sense of time or space, just a relentless cacophony of sound, grinding metal, and moving machinery.
The song's thematic core seems to be about the allure, madness, and chaos of urban spaces, and how they affect the human experience. The song's characters are the common commuters who ride the underground trains every day, caught up in the endless cycles of motion and routine. They become weary, numb, and disoriented, their eyes fixed on the moving scenery, but their minds elsewhere. They undergo a partial transformation, losing their identity and individuality in the process, becoming nothing more than faceless silhouettes, hurrying from one point to the next.
Line by Line Meaning
Wheels go 'round, from end to end,
The train wheels move continuously from beginning to end of the underground passage.
A passage run, go down, descend.
The train moves down and descends into the underground passage.
And underground the air is stale
Breathing underground is difficult because of the stagnant air.
With blurring light and endless rail.
The dim and blurry lights inside the train and the seemingly unending train tracks create an eerie atmosphere.
On the wheels in motion, underground.
The train moves forward continuously underground.
Silent noise, relentless sound.
Although the noise inside the train is silent, the sound of the train wheels moving continuously is relentless.
Through shuttered aisle, the wheels go 'round.
The train wheels revolve through the train compartment, which is closed through curtains.
The day is night, yet never still,
Inside the underground train, it seems like nighttime all day long, and yet the train is always in motion.
From port to port, with miles to kill.
The train travels from one station to another, despite its riders having nowhere to go.
Just the locomotion, underground.
The train's only purpose is to transport its riders underground, with no concern for their destination.
Windows dark, no view obscured.
The windows of the train are dark, and there is nothing to be seen outside.
With moving eyes, no sight assured.
Even if the passengers move their eyes, they cannot see anything beyond the dark windows.
Yet moving on, from place to place,
Despite the lack of any view outside the train, the train moves from one station to the next.
Through corridors, without a face.
The train passes through long underground corridors, and the passengers cannot see any faces or people around them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NICHOLAS BRYANT-SMITH, JOHN HARTFORD, LUKE DONALD BOYD, BARRY JOHN M. FRANCIS, MATTHEW DAVID LAMBERT, DANIEL HOWE SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francisco Javier Rodríguez
Wheels go 'round, from end to end
A passage run, go down, descend
And underground the air is stale
With blurring light and endless rail
On the wheels in motion, underground
Silent noise, relentless sound
Through shuttered aisle, the wheels go 'round
The day is night, yet never still
From port to port, with miles to kill
On wheels in motion, underground
Just the locomotion, underground
Windows dark, no view obscured
With moving eyes, no sight assured
Yet moving on, from place to place
Through corridors, without a face
On the wheels in motion, underground
Just the locomotion, underground
joss Souverain
This is my favorite song with inside out on this album...the sound in this album is awesome !!! Thanks to upload. Long life to GG community.
Renato Silveira ZOGAHIB
UNDERGROUND COM GENTLE GIANT FOI MINHA ADOLESCÊNCIA FERVILHANTE.
Francisco Javier Rodríguez
Wheels go 'round, from end to end
A passage run, go down, descend
And underground the air is stale
With blurring light and endless rail
On the wheels in motion, underground
Silent noise, relentless sound
Through shuttered aisle, the wheels go 'round
The day is night, yet never still
From port to port, with miles to kill
On wheels in motion, underground
Just the locomotion, underground
Windows dark, no view obscured
With moving eyes, no sight assured
Yet moving on, from place to place
Through corridors, without a face
On the wheels in motion, underground
Just the locomotion, underground
Luc Lambert
Great song by GG. I love it!
sirensoundlabel
very cool bass line and sound.
c661
Everyone is calling this "commercial" or "pop rock", a label which is better suited to Giant for a Day. This is simpler than their older albums, but it's still way more serious sounding than anything played on classic rock radio nowadays.
Pentii Plenty
I really like this one. I know you're not supposed to if you're a GG fan. Well, I am. I love the London tube and I just love GG. Think they nailed it.
pizzafrenzyman
Interesting bass line
JENNIFER DENNIS
Thanks for sharing. Used to listen to this album yes LP when I was young with my brother and now they want $65-$100 for the CD. :( My brother still has his LP but doesn't help me any. lol. glad I can hear this here. THANKS AGAIN!!
Richard Wielgosz
Yeah, but even playing straight up rock and roll they kick most rock bands' asses off the stage.