Greg Lake was born in Poole, Dorset, and first learned to play guitar aged 12. He came to prominence as a founding member of King Crimson. He was a school friend of guitarist Robert Fripp, who invited Lake to join the new band and take on the tasks of lead singer and bass player. Lake was primarily a guitarist, but agreed to switch to bass at Fripp's request. Lake had some involvement in writing the lyrics for King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, although Peter Sinfield was the primary lyricist. Aside from being the lead singer and bass player, Lake also ended up producing the album after their contracted producer, Tony Clarke, walked away from the project.
"In the Court of the Crimson King", released in 1969, made King Crimson far more successful than any of Fripp and Lake's earlier projects (such as the Shy Limbs or Giles, Giles and Fripp), and became a key influence and landmark in the emerging progressive rock genre. Lake's vocals, which ranged from serene and soothing to acerbic and distorted, were a striking element of the album. However, Lake stayed with King Crimson for only about a year, leaving soon after their debut album to start the rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Though at Fripp's request, Lake provided the vocals for King Crimson's second album, In the Wake of Poseidon.
King Crimson played a couple of venues with The Nice, during which Lake struck up a friendship with The Nice's precocious keyboardist Keith Emerson. Lake and Emerson eventually teamed up and brought in the drummer from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster, Carl Palmer—forming the progressive rock 'supergroup' Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP). Lake contributed acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, lyrics, vocals and production work to the band. The trio did not make use of external producers for any of their albums in the 1970s, nor did they employ session players for studio work or live performances. During concerts, Lake would play acoustic guitar, electric guitar or bass as required. Beginning with the 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery, Lake did collaborate with Peter Sinfield to write lyrics.
ELP sold more than 30 million albums in the 1970s, and made a significant musical contribution to the evolution of progressive rock. Lake co-wrote many of ELP's songs but was known for his guitar-oriented, soulful ballads. On their debut album (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Lake included an acoustic song (with a keyboard outro hastily recorded by Emerson) called "Lucky Man", based on a poem he had written at the age of 12. In determining the direction of the band, Lake's focus on ballads, radio-friendly material and "down-to-earth" compositions contrasted sharply with Emerson's desire to create rock symphonies and polyphonic, poly-rhythmic suites. Their collaboration led to ELP creating albums with an eclectic mixture of classical pieces, ballads, hard rock songs and epic-length suites.
In 1975, while still a member of ELP, Lake achieved solo chart success when his single, "I Believe in Father Christmas", reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. It has become a Yuletide perennial.
Lake subsequently joined Asia, briefly replacing fellow King Crimson alumnus John Wetton, and then co-formed Emerson, Lake & Powell.
In 2005, Lake toured Germany and the United Kingdom with his "Greg Lake Band" which included David Arch, Florian Opahle, Trevor Barry on bass, and Brett Morgan.
Lake performed "Karn Evil 9" with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at several shows. He was a special guest on the album Night Castle (2009).
In 2010, he toured with Keith Emerson, from which came the live album Live from Manticore Hall. In 2012, Lake toured England, The United States and Italy with the "Songs Of A Lifetime" show. He played a career retrospective, along with select covers, for small audiences.
On 25 July 2010, Lake joined Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer for what was to be the final live concert by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, at the High Voltage rock festival, in Victoria Park, London. The entire concert was later released as the double-CD live album, High Voltage.
In late June 2013 Lake was invited to star at Genoa's International Poetry Festival where he performed a reading of "Pirates", a drama piece in music he wrote with Peter Sinfield, then performed some of his classic songs.
On 9 January 2016 he was awarded an honorary degree in music and lyrics composition by Conservatorio Nicolini in Piacenza, Italy, the first degree awarded by the conservatory.
Lake died following a lengthy battle with cancer on 7 December 2016 at the age of 69.
Discography
Solo
Greg Lake with Gary Moore (1981) US #62; UK No. 62
Manoeuvres with Gary Moore (1983) US No. 209
Ride the Tiger with Geoff Downes (2015)
Live albums
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Greg Lake in Concert (aka Nuclear Attack/Live/In Concert) with Gary Moore (1995)
Greg Lake (2007)
Songs of a Lifetime (2013)
Live from Manticore Hall with Keith Emerson (2014)
Compilations
The Greg Lake Retrospective: From The Beginning (1997)
From The Underground: The Official Bootleg (1998)
From The Underground 2 : Deeper Into The Mine : An Official Greg Lake Bootleg (2003)
Singles
I Believe in Father Christmas (1975)
C'est La Vie (1977)
Watching Over You (1977)
Love You Too Much (1981)
Let Me Love You Once (1981)
It Hurts/Retribution Drive (1982)
Famous Last Words (1983)
DVDs
Greg Lake: Live In Concert (2006)
Welcome Backstage (2006)
with the Shame
singles
Don't Go Away Little Girl/Dreams Don't Bother Me (1967)
with Shy Limbs
singles
Reputation/Love (1968; side B only)
with King Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King (October 1969); US No. 28 UK No. 5
In the Wake of Poseidon (May 1970); US No. 31 UK No. 4
Epitaph (1997)
with Emerson, Lake and Palmer
The discography of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, an English progressive rock band, includes 9 studio albums, 17 live albums, 13 compilation albums, and 13 singles.
with Asia
Enso Kai (2001), Recorded live at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, on 6 December 1983.
with Emerson, Lake and Powell
Emerson, Lake & Powell (1986)
The Sprocket Sessions (2003(An Official Bootleg), 2010(Reissue))
Live in Concert (2003(An Official Bootleg), 2010(Reissue))
Live in Concert & More... (2012), 2CDs Contains 2 previously released official bootlegs, Live in Concert and The Sprocket Sessions
Paralysed
Greg Lake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another one night stand.
Another sea of faces
Staring from the dark. (dark)
Then I saw you looking up at me
With unmistakeable eyes.
I could see you were determined
To make a mark.
Just like a mako shark.
And I was paralysed.
Paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
I was paralysed,
Just couldn't move.
Straight as an arrow
I see you flyin' through the night.
A message with a number
Anytime I called.
I was looking at your face
As the microphone glittered.
The crowd began to roar.
When the spotlight hit me,
I was all alone.
They wanted flesh and blood,
But I had fingers of stone.
And I was paralysed.
Paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
I was paralysed,
Paralysed.
Out of the shadows
I heard a guitar scream.
The place began to thunder,
Street wall.
You were dreamin' of a hero,
A rock'n roll stallion
To make it through the night.
Like a rush of blue heaven
On a mission to score.
Just Snow White, dynamite,
Screaming for more.
And I was paralysed.
Paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
I was paralysed.
Paralysed,
Paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
I was paralysed.
Paralysed,
I was paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
I was paralysed.
In Greg Lake's song "Paralysed," the singer describes a one night stand that led to a profound, though temporary, connection between two people. The singer describes himself as just another face in the crowd, performing for an audience with his guitar when he noticed someone looking up at him. The lyrics suggest that this person, described as determined and with unmistakable eyes, is attracted to the performer and is coming for him "just like a mako shark."
As the song goes on, the connection deepens. The performer describes receiving a message with a number and calling it, looking into the person's face as he performed on stage, feeling paralyzed by the fire in their eyes. He then becomes aware of an entire crowd of people around him, wanting more from him than he can give, but empowered by the presence of this one individual. When the spotlight hits him and he is alone on stage, he realizes that he cannot provide what the crowd wants but is nevertheless emboldened by the connection he has made.
"Paralysed" is a song about the momentary nature of connection and how it can anchor us to the present, even in the midst of chaos. It captures the feeling of being overwhelmed by a situation but then having a moment of clarity and being able to act. The lyrics suggest that the singer is drawn to this person not just because of their appearance or charisma, but because of their determination and strength. The song is ultimately a tribute to the transformative power of connection and the moments that can change us forever.
Line by Line Meaning
It was just another suitcase,
This line means that the persona was travelling again just like always, with no significant change in the itinerary. He takes it as standard.
Another one night stand.
This line indicates that he was ready and prepared just for a one night performance, like all other times.
Another sea of faces
This line means that he was going to perform, as usual, in front of an unfamiliar and nameless audience, with no distinction of age or gender.
Staring from the dark. (dark)
This line means that the crowd had already gathered, standing in front of a dark stage in anticipation of an excellent performance.
Then I saw you looking up at me
After looking towards the stage, the persona notices somebody different from the rest of the crowd staring up at him.
With unmistakeable eyes.
The person has an unmistakable and incomparable glow in their eyes, which catches the persona's attention.
I could see you were determined
Due to the way the person appears, the persona can tell they're firm and resolute in something.
To make a mark.
The person is bent on making an impression on the persona's mind, sufficient enough to remember it for an extended period.
You were coming for me
The person, figuratively, is coming for the persona with a desire for them to connect or interact.
Just like a mako shark.
This line means that the person is coming towards the persona with the same urgency as a shark when going for its prey.
And I was paralysed.
The persona was paralyzed by the turn of events, and becomes still in shock.
Paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
The persona is immobilized by the intensity of the person's eyes, their zeal, and expectation.
Just couldn't move.
The persona is stuck in one spot, that they cannot even move.
Straight as an arrow
The person or performer was very serious and utterly focused, with no distractions.
I see you flyin' through the night.
Refers to the performer's skill and mastery of their performance at night.
A message with a number
The persona receives a message from the person, and it comes with a phone number.
Anytime I called.
The persona was informed that they could call or text the contact at any given moment.
I was looking at your face
The persona could vividly see the other person's face, as the microphone illuminated it.
As the microphone glittered.
The microphone had a radiant spark that made the other person's face stand out.
The crowd began to roar.
The crowd became ecstatic as the performer's words hit home and became appealing to them.
When the spotlight hit me,
The persona appeared on stage as the spotlight hits them, signifying the beginning of their performance.
I was all alone.
Despite being on stage, the persona felt completely alone and isolated.
They wanted flesh and blood,
The crowd expected more from the persona than they could give, expecting a more profound personal performance that involves more of his heart and emotions.
But I had fingers of stone.
The persona could only perform relatively poorly, likened to a statue, unable to emote or let go completely.
Out of the shadows
This line represents a change in the scene, which puts the persona into a new situation.
I heard a guitar scream.
The persona heard a guitar playing loudly, to the point of screaming, in the background, increasing the tension and amplifying the music.
The place began to thunder,
With the introduction of the guitar's melody, the entire location went into a frenzy, likened to thundering sounds.
Street wall.
The whole place became filled up with energy, and supporters began to throng around the performer, forming a wall resembling an alley's passage.
You were dreamin' of a hero,
The persona understood that the person was daydreaming of an ideal, possibly a hero who would save the night and make it special.
A rock'n roll stallion
The person wanted someone who could rock their world, who would proffer a different approach and make things extra interesting.
To make it through the night.
The other person desired to get through the night with someone who could share in their joy or be the reason for their excitement.
Like a rush of blue heaven
This line refers to the persona and their performance as being an influx of joy and an appearance of something magnificent, like a clear sky on a bright day.
On a mission to score.
The performer, like a secret agent, has a task to carry out, but instead of saving the world, their mission is to make sure the audience enjoyed their performance.
Just Snow White, dynamite,
This verse describes the performer's image and personality as a mixture of innocence, grit, and power.
Screaming for more.
The crowd, having tasted the persona's energy and emotions, screams and demands even more.
Paralysed.
Reiterating that the persona was still immobilized and unable to move due to the person's energy and presence.
Paralysed by the fire in your eyes.
The persona remains perpetually paralyzed by the intensity of the person's eyes and energy.
Writer(s): Greg Lake
Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@keithabsey2129
the great gary moore and greg lake RIP to both of you
@TheElimari24
Wow! I've been trying to figure out who sang this song for years and years. I'm so glad you uploaded this! Thanks!
@shirleypena4133
I think this is an excellent album and I have always wondered why it failed to yield many top ten hits when it was released in the early eighties.