Anderson was born on 10th August 1947, the youngest of three children. He spent the first part of his childhood in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was influenced by his father's big band and jazz records and the emergence of rock music, though disenchanted with the "show biz" style of early American rock and roll stars like Elvis Presley. His family moved to Blackpool, Lancashire in 1959, where he gained a traditional education at Blackpool Grammar School. He went on to study fine art at Blackpool College of Art from 1964 to 1966.
In 1963, he formed The Blades with school friends Barriemore Barlow (drums), John Evan (keyboards), Jeffrey Hammond (bass), and Michael Stephens (guitar). This was a soul and blues band, with Anderson on vocals and harmonica. At this time Anderson abandoned his ambition to play electric guitar, allegedly because he felt he would never be "as good as Eric Clapton". He traded his electric guitar in for a flute which, after some weeks of practice, he found he could play fairly well in a rock and blues style. He continued to play acoustic guitar, using it as a melodic as well as rhythmic instrument. As his career progressed, he added soprano saxophone, mandolin, keyboards, and other instruments to his arsenal.
His famous tendency to stand on one leg while playing the flute came about by accident. As related in the "Isle of Wight" video, he had been inclined to stand on one leg while playing the harmonica, holding the microphone stand for balance. During the long stint at the Marquee Club, a journalist described him, wrongly, as standing on one leg to play the flute. He decided to live up to the reputation, albeit with some difficulty. His early attempts are visible in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film appearance of Jethro Tull. In later life he was surprised to learn of iconic portrayals of various flute playing divinities, particularly Krishna and Kokopelli, which show them standing on one leg.
While Anderson has recorded a small number of critically acclaimed projects under his own name, and frequently makes guest appearances in other artists' work, he has been identified in the public eye as the frontman of Jethro Tull for forty-four years. This is undoubtedly because a signature motif of Anderson's career has been a highly distinctive stage image, which has often been counter to the prevailing rock music culture. While he has habitually drawn inspiration from British folklore – at different times deploying stylistic elements of mediæval jester, Elizabethan minstrel, English country squire and Scottish laird – at other times he has appeared as astronaut, biker, pirate, and vagrant. His personae often involve a large degree of self-parody.
As a flautist, Anderson is self-taught; his style, which often includes a good deal of flutter tonguing and occasionally singing or humming (or even snorting) while playing, was influenced by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In 2003 he recorded a composition called Griminelli's Lament in honour of his friend, the Italian flautist Andrea Griminelli. In the 1990s he began working with simple bamboo flutes. He uses techniques such as over-blowing and hole-shading to produce note-slurring and other expressive techniques on this otherwise simple instrument.
He has recorded several songs on which he plays all the instruments as well as carrying out all the engineering and production (such as 1988's "Another Christmas Song"). Anderson's music blends styles such as folk, jazz, blues, rock, and pop. His lyrics are frequently complex, (mostly) tongue-in-cheek criticism of the absurd rules of society and/or religion ("Sossity, You're a Woman"; "Hymn 43"; "Thick as a Brick"). He often combines lyrics with other leitmotifs such as folk, mythological, fantastic ("The Minstrel in the Gallery", "Jack-in-the-Green", "Broadsword and the Beast"). In the 1990s and 2000s, Anderson's songs often capture 'snapshots' of his daily life ("Old Black Cat", "Rocks on the Road").
End Game
Ian Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I was (in my way) good to you.
And you were good for me.
Bye Bye my love.
Going to play the End Game.
It's growing kind of still.
You know there always will be a dream
Sleep comes around.
I had to play the End Game.
Bless us all. I must say
It was good, you know.
Keep me in mind for
A re-match in warm snow.
The faces at the door
Couldn't have looked more lost to see
Me waving as I brush
Away a tear.
Gone to play the End Game.
The first line of the song, "I'm slipping into grey" suggests that the singer is fading away, either physically or emotionally. It could be interpreted as a metaphor for approaching death, or simply as a sign of depression and detachment from life. The next two lines, "And I was (in my way) good to you. And you were good for me" show that the singer is reflecting on his past relationships and recognizing the positive aspects they brought to his life. The line "Bye Bye my love" indicates that the relationship is over and the singer has accepted it.
The second verse introduces the theme of the "End Game," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for death or a final reckoning. The singer seems resigned to the fact that the End Game is coming and that it will be quiet and peaceful. The line "You know there always will be a dream waiting for you when sleep comes around" suggests that even in death, there is still the possibility of new beginnings, and that our dreams and aspirations live on.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Gone to play the End Game" as a final statement of acceptance and surrender. The singer acknowledges that the game is over, but expresses hope for a rematch in the future ("Keep me in mind for a re-match in warm snow"). The final lines, "The faces at the door couldn't have looked more lost to see me waving as I brush away a tear," suggest that the singer is leaving behind a legacy of love and emotion, and that those who knew him will miss him.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm slipping into grey.
I am entering into a state of melancholy.
And I was (in my way) good to you.
I had my own way of showing you that I cared about you.
And you were good for me.
You were beneficial for me.
Bye Bye my love.
Farewell, my beloved.
Going to play the End Game.
I am going to put an end to this situation.
It's growing kind of still.
Everything is becoming increasingly silent.
You know there always will be a dream Waiting for you when Sleep comes around.
Even when you are sleeping, there will always be a dream waiting for you.
I had to play the End Game.
I was compelled to put an end to this situation.
Bless us all. I must say It was good, you know.
We should all be blessed. I must say that everything was good, you know.
Keep me in mind for A re-match in warm snow.
Remember me if you want to have a rematch in a warm place.
The faces at the door Couldn't have looked more lost to see Me waving as I brush Away a tear.
The people at the door seemed very disoriented to see me waving as I try to wipe away my tear.
Gone to play the End Game.
I have left to put an end to this situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DEREK SORENSEN, DEREK TODD SORENSEN, HOLLY ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind