Gabriel has been a champion of world music for much of his career. He co-founded the WOMAD festival in 1982. He has continued to focus on producing and promoting world music through his Real World Records label. He has also pioneered digital distribution methods for music, co-founding OD2, one of the first online music download services. Gabriel has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts. In 1980, he released the anti-apartheid single "Biko". He has participated in several human-rights benefit concerts, including Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour in 1988, and co-founded the Witness human rights organisation in 1992. Gabriel developed The Elders with Richard Branson, which was launched by Nelson Mandela in 2007.
Gabriel has won three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1987, six Grammy Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, the first Pioneer Award at the BT Digital Music Awards, the Q magazine Lifetime Achievement, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize. He was made a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his "influence on generations of music makers". In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. AllMusic has described Gabriel as "one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, followed by his induction as a solo artist in 2014. In March 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in recognition of his achievements in music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel
Studio albums
Peter Gabriel (1977; known as Peter Gabriel 1 and Car)
Peter Gabriel (1978; known as Peter Gabriel 2 and Scratch)
Peter Gabriel (1980; known as Peter Gabriel 3 and Melt)
Peter Gabriel (1982; known as Peter Gabriel 4 and Security)
So (1986)
Us (1992)
Up (2002)
Scratch My Back (2010)
New Blood (2011)
Secret World
Peter Gabriel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til I could see the face behind the face
All that had gone before had left no trace
Down by the railway siding
In our secret world, we were colliding
All the places we were hiding love
What was it we were thinking of?
So I watch you wash your hair
Underwater, unaware
And the plane flies through the air
Did you think you didn't have to choose it
That I alone could win or lose it
In all the places we were hiding love
What was it we were thinking of?
In this house of make believe
Divided in two, like Adam and Eve
You put out and I receive
[Chorus]
Down by the railway siding
In our secret world, we were colliding
In all the places we were hiding love
What was it we were thinking of?
Oh the wheel is turning spinning round and round
And the house is crumbling but the stairways stand
With no guilt and no shame, no sorrow or blame
Whatever it is, we are all the same
Making it up in our secret world [x3]
Shaking it up
Breaking it up
Making it up in our secret world
Seeing things that were not there
On a wing on a prayer
In this state of disrepair
[Chorus]
Shh, listen
closely - this is a song about two people, potentially a couple, who exist in their own "secret world." The singer begins by reflecting on a face he has seen, one that appears to be concealing some sort of hidden life, and wonders what has happened in the past to bring this about. He is standing in a place that provides him with shelter from the sun, perhaps signifying that he is happy to remain in a place of darkness, but eventually develops an urge to reveal the hidden identity he knows exists.
As he watches his partner wash her hair, he ponders the idea that perhaps they both assumed their love was too great to falter - that he himself had no control over his own destiny, and that his partner had no final say in what was to happen. The singer is aware that there are layers to the relationship, a make-believe world that perhaps he and his partner created, divided much like Adam and Eve, where he would take and she would give.
As the song progresses, it affirms the idea that we all inhabit our own secret worlds, broken but standing, and that we are all making it up as we go along, exploring the potential of being alive in this disordered, fragmented state. We all experience moments of disillusionment, perhaps, like seeing things that were not there, but ultimately move forward to create our own vision of the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I stood in this sun sheltered place
I was in a place with no worries
'Til I could see the face behind the face
I realized there was more to what I was seeing
All that had gone before had left no trace
Past experiences were not a factor in the moment
Down by the railway siding
We were in an unusual location
In our secret world, we were colliding
We were merging in a hidden place
All the places we were hiding love
Love was present but kept out of sight
What was it we were thinking of?
We questioned our motives for our feelings
So I watch you wash your hair
I observed a simple moment of yours
Underwater, unaware
You were lost in your own thoughts
And the plane flies through the air
A distant event was happening
Did you think you didn't have to choose it
Did you believe you had no say in the matter?
That I alone could win or lose it
That I was solely responsible for the outcome?
In all the places we were hiding love
Love was concealed in multiple areas
What was it we were thinking of?
We were unsure of why we felt the way we did
In this house of make believe
We were living in a fantasy world
Divided in two, like Adam and Eve
We were separated, like the first humans
You put out and I receive
Our roles were clearly defined
Down by the railway siding
We were still in that unusual spot
In all the places we were hiding love
Love remained concealed throughout our locations
What was it we were thinking of?
We still couldn't explain the forces driving our emotions
Oh the wheel is turning spinning round and round
Life continues on its unpredictable path
And the house is crumbling but the stairways stand
Even in chaos, there are elements that remain
With no guilt and no shame, no sorrow or blame
We felt free from negative emotions
Whatever it is, we are all the same
We share a common humanity
Making it up in our secret world
We created our own world to exist within
Seeing things that were not there
Our minds were playing tricks on us
On a wing on a prayer
Our hope kept us going
In this state of disrepair
We were in a broken state
Down by the railway siding
We were still merging in that hidden place
In all the places we were hiding love
Love was still concealed throughout our locations
What was it we were thinking of?
We were still pondering our emotions
Shh, listen
We wanted to focus on the moment and each other
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER GABRIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
therbop33
One of the top 10 live musical tours in human history.
Podpower
I agree, in my top 3 for a long time. Nr 2 U2 innocence and experience tour, Las Vegas and nr 1 Prince - Lovesexy Tour, 1988, Dortmund.
MultiKmicic
Agreed !!!
anapala
You're right !!!
I saw this show in 1993 at Lyon, France.
Awesome...♥️♥️♥️
Amy Crunch
Easily.
abeja diseño
Fucking Yesssssss!!!
Shawn Callahan
Peter Gabriel opened that tour here in Rochester NY. They were here for a month rehearsing. Nearly every day he would take off on a bicycle and would talk with everyone, most had no idea who he was. A mega star eating ice cream with a family.
harthebar r
For real. Wow thatvwas awesome. He woukd hang with the locals......his lastvshow in philly sept 2012 Or 11 I. Sat with his mother and sister not knowing till halfway
Conor Cusack
@John Bindert so awesome, thank you. I was blessed to have seen PG along with Tony Levin on the SO tour. astounding performer.
John Bindert
@Conor Cusack, yes, Tony Levin attended the Eastman School of Music. A few years ago, he was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall Of Fame. There are videos of it on YouTube.