The Greatest Show On Earth were originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Gart… Read Full Bio ↴The Greatest Show On Earth were originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Garth-Roy and his bass-playing brother Norman. The original line-up included organist Mick Deacon, drummer Ron Prudence and three horns players, Dick Hanson, Tex Phillpotts and Ian Aitcheson. The band's first vocalist was black American Ozzie Lane but he returned to his native New Orleans a year later and was replaced by Colin Horton-Jennings, not only a strong gravel-voiced singer but also quite adept on the guitar, bongos and flute. The group's mixture of R&B soul, jazz and prog rock brought them to the attention of EMI's progressive label Harvest Records, who signed the band and issued, in february 1970, the single, "Real Cool World"/"Again And Again" which, though not a hit in the UK, gave the band a medium-sized hit across Europe where they were also an in-demand live attraction. Both tracks featured on their March 1970 debut LP, "Horizons" which was housed in a distinctive sleeve designed by Hipgnosis and coincided with a Radio One session for Mike Harding on which they played three new songs: "Borderline", "Mountain Song" and "Time". A second session for Harding, in November 1970, featured "The Leader" and "Check Me Into Your Life", the latter of which has never officially been released. "Tell The Story"/"The Mountain Song" had failed to chart when released in September 1970, and the same fate awaited the band's second album "The Going's Easy" though one track from the LP, "Magic Woman Touch" was later released by The Hollies.

The lack of chart success contributed to the band splitting in mid-1971. Ron Prudence, Ian Aitcheson and Tex Phillpotts quit music altogether, whilst Horton-Jennings joined Chaser and later turned up in Tagget releasing one self-titled album for EMI in 1974. Dick Hanson turned to session work and recorded with the likes of The Blues Band, Graham Parker, Dave Edmunds, Kirsty McColl and Shakin' Stevens. Mike Deacon joined Vinegar Joe and then became a member of both the Suzi Quatro Band and Darts. Norman Watt-Roy formed Glencoe releasing two albums for Epic, "Glencoe" and "The Spirit Of Glencoe". He then formed Loving Awareness, releasing one self-titled LP in 1976 for More Love Records, before the band eventually evolved into The Blockheads, the backing band for Ian Dury. Today he is a member of the Wilko Johnson Band. Garth Watt-Roy joined Fuzzy Duck before undertaking session work for the likes of East of Eden, Limey and Bonnie Tyler as well as being a member of Marmelade, The Q-Tips and The Barron Knights.

Skylight Man
The Greatest Show on Earth Lyrics

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Voices far below me seem to sound the same
Find if I go higher
I could breathe again
Freedom, freedom air
Blown into my hair

Haven't got a face that you could recognize
If you were up here with me you would realize

Off and go somewhere
The message in the air
Tells me if you try to run with a skylight man
It could put a strain on your eyes
'Cause the stage is set for a whole life
Trying to take your line to the sky

Someone took the sun away
And now I'm feeling so alone

Facing one more lonely day
And I'm still on my own

Shadows come from yesterday and hide the sun
Something's speaking memories are left unsung
Off and go somewhere
The message in the air
Tells me if you try to run with a skylight man
It could put a strain on your eyes

'Cause the stage is set for a whole life
Trying to take your line to the sky

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Greatest Show on Earth's song Skylight Man speak about the feeling of isolation and the yearning for freedom. The singer speaks of being high up, away from the voices below, where they can breathe again and feel the freedom air blowing through their hair. The message in the air tells them that trying to run with a skylight man could put a strain on their eyes since the stage is set for a whole life trying to take your line to the sky. The Skylight Man is someone that is free and can fly away from the constraints of society, but it isn't something that everyone can achieve. The singer speaks about feeling alone and facing another lonely day, with shadows from yesterday hiding the sun, and memories left unsung. The Skylight Man is a metaphor for those that have found a way to be free from societal constraints, and for those that haven't, it puts a strain on their eyes to try.

There is a sense of melancholy in the lyrics as if the Skylight Man is unattainable for many. It speaks of the struggles that people face in their lives, and the message in the song might be to not try to achieve the impossible, but to find freedom in what is possible. The Skylight Man is like a dream, and while it might be nice to have, sometimes it is just not feasible. The lyrics also speak to the idea that the grass isn't always greener on the other side and that trying to attain something unattainable might be a waste of time and effort.

Line by Line Meaning

Voices far below me seem to sound the same
Being far up high makes the voices beneath seem alike and indistinguishable.

Find if I go higher I could breathe again
The singer feels unburdened at great heights like they could breathe more freely.

Freedom, freedom air Blown into my hair
The liberated sensation from being high engulfs the singer just like the wind in their hair.

Haven't got a face that you could recognize If you were up here with me you would realize
Up here, physical appearance matters not and only the true value of oneself is recognized.

Off and go somewhere The message in the air Tells me if you try to run with a skylight man It could put a strain on your eyes 'Cause the stage is set for a whole life Trying to take your line to the sky
The artist hears a message in the air urging them to follow the path of the skylight man, but warns that it's a challenging journey towards living one's life to the fullest.

Someone took the sun away And now I'm feeling so alone
The lack of sun in their life leaves the singer feeling lonely and cold.

Facing one more lonely day And I'm still on my own
Despite facing another lonely day, the singer still maintains their independence and self-reliance.

Shadows come from yesterday and hide the sun Something's speaking memories are left unsung
The shadows of the past cloak the present and some memories remain unspoken.

Contributed by Colin J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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