The Colony of Slippermen

Written by Banks/Collins/Gabriel/Hackett/Rutherford
From the Genesis album: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, 1974
Transcribed by Hisao Chida
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Arrival.
Intro: {Percussions, guitar, synth, etc. freely}
------
|4/4 E5 | (x 48 bars)

{Enters the band, tempo: 126}

|12/8 |F# |
...Baba-di-ban...

Verse A-1: (1:52-)

----------
| ||F# |
I wandered lonely as a cloud,
| | |
Till I came upon this dirty street.
| |D#m | |
I've never seen a stranger crowd;
| |
Slubberdegullions on squeaky feet,

{Enter backing vocals}

|C# D#m
Con - tinually pacing,
With nonchalant em-bracing,
Each orifice dis-gracing

|C#/G# F#/C# |F# |

And one facing me moves to say "hel-lay".

[Verse A-2] (2:19-)||

Your skin's all covered in slimy lumps.
With lips that slide across each chin.
His twisted limbs like rubber stumps
Are waved in welcome say "Please join in."

My grip must be flipping,

Cos his handshake keeps slipping,
My hopes keep on dipping

And his lips keep on smiling all the time.

Verse B-1: (2:46-)

----------
|6/4 E/B |B |12/8
"We, like you, have tasted love.
|12/8 Bm7 | |
Don't be alarmed at what you see,___
|
You yourself are just the same
| ||
As what you see in me."

Verse C-1: {Enters synth arpeggios} (2:57-)

---------
|E5 |14/8 |12/8 Dsus2 |10/8 |12/8
Me, like you? like
|12/8 C#m7 |14/8 |12/8 Dsus2/C |9/8 ||12/4
that!

Pre-chorus: {Tempo: 180} (3:12-) (12/4 = 4/4 x 3)

-----------
|12/4 F6 | |
"You better watch it son, your sentence has only just begun
|Gm7 |G7
You better run and join your brother John.___"

A Visit to the Doktor.

Chorus 1: (3:27-) (12/4 = 3/4 x 4)
---------
||Cm
"You're in the colony of slippermen.
|Gm7
There's no who? why? what? or when?
|Fm7
You get out if you've got the gripe
|9/4 Bb |4/4
To see, Doktor Dyper, reformed sniper - he'll whip off your
|4/4 ||12/4
windscreenwiper"

[Chorus 2] (3:45-)

John and I are able

To face the Doktor and his marble table.
Understand Rael, that's the end of your tail.
"Don't delay, dock the ****!" I watch his count-
down timer tick...

Interlude A: (4:00-)
------------
|:6/8 C7 |12/8 |9/8 :| (x 2)
|:6/8 Fmadd9 |12/8 |9/8 :| (x 2)

The Raven.
Verse D-1: {Tempo: 130} (4:18-)
----------
|12/8 C7 | |Cm6 |
He places the number into a tube,
| |C7 | |Em |
It's a yellow plastic shoobe-doobe.
| |C7 | |
It says: "Though your fingers may ti-ckle
|Cm6 | |
You'll be safe in our pickle."
|C7 | |Em |
Suddenly, black cloud come down from the sky.
| |C | ||
It's a supersized black bird that sure can fly...

Interlude B : {Synth solo, tempo: 123} (4:51-)

-------------

[Text]
|N.C./C | (x 10 bars)

{Enters organ chord} (5:10-)

|F/C |G/C |C C7 |F/C Fm/C|
|C |F/C |Cdim |C |
|D/C |3/4 F/C |12/8 C |F/C |
|C |F/C ||

Verse D-2: (5:37-)

----------
|C7 | |Cm6 |
The raven brings on darkness and night
| |C7 | |14/8 Em | |12/8
He flies right down, gives me one hell of a fright.

|12/8 C7 | |
He take the tube right out of my hands
|Cdim | ||
Man, I've got to find out where that black bird lands.

[Verse A-3] {Enters Phil's vocal} (6:00-)

"Look here John, I've got to run

I need you now, you going to come?"
He says to me: "Now can't you see
Where the raven flies there's jeopardy?

We've been cured on the couch

Now you're sick with your grouch.
I'll not risk my honey pouch

Which my slouch will wear slung very low."

[Verse B-2] (6:27-)

He walks away and leaves me once again.

Even though I never learn,
I'd hoped he'd show just some concern.

[Verse C-2] (6:39-)

some concern, ah,

some concern.
[Pre-chorus] (6:54-)

(instrumental)

[Chorus 3] (7:09-)

I'm in the agony of Slipperpain

I pray my undercarriage will sustain.
The chase is on, the pace is hot
But I'm running so very hard with everything
that I've got.

[Chorus 4] (7:27-)

He leads me down an underpass

Though it narrows, he still flies very fast,
When the tunnel stops
Catch sight of the tube, just as it
drops.

Coda: {Tempo: 125} (7:43-)

-----
|12/8 Cm |G |
I'm on top of a bank too steep to climb
|Bm ||6/4
I see it hit the water

|6/4 F# C#m/F# |F# C#m/F# |

just in time_____ to watch it
|:F# C#m/F# :|
float away, watch it {repeat ad lib to fade}