Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dark and grey, an English film, the Wednesday Play
We always watch the Queen on Christmas Day
Won't you stay?
Though your eyes see shipwrecked sailors you're still dry
The outlook's fine though Wales might have some rain
Saved again
Let's skip the news boy, I'll make some tea
The Arabs and the Jews boy, too much for me
They get me confused boy, puts me off to sleep
And the thing I hate, oh Lord
Is staying up late, to watch some debate on some nation's fate
Hypnotized by Batman, Tarzan, still surprised
You've won the West in time to be our guest
Name your prize
Drop of wine, glass of beer dear what's the time?
The grime on the Tyne is mine, all mine, all mine
Five past nine
Blood on the rooftops, Venice in the Spring
Streets of San Francisco, word from Peking
The trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn
Better in my day, oh Lord
For when we got bored we'd have a World War, happy but poor
So let's skip the news boy, I'll go make that tea
Blood on the rooftops, too much for me
When old Mother Goose stops and they're out for twenty-three
Then the rain at Lords stopped play
Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again
We always watch the Queen on Christmas Day
Won't you stay?
Though your eyes see shipwrecked sailors you're still dry
The outlook's fine though Wales might have some rain
Saved again
Let's skip the news boy, I'll make some tea
The Arabs and the Jews boy, too much for me
They get me confused boy, puts me off to sleep
And the thing I hate, oh Lord
Is staying up late, to watch some debate on some nation's fate
Hypnotized by Batman, Tarzan, still surprised
You've won the West in time to be our guest
Name your prize
Drop of wine, glass of beer dear what's the time?
The grime on the Tyne is mine, all mine, all mine
Five past nine
Blood on the rooftops, Venice in the Spring
Streets of San Francisco, word from Peking
The trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn
Better in my day, oh Lord
For when we got bored we'd have a World War, happy but poor
So let's skip the news boy, I'll go make that tea
Blood on the rooftops, too much for me
When old Mother Goose stops and they're out for twenty-three
Then the rain at Lords stopped play
Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
Blood on the Rooftops Lyrics as written by Stephen Richard Hackett Phillip David Charles Collins
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song is about the way that the British (or indeed many people) would rather do anything but learn of the news, or simply, reality. The references to Batman, Tarzan etc are an ironic stab at how we would rather watch these fictional and ultimately facile shows rather than get to grips with the reality...e.g. the Blood On The Rooftops, or the 'Arabs and the Jews'. It is a social commentary on our state of self-imposed ignorance.
@acedrums No, that's not quite it.
I believe the lyrics reference the 1972 Munich Olympics when 11 Israeli were sot on the roof of their living quarters by 'Black September' Arab/Palestinian Guerillas. 'Arabs and Jews, boy too much for me' In the same year, about the same time, Richard Nixon went to Peking (Bejing) China to broker a deal with eastern nations that included a staged withdrawal from Viet Nam 'Word from Peking'.
Lindesfarne's Fog on the Tyne was a number 1 ablum in the UK earlier that year.
I think it is actually the first socially and politically charged song that I can think of in the Genesis canon. It references the horrors going on around the world and also the mindless celebrity hedonism 'the trouble was started by a young Errol Flynn' of the entertainments world, on TV and film, to that distracts the populace from bad news; all cast in a pastoral English flavoured piece of music (e.g. Composer, Ralph Vaughen Williams influence perhaps?)
Irish;<br /> how about <br /> Selling England by the Pound (Dancing Moonlit Night) ...that sounds a little socially and politically charged.....or even better yet Aisle of Plenty...their activisim was always quite subtle and understated (the English Way) back in the day.....
Seems spot on. Political references had been present in earlier compositions, however. This piece was much more overt.
Thank you, ace drums. That is how I always heard this song. "And the thing I hate, oh lord, is staying up late to watch a debate on some nation's fate." I hate to admit it, but Phil Collins came up with some of their better lyrics, especially Driving The Last Spike.
@Anglagard1 RIGHT ON!!! driving the last spike ,great example! 1 of greatest songs ever!
This song might be confusing for non-UK readers.
There are lots of references to UK TV programmes wrapped up in the lyrics ( hail Steve Hackett by the way! )
The Wednesday Play - a series of plays on BBC TV The Queen broadcasts on all UK TV channels on Xmas Day The Outlook's Fine - The TV Weather Forecast The Grime on the Tyne is an allusion to Charisma Label mates Lindisfarne, who had a massive hit with The Fog On The Tyne
etc., etc.
To put this into context, the lyrics refer to a "typical" middle-aged or elderly couple that have very little else to do with their lives than to watch TV, and complain about the content. The various references to TV programmes show how the escapism of fantasy and fiction impacts so deeply that they can no longer distinguish between that and the grim events of the real world.
Rather than retreating into ignorance, the lyrics show more that if lives are made to become insignificant (through staleness, doing the same thing, taking partners and situations for granted), the only meaningful thing left is to make an issue of "the world" as they see it which, of course, is tainted by their own blinkered perceptions.
@exgenesisroadie No, not really is not whimsical than that. Collins wrote it.
"Blood on the Rooftops" is a declaration of the 'Watchers of the Skies' observing those 'apathetic', reclining in their easy chairs, often mesmerized by the glittering prize, waiting for their 'Supper to be Ready'. No?
Genesis lyrics are quite easy to work out esp. 70's songs. Generally up until Duke / Abacad time Genesis wrote stuff about greek and other ancient mythologies. Seems a bit ludicrous know looking back. I think they did this for several reasons - It seemed the habit of the day with the 70's prog rock bands. Tony Banks studied mythology (not sure of the exact title) at (I think?) Brighton Uni. Also I think it's quite easy to write songs about weird stuff like mythology, particularly for Genesis in that era as they didn't write anyting lovey dovey till follow you, follow me. However this song's lyrics are by Collins. Think this was his first lyrics he wrote entirely by himself (Hackett wrote the music!). Collins doesn't do the Banks and Gabriel lyrical thing so personally I think the lyrics meaning wise are a load of twaddle, much like Lurker (actually written by Banks!). It's just Collins mussings on life - line's aren't really connected. Lyrics are very much English (quintessentaily English - as i'd put it. Which originated with the Beatles.
The song is an attack on the media, as noted in the references to the British TV shows noted above (none of which I knew, not being alive in 77 and not living in Britain - thanks RedKing).
Sadly, this is the last great Genesis album. Duke and And Then There Were Three both had their moments, but, otherwise, Genesis never really was the same.
@inpraiseoffol<br /> I agree! I was so disappointed with Abacab and And Then There Were Three....it was as if they had sold out to main stream...
@inpraiseoffolly It's not an attack on the media.
It is about an elderly couple moaning about whats on TV. "Better in my day, for when we got bored we had a world war". Helen of Troy's changing face relates to different actresses playing the part in different films.
@BillyBremnerLives I've aways been intrigued by that last line"seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again" It was possibly just thrown in to make a final enigmatic statement & has no meaning at all! Whatever, I can't see that your interpretation fits.
@BillyBremnerLives That was my thought as well. A new version of Helen of Troy with a new actress playing the role.
@BillyBremnerLives Here's my interpretation of Helen of Troy's changing face. Helen was considered the indirect cause of the Trojan War, so her new face "again" indicates another in a long and never-ending list of reasons that countries go to war.
all hail steve hackett... i admire him so much, so much of his work is impossible to play and it shows in this song.