Well, there's a French proverb that, translated, is "Don't dance on a volcano.' The meaning of which is basically the same as Don't Skate on Thin Ice/Don't Tempt the gods/Don't Play with Fire
So mostly the song, to me, is about taking risks, and if you're going to, you better "do it right" or the volcano will get the best of you, as it has some of your friends.
The best lyric in the song though, has to be "the lava's the lover who licks your boots away."
@Domino427 Interestingly, I just saw the phrase mentioned, in a Documentary on Hitler, as a phrase he used to describe the German economy, during the Weimar Republic, before the 1929 crash. Borrowed money from the USA was propping them up and when the crash hit the stockmarket, Germany had their war debt loans called in and they crashed. Since the young Genesis boys probably had heard this and other European folk lore it’s easy to see that your guess as to the meaning of this great song is probably the most accurate. This was the first Genesis song I saw...
@Domino427 Interestingly, I just saw the phrase mentioned, in a Documentary on Hitler, as a phrase he used to describe the German economy, during the Weimar Republic, before the 1929 crash. Borrowed money from the USA was propping them up and when the crash hit the stockmarket, Germany had their war debt loans called in and they crashed. Since the young Genesis boys probably had heard this and other European folk lore it’s easy to see that your guess as to the meaning of this great song is probably the most accurate. This was the first Genesis song I saw performed live. They opened the show in Kansas City, Mo on Feb 5th 1977 with it. Great music especially the early years.
Well, there's a French proverb that, translated, is "Don't dance on a volcano.' The meaning of which is basically the same as Don't Skate on Thin Ice/Don't Tempt the gods/Don't Play with Fire
So mostly the song, to me, is about taking risks, and if you're going to, you better "do it right" or the volcano will get the best of you, as it has some of your friends.
The best lyric in the song though, has to be "the lava's the lover who licks your boots away."
@Domino427 Interestingly, I just saw the phrase mentioned, in a Documentary on Hitler, as a phrase he used to describe the German economy, during the Weimar Republic, before the 1929 crash. Borrowed money from the USA was propping them up and when the crash hit the stockmarket, Germany had their war debt loans called in and they crashed. Since the young Genesis boys probably had heard this and other European folk lore it’s easy to see that your guess as to the meaning of this great song is probably the most accurate. This was the first Genesis song I saw...
@Domino427 Interestingly, I just saw the phrase mentioned, in a Documentary on Hitler, as a phrase he used to describe the German economy, during the Weimar Republic, before the 1929 crash. Borrowed money from the USA was propping them up and when the crash hit the stockmarket, Germany had their war debt loans called in and they crashed. Since the young Genesis boys probably had heard this and other European folk lore it’s easy to see that your guess as to the meaning of this great song is probably the most accurate. This was the first Genesis song I saw performed live. They opened the show in Kansas City, Mo on Feb 5th 1977 with it. Great music especially the early years.