Lyrics to
Can-Utility And The Coastliners

This version of Can-Utility And The Coastliners was released by Genesis in 1972.

Our Genesis Songs profile has Can-Utility And The Coastliners lyrics from 1972 and most if not all of the lyrics by Genesis that we have here at Decade Lyrics.

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The scattered pages of a book by the sea
Held by the sand, washed by the waves
A shadow forms cast by a cloud,
Skimming by as eyes of the past, but the rising tide
Absorbs them effortlessly claiming.

They told of one who tired of all singing,
“Praise him, praise him.”
“We heed not flatterers,” he cried,
“By our command, waters retreat,
Show my power, halt at my feet,”
But the cause was lost,
Now cold winds blow.

For from the north overcast ranks advance
Fear of the storm accusing with rage and scorn.
The waves surround the sinking throne
Singing “Crown him, crown him,”
“Those who love our majesty show themselves!”
All bent their knees.

But he forced a smile even though
His hopes lay dashed where offerings fell (where they fell).
“Nothing can my peace destroy as long as none smile.”
More opened ears and opened eyes,
And soon they dared to laugh.
See a little man with his face turning red
Though his story’s often told you can tell he’s dead.

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Genesis has released many songs over the years besides Can-Utility And The Coastliners. Genesis released songs from 1969 to 2000 spanning across albums like From Genesis To Revelation, Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, A Trick Of The Tail, Wind And Wuthering, ...And Then There Were Three..., Duke, Abacab, Genesis, Invisible Touch, We Can't Dance, Calling All Stations, Genesis Archive 1967-1975, and Genesis Archives #2 1976-92. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Genesis.

If you're a fan of 1970s music looking for more songs from 1972 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and Can-Utility And The Coastliners by Genesis

The lyrics for Can-Utility And The Coastliners are defined as the words making up the song released by Genesis in 1972. It also includes the verses and words used by the background chorus in the song. Like many hit songs, the lyrics to Can-Utility And The Coastliners have different meanings to different people. While it is clear in some of the lyrics what the artist is trying to really say, only Genesis and those working with them know all of the meanings behind all of the lyrics to their songs.

Some folks are interested in word and phrase etymology. It is easy to understand the lyrics to Can-Utility And The Coastliners by Genesis if you think through it. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Can-Utility And The Coastliners" means the words set to the music of Can-Utility And The Coastliners, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Genesis. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Can-Utility And The Coastliners and the lyrics to Can-Utility And The Coastliners are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Genesis who came here looking just for the lyrics to Can-Utility And The Coastliners, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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