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Jethro Tull — Minstrel in the Gallery
Album: Minstrel In The Gallery
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 641









Released: 1975
Length: 7:49
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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The minstrel in the gallery
Looked down upon the smiling faces
He met the gazes observed the spaces
Between the old men's cackle

He brewed a song of love and hatred
Oblique suggestions and he waited
He polarised the pumpkin-eaters
Static-humming panel-beaters

Freshly day-glow'd factory cheaters
Salaried and collar-scrubbing
He titillated men of action
Belly warming, hands still rubbing

On the parts they never mention
He pacified the nappy-suffering, infant-bleating
One-line jokers, T.V. documentary makers
Overfed and undertakers

Sunday paper backgammon players
Family-scarred and women-haters
Then he called (and he called) the band down to the stage
And he looked at all the friends he'd made


The minstrel in the gallery
Looked down upon the smiling faces
He met the gazes, observed the spaces
In-between the old men's cackle

Then he brewed a song of love and hatred
Oblique suggestions, and he waited
He polarised the pumpkin-eaters
Static-humming panel-beaters

The minstrel in the gallery
Looked down on the rabbit-run
Then he threw away his looking-glass
Saw his face in everyone
(Hey!)
He titillated men of action
Belly warming, hands still rubbing
On the parts they never mention
Salaried and collar-scrubbing
(Yeah)

He pacified the nappy-suffering
Infant-bleating, one-line jokers
T.V. documentary makers
Overfed and undertakers

Sunday paper backgammon players
Family-scarred and women-haters
Then he called the band down to the stage
And he looked at all the friends he'd made

The minstrel in the gallery
Looked down on the rabbit-run
Then he threw away his looking-glass
And saw his face in everyone
(Hey!)

The minstrel in the gallery, ye-e-es
Looked down upon the smiling faces
He met the gazes, yeah
Mm, the minstrel in the gallery
Comments (39)add comment
The vocal delivery is in accordance with the FOLK ALPHABET (attributed to Fred Wedlock), particularly V

A is for as I walked out, as all good songs begin.
B is for Brave Boys, the bit the audience joins in.
C is for the cabin boy who turns out not to be male,
And D is for the drummer who is very often female.
E is for ethnic stance with hand round mug of beer.
F is for the finger wot you sticks into your ear.
G is for the garter which often comes undone,
And H is for the hay where you untie it which is fun.
I is for the Irish rascal who already has a wife.
J is for John Barleycorn who keeps coming back to life.
K is for the k-nave who took a k-nife and killed his sister
 ... and mother, and father, seven brothers and assortment of male servants, his horse,   his hawk, his greyhound, his ferrets, himself, all in 47 verses and assortment of keys.
L is where he's going, for to bake and burn and blister.
M is the merry month of May when youthful blood springs hot.
N is nine months later when you wish that it had not.
O is for "O no John no John no I don't approve,
Of P the perky way in which I saw your trousers move.
Q is found at festivals outside the ladies' loo.
R is for real ale, me boys, responsible for Q.
S is the sporran of the bonnie heilan laddie.
T is wild mountain thyme, gings a treat with finnan haddie.
U is unaccompanied song of very great appraisal.
V is for the vowel sounds which should preferably be nasal.
W is for the wife who takes tumble with the groom.
X is what her husband says on entering the room.
Y is you good people, I hope you've not been bored.
Z is for the zeal, with which I hope you might applaud!
Posted 3 years ago by kbs    [ Reply ]
Not their best song.
Posted 3 years ago by Edweirdo    [ Reply ]
 ziakut wrote:
Brilliant rock! Tull in a class all by itself. Never matched, never duplicated. Intricate, sophisticated and raucous! 
 
I never really got into Tull, I think just a few songs were really overplayed. This is my first time hearing this, and it's amazing.  Bill knows how to tease out the deep cuts.
c.
Posted 3 years ago by cc_rider    [ Reply ]
Brilliant rock! Tull in a class all by itself. Never matched, never duplicated. Intricate, sophisticated and raucous! 
Posted 3 years ago by ziakut    [ Reply ]
Still a totally tough song.
Posted 3 years ago by Segue    [ Reply ]
a great video to watch with Jeffrey hammond!
Posted 3 years ago by Pwb6769    [ Reply ]
whoa hold on,
Lets not not get carried away by 60&70's hippy nostalgia.
This get dusted off and played to remind of us of what a weird bunch the Tull were.
Put it back in the sleeve, lock up in lead lined box and throw in a deep well.
Posted 4 years ago by Stetsonman    [ Reply ]
Most Brilliant tune... Seen Tull live at least 5 times... Never Disappointed... Fuckingrooving!
Posted 4 years ago by deadheadmark    [ Reply ]
 oppositelock wrote:
14 years since this has been played?  Time to put it back in the rotation.
 
Your time has arrived.

Over a half-century into the age of rock and roll, and still only one band that figured out how to feature a flute.  Here's a salute to Jethro Tull and the brilliance of Ian Anderson.  
Posted 4 years ago by xkolibuul    [ Reply ]
I love Jethro Tull in general, but not this track in particular.
Posted 4 years ago by adib    [ Reply ]
 ImaOldman wrote:
I was a huge Tull fan back in the day, saw them 3 times between 1969 and 73 and had all the albums. Unfortunately don't think they've held up as well over the years as some of their peers. Gave it an 8 for old times sake.
 Ja genau, Oldman, damals war Tull echt Klasse, vor allem live und mit Martin Barre an der Lead.  Aber heute? Das geht mir aber mit vielen Prog Bands so. Ich war z.B. auch ein großer Fan der Graaf Generator Fan - heute ist das schwere Kost.

Greeetins from Bavaria to all the listeners outside. Stay safe
Posted 4 years ago by ger-man    [ Reply ]
I was a huge Tull fan back in the day, saw them 3 times between 1969 and 73 and had all the albums. Unfortunately don't think they've held up as well over the years as some of their peers. Gave it an 8 for old times sake.
Posted 4 years ago by ImaOldman    [ Reply ]
Now this is Jethro Tull! Excellent choice. 
Posted 4 years ago by Delawhere    [ Reply ]
sweet!
Posted 4 years ago by tsnell138    [ Reply ]
One of my JT favs👍
Posted 4 years ago by molson    [ Reply ]
Beautiful
Posted 4 years ago by Shaijadina    [ Reply ]
It takes a while to get going, but it's well worth the wait.
Posted 5 years ago by bc    [ Reply ]
.  tried but I just can't stomach the Tull.  Thanks for the taste though Bill.
Posted 5 years ago by sjmorrison2    [ Reply ]
 moodfood wrote:
gotta love the Bombastic Tull effect.. 💪
 

No you don't 
Posted 5 years ago by pilgrim    [ Reply ]
gotta love the Bombastic Tull effect.. 💪
Posted 5 years ago by moodfood    [ Reply ]
 Ericocean wrote:
Seem to be on a Tull binge lately.  I hope it ends soon.  Let's move on.
 
 

Hey asshole what is your problem 
Posted 5 years ago by jp33442    [ Reply ]
this makes me think of Gentle Giant
Posted 5 years ago by Zeroman    [ Reply ]
Seem to be on a Tull binge lately.  I hope it ends soon.  Let's move on.
 
Posted 5 years ago by Ericocean    [ Reply ]
This is a great album from start to finish!!! One of my all time favorites!!
Posted 5 years ago by drewd    [ Reply ]
hairy '70s rock and roll - I dig it.
Posted 5 years ago by Propayne    [ Reply ]
14 years since this has been played?  Time to put it back in the rotation.
Posted 8 years ago by oppositelock    [ Reply ]
 kingart wrote:
imo, definitely not one of Tull's better pieces. Sounds disjointed, disharmonious, a mish mash
 

 
{#Stop}

Really, you're much too kind. I don't know if I could survive a steel-cage Death Match with this bombastity. 
Posted 8 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
Fuckin' A this rocks!!!  
Posted 8 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
Some of their best stuff right here.  
10  no doubt.   ....  
ok a bit of doubt ...
lets say 9.    Baker street muse is better.   

https://goo.gl/n0Io6T
Posted 9 years ago by stunix    [ Reply ]
imo, definitely not one of Tull's better pieces. Sounds disjointed, disharmonious, a mish mash
 
Posted 9 years ago by kingart    [ Reply ]
"8" for the riff & changes, and "10" for Barrie Barlow's drumming.
Posted 9 years ago by LowPhreak    [ Reply ]
Wow.  This song is long.  I didn't know djs needed to play bathroom break songs anymore.
Posted 10 years ago by caatgrrrl    [ Reply ]
Minstrel in the Gallery... OK, middling Tull, but the song has really grown on me over the years. Saw Ian Anderson's Thick as a Brick 1 & 2 tour here in Tokyo last spring and was in awe of the music, musicianship, and the performance. Seems that Jethro Tull is not in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, even after all these years. I'm not sure how much it really matters (and Ian Anderson May well not care), but it seems a glaring oversight. 
Posted 10 years ago by obliocactus    [ Reply ]
Last played 2002!  Let's knock the dust of this one!
Posted 13 years ago by oppositelock    [ Reply ]
One of my faves, a textbook example of Tull switching back and forth between folky acoustic and blistering electric guitars. The next song on the original album, Winds of Valhalla, succeeds at the same theme.
Posted 22 years ago by rjs    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by markmreadr: By the time he recorded this song, Ian Anderson's ego had swollen well beyond normal human dimensions. While not as bad as some of the other tripe he recorded in these years, this song epitomizes everything that is wrong with later Tull.
What he said. (But earlier Tull is always welcome.)
Posted 22 years ago by Lee    [ Reply ]
Whoa - this one brings me way back. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Posted 22 years ago by MissJenn    [ Reply ]