It is one of the three exclusive compositions of the keyboardist Tony Banks for this album, being the other ones “Guide Vocal” and “Heathaze”.
The lyrics describe a military regiment, who feel that their death is close while they march, but continue in following orders anyway. All of the imaging is...
Wake up now, this is the time you've waited for
Far below, where shadows fester as they grow
An army thousands strong, obsessed by right and wrong
Sense their time is coming near
So they turn towards the light from their region of the night
Marching on and on
They near the air, it won't be long
You know you're on the way out
It's just a matter of time
You thought you'd rule the world forever
Long live the king, don't spare the loser
After all, you're not what you thought you were at all
You're just a natural fact, another Cul-De-Sac
On nature's hard unfeeling trail
Now all those dreams of old will be stories left untold
Cut off in your prime, extinct until the end of time
You know you're on the way out
It's just a matter of time
You thought you'd rule the world forever
Long live the king, don't spare the loser now
Now the host emerges, a shadow starts to fall
Not one knows what hit them, none can see at all
Even as the end approaches still they're not aware
How can you fight a foe so deadly
When you don't even know it's there?
And now that the job is almost done
Maybe some escape, no, not even one
You know you're on the way out
It's just a matter of time
You thought you'd rule the world forever
Long live the king, don't spare the loser
Cul-De-Sac was written by Tony Banks.
Cul-De-Sac was produced by Genesis & David Hentschel.
Genesis released Cul-De-Sac on Fri Mar 28 1980.