20 abril 2011

A TRICK OF THE TAIL


Aparecida em 1976 num álbum a que deu o nome, a letra da música A Trick of the Tail dos Génesis narra a história de um humanóide de aspecto diabólico, com cornos, cascos e crina, designado por A Besta (The Beast), oriundo de uma mítica cidade de ouro e que vem visitar o nosso mundo. Aqui é capturado e exibido numa jaula como A Besta que fala até que a sua discrição da sua cidade de ouro desperta a cobiça dos captores que o libertam para que a Besta lhes mostre a sua cidade. Contudo, a meio do caminho e por artes mágicas (daí o nome da canção – um truque da cauda) a Besta desaparece, restando apenas a sua voz cantando o refrão final.

Bored of the life on the city of gold
He'd left and let nobody know.
Gone were the towers he had known from a child,
Alone with the dream of a life
He travelled the wide open road,
the blinkered arcade,
In search of another to share in his life.
Nowhere.
Everyone looked so strange to him.
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he criedAnd wept as they led him away to a cage
Beast that can talk, read the sign.
The creatures they pushed and they prodded his frame
And questioned his story again.
But soon they grew bored of their prey
Beast that can talk?
More like a freak or publicity stunt.
Oh
No,They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he criedAnd broke down the door of the cage and marched on out.
He grabbed a creature by the scruff of his neck, puinting out:
There, beyond the bounds of you weak imagination
Lie the noble towers of my city, bright and gold.
Let me take you there and show you a living story
Let me show you others such as me
Why did I ever leave?They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And wept.And so we set out with the best and his horns
And his crazy description of home.
After many days journey we came to a peak
Where the beast gazed abroad and cried out.
We followed his gaze and we thought maybe we saw
A spire of gold - no, a trick of the eye that's all,
But the beast was gone and a voice was heard:They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he criedHello friend, welcome home.

A Trick of the Tail é o primeiro álbum dos Génesis onde Phil Collins participa como o vocalista, substituindo Peter Gabriel mas a letra das canções da banda continuam a manter-se crípticas daquele género que se podem adaptar a variadíssimas circunstâncias - entre as quais aquelas que estamos a viver actualmente. A Besta tanto se ajusta a José Sócrates como ao FMI. Qualquer que seja a opção, com jeito e imaginação qualquer das duas metáforas encaixa e o seu conteúdo passa a valer por um daqueles textos tão gabados quanto herméticos e profundos da autoria de José Adelino Maltez…

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