Minstrel in the Gallery

(My lord and lady, we have – fortuitously happened upon these, er, strolling players, who will provide you with, er, goodly tunes whilst you set about your, errr, prandial delights, albeit in the lamentable absence of your guests. So, my lord and lady, for your entertainment!)

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