Genesis - For Absent Friends Lyrics






Sunday at six when they close both the gates
a widowed pair,
still sitting there,
Wonder if they're late for church
and it's cold, so they fasten their coats
and cross the grass, they're always last.

Passing by the padlocked swings,
the roundabout still turning,
ahead they see a small girl
on her way home with a pram.

Inside the archway,
the priest greets them with a courteous nod.
He's close to God.
Looking back at days of four instead of two.
Years seem so few (four instead of two).
Heads bent in prayer
for friends not there.

Leaving twopence on the plate,
they hurry down the path and through the gate
and wait to board the bus
that ambles down the street.





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Genesis For Absent Friends Comments
  1. P.... J....

    As a fan of the Phil Collins era of Genesis. I took my first listen at this, and I absolutely appreciate it a lot!

  2. D.... T....

    [Verse 1]
    Sunday at six when they close both the gates
    A widowed pair, still sitting there
    Wonder if they're late for church
    And it's cold, so they fasten their coats
    And cross the grass, they're always last

    [Chorus 1]
    Passing by the padlocked swings
    The roundabout still turning
    Ahead they see a small girl
    On her way home with a pram

    [Verse 2]
    Inside the archway
    The priest greets them with a courteous nod
    He's close to God
    Looking back at days of four instead of two
    Years seem so few (four instead of two)
    Heads bent in prayer
    For friends not there

    [Chorus 2]
    Leaving twopence on the plate
    They hurry down the path and through the gate
    And wait to board the bus
    That ambles down the street

  3. J.... S....

    I don't know why people seem to hate this song. Harmonically, it's frankly brilliant

  4. C.... K....

    ...To Me GENESIS is a Epic Band of That Era....70's..And BOTH Phil and Peter Were EPIC.!

  5. r.... ....

    One of the shortest yet most excellent song ever.

  6. 1.... S....

    Deserves to be in the top 25 of genesis songs

  7. b.... m....

    Perfect. Simple and complete as is.

  8. D.... L....

    i could listen to this on a loop... for eternity.

  9. C.... ....

    Did they ever do this one live? I know they did More Fool Me later on, but I'm not sure about For Absent Friends. By the way, it's weird not to hear the beginning of Return of the Giant Hogweed after this song.

  10. P.... H....

    One of my fav Genesis Songs

  11. S.... 1....

    I wonder how many people back then realised this wasn't Peter singing.

  12. U.... ....

    めっちゃ好き
    Genesis最近めっちゃハマってる

    I love it.I'm really into Genesis!

  13. N.... S....

    Positioned on the album immediately after The Musical Box, this is calming, but also kind of creepy, like in a horror movie where the things that seem most peaceful can be the most disturbing, such as a doll or... a musical box.
    Nursery Cryme is generally a really dark album, only side 1 of their eponymous 1983 album comes close (Mama, Home by the Sea.)
    The Hogweed's war on humanity (though hilarious), depressed Harold's suicide (though hilarious too), Henry's head being lopped off and his ghost attempting to rape the girl,... Even Harlequin is haunting and has a slight unease lingering somewhere beneath the music. I like that.

  14. J.... M....

    One of the best, being the best!!!
    miss my son...

  15. R.... D....

    A beautifully simple (and plangent) throwback to an old England, gone forever. I have always thought that this quiet gem presaged Selling England By The Pound in its vision of a departed time, like Brooke's Granchester:
    "God! I will pack, and take a train,
    And get me to England once again!For England’s the one land, I know,
    Where men with Splendid Hearts may go."

    Even in 1971 it must have seemed sadly antediluvian. And now......out with the quiet religiosity of a pair of widowed friends grieving their lost partners, in with tattoos, chatterbots and pimply antagonistic keyboard warriors; I'm off to amble down the street.

  16. M.... B....

    Underrated, pretty little ditty... :)

  17. J.... J....

    Geniusis!!!

  18. R.... L....

    hackett wrote this his first song contribution for genesis and collins first lead vocals... brilliant beautiful song

    R.... L....

    And then Collins shone on A Trick of the Tail which would have been spectacular if Gabriel had also been involved.

    R.... L....

    @John Browne Trick IS spectacular

    R.... L....

    @Rob Graddage Yes, but imagine it with the addition of Gabriel.

  19. A.... M....

    excellent

  20. A.... S....

    A miniature of life!

  21. S.... H....

    The sheer genius of Steve Hackett carried along by a brilliant though young voice that belonged to Collins. I remember discovering this album around 1974. Sheer brilliance. Where's the equivalent today...?

    S.... H....

    Pendragon - Men Who Climb Mountains.. Steven Wilson Hand.Cannot.Erase. and The Raven Who Refused To Sing. Recent Anathema albums.

  22. M.... ....

    nobody will ever sing songs this beautiful until everyone who has left a message for this song dies, and after about 2 million years....maybe who ever is alive on earth will hear this? no, that's what makes this band and all their music all the greater...maybe, possibly but ... this kind of music will not be duplicated until at least every single person who liked it is.....dead.....gone.....dust

  23. S.... ....

    First song that Steve Hackett brought to Genesis… Wow!

    S.... ....

    Stratocaster65 really? I find it amazing that a young writer could write such a song that so clearly and beautifully illustrates old people. I love that song.

    S.... ....

    I guess the lyrics are co-written by Collins.

  24. a.... m....

    Having a hard time finding good tabs for this

  25. J.... G....

    Sunday at six when they close both the gates
    A widowed pair,
    Still sitting there,
    Wonder if they're late for church
    And it's cold, so they fasten their coats
    And cross the grass, they're always last.

    Passing by the padlocked swings,
    The roundabout still turning,
    Ahead they see a small girl
    On her way home with a pram.

    Inside the archway,
    The priest greets them with a courteous nod.
    He's close to God.
    Looking back at days of four instead of two.
    Years seem so few (four instead of two).
    Heads bent in prayer
    For friends not there.

    Leaving twopence on the plate,
    They hurry down the path and through the gate
    And wait to board the bus
    That ambles down the street.

    J.... G....

    Tuppence, not twopence.

  26. R.... ....

    We're off to the Continent again this summer, to Germany and Austria, instead of my heart's desire: England and Scotland. I'd love to find a small village in Oxfordshire with one small pub (for a pint of bitter) and a little church that, sadly, would probably only have two old ladies there for its weekly service.

    I'd walk through the graveyard of that little church, look at the names and dates, and realize that I probably love the England that once was, not the one that's there today.

  27. B.... K....

    It's hard to remember how many good songs Phil and Steve wrote pretty much as a duo. This one, I Know What I Like (they were the main composers of that song), and Blood on the Rooftops. Stinks Steve left, he could have added so much to the trio.

  28. m.... n....

    even on "Harold the barrel" 's Phil is singing, in the same album. His distinctive vocal on  speedy phrases of the song is recognizable. Great .

    m.... n....

    No, Peter Gabriel sings Harold the Barrel.

  29. S.... ....

    A'ight Phil!

    ╱╱┏╮
    ╱╱┃┃
    ▉━╯┗━╮
    ▉┈┈┈┈┃
    ▉╮┈┈┈┃
    ╱╰━━━╯

  30. r.... m....

    The consummate album that!

  31. F.... S....

    con le lucciole e le cicale!!!!

  32. B.... ....

    Phil Collins in 1971...a quiet & excellent lead vocal debut (even though it was with Flaming Youth when it all really began). Amazing how critics & morons still knock him, and ridiculous that the so-called Rock n Roll Hall of Fame still refuses to honor him as a solo artist. Ignorance will never diminish his brilliant talents and success.

    B.... ....

    @1rhpsfan Right, but I just wanted to point out that Gabriel leaving was not "the end." People get attached to an idea... Phil once said, "Genesis is just a name for whatever we do together."

    B.... ....

    @Orlando Morgado
    To clarify: Yes, Peter G was lead vocalist for most of the album, but unless I'm mistaken lead vocals on this track were done by Phil Collins, as Bentom86 was referring to. I think it was the first track he ever appears on in this capacity.

    B.... ....

    Orlando Morgado
    On this song it IS Phil Collins singing.

    B.... ....

    Steve Gregson
    Yes you’re correct 👍🏻

    B.... ....

    @Steve Gregson Yep. Written by Hackett, sung by Collins. I saw an interview where it was said that Steve was too shy to show the song to the "veterans" in the band, and instead, went to Phil. I think that it was Peter who heard it and wanted it on the album, if I'm not mistaken.

  33. s.... ....

    luckly their voices are alike;but it must've been tough filling peter gabriel's stage presence.

  34. l.... ....

    First Phil Collins vocal in Genesis! 

    l.... ....

    Thank you for that..

  35. N.... M....

    Beautiful melody!

  36. B.... ....

    Perfect portrait of a small British village reality

    B.... ....

    thank you..

    B.... ....

    Even an italian village....i've often seen this kind of scene where i live.

    B.... ....

    @kyma1999x Ciao... Anch'io sono italiano

  37. C.... G....

    Papà...

    C.... G....

    Porque pones Papa?? Tengo curiosidad.....

    C.... G....

    Quizá lo perdió. Y si es así, mi mas sincero pésame.

  38. P.... C....

    Take a look at the lyrics, and then at the reviews!!  A piece from one of the reviews:
    "One can imagine the scene in the nursery ending with little murderess Cynthia fearfully clutching her Nurse and watching for signs of life within the broken remains of the Musical Box scattered upon the foor. Were this a series of connected films, we could pull back from this scene and float out the window into the unassuming and idyllic English countryside and down the lane towards a village church. We would pan past a clock-tower who's face lets us know it was 6 o'clock p.m. We have travelled from the complex darkness of The Musical Box where a spirit haunts (and attempts to rape!) his killer, to a simple life where two people visit a church to remember and pray for their deceased friends with love and respect." 

    P.... C....

    I have often imagined the very same transition! No joke!
    I still consider this album to be one of the greatest examples of storytelling through music.

  39. B.... ....

    So vivid the picture they describe... seems like I'm seeing the scene.

  40. E.... M....

    go you








  41. P.... ....

    Quintessential English charm.

  42. O.... ....

    you're absolutely right my friend

  43. L.... D....

    the best idea!, it doesn`t come easy!

  44. s.... ....

    i need "the return of the Giant..." right now!!!

  45. a.... ....

    Sounds like Simon and Garfunkel as much as anything, with all the self-harmonizing. Is this recorded straight from vinyl? It sounds like it!

  46. C.... ....

    pourquoi phil chante sur cette chanson alors qu'a l'époque, c'est peter ?

  47. a.... ....

    My case was just the opposite

  48. a.... ....

    Fuck u the man has an opinion and Opeth did a tribute to this band.

  49. G.... T....

    fuck you and Opeth

  50. H.... C....

    This is beautiful - where has it been all my life!

  51. b.... ....

    rush pop is better :P

  52. g.... ....

    Yeesssssss Me too. I Added Daryl vs Steve Bullshittin argue either!!

  53. D.... S....

    genesis =genius

  54. S.... ....

    Impossible-- it's not long enough. xP Too peaceful, huh? Haha.

  55. R.... V....

    La composició, la interpretació i la bateria és de Phil Collins que està perfecte en aquest tema, llàstima que duri poca estona. Salutacions des de Catalunya!

  56. L.... H....

    Opeth has a song named after this song, but it's different.

  57. S.... ....

    what? Phil copying Peter? Why????? Just because they sound alike.....

  58. J.... C....

    Collins was 20 years old when he recorded this. That info should be enough for those who think Phil's such an asshole, or anything. I don't know you people, but despite all those criticisms, I worship him

  59. S.... ....

    @DancinRic
    the truth is they had two TOTALLY different styles which you cannot truly compare, where as we can have preferences, the truth is they were as you said, incredible musicians....

  60. p.... ....

    Dancinric THANK YOU!

  61. p.... ....

    dancinric THANK YOU!

  62. A.... K....

    @ladislas59

    Wonderful :)

  63. A.... K....

    @DancinRic Me too, very tired of it. Both brought different brilliant personalities to the band. Ive been a fan for 35 years, and Ive loved both.

  64. H.... F....

    @shawniemar i think it's nice as part of the Genesis catalogue. It's nice to hear it thinking of what they would become. Some songs are quite good (In Hiding, Am I Very Wrong), and some are just hilarious! (The Conqueror)

  65. t.... ....

    @ladislas59
    no, i didnt. i'll check it out. thanks for the tip!

  66. l.... ....

    heads bent in prayer, for friends not there.

  67. J.... G....

    too many friends have gone now , i completely understand the meaning of those pathetic words !

  68. s.... ....

    @shawniemar I've never been able to bring myself into giving it a proper spin. Don't really know why.

  69. S.... H....

    @signorechanta Do you like From Genesis to Revelation? It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's Genesis, and I think there are some fine gems to be found there.

  70. f.... ....

    wow! awesome way to go phily XD

  71. R.... Z....

    This music if you listen with headphones and in a silent place,you can realize the litlle voices behin,it´s just so beautiful...
    gives such a good vibes and peacful feelings.
    Thanks form Brazil

  72. m.... b....

    magical

  73. s.... ....

    Genesis delivered a lot of my favourite music, both with Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins as main singer, not to mention that without that really clever, distinctive way at the drums, great songs like Dancing with the moonlight knight would sound like 20% less awsome. Also, Blood on the rooftops is like handcrafted to suit Phil Collins ('s?) voice. While other may endlessly argue about who was better, I'll just enjoy every last bit from Trespass to Wind and Wuthering.

  74. M.... ....

    @s0undch4ser Well, let me say it that way: I'm not really a long-time Genesis-Fan yet but already noticed some anti-Phil-feeling amongst a lot of fans.

  75. D.... ....

    I'm tired of the phil vs peter bullshit, they're both incredible musicians that added greatness to Genesis. end of story

  76. k.... ....

    PHIL ON LEAD HERE!!!!! A SONG THAT YEARNS FOR ANTHONY PHILLIPS, IN FACT, NOT SO SURE IT MIGHT BE HIS MELODY ON 12-STRING!!! PURE BRILLIANCE! THEY COULD HAVE DONE THIS AT THE R&R H-FAME, SINCE PHIL CAN'T PLAY DRUMS ANYMORE(SAD,BUT THERE'S ALWAYS BUTTONS TO PUSH!!)

  77. M.... ....

    Hit me if you want but I prefer Phil Collins' voice over Gabriel's. It's great to find that he already sang the main vocals before Gabriel left.

  78. M.... F....

    peter gabriel is a poet genius.

  79. L.... ....

    This is the the most English song I've ever listened to.

  80. j.... t....

    en esta cancion se ve la influencia de anthony phillips y lo sorpredente es que ya no forma parte de ellos. genesis no es antes ni despues de ninguno es un caleidoscopio de todos los que han sido.

  81. t.... ....

    i could listen to a 15 minute version of this song if they had it. simply beautiful