SOLSBURY HILL - chords and comments

At the bottom you'll find a link to the complete lyrics.

A few years ago I sat down drilling a new pattern of fingerpicking, when all of a sudden something very familiar came from the strings all by itself. A special tune and rhythm I first heard way back in -77, fell in love with but never thought about trying to play myself, because of it's complicity and orchestration. Could it be possible, after all these years? It could. In about an hour the song got a finger-picking skin. The *harmonies* are rather simple and few; it's the unusual melody skeleton and the rare syncoped time signature that makes it one of the most intelligent rock songs ever written. 7/4 ... jeez, he must have intended nobody to cover it :-D
It's the first release from Gabriel after the departure from Genesis, first as a successful single early -77, then appearing as second track on his debut studio album "Peter Gabriel" (nicked "I" or "Car" after the cover, to separate it from his following 3 more self-titled albums).
That departure started already with the tour "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", which Gabriel paused from due to his wife's difficult pregnancy. To keep the tour going, the band tried out various substitutions, and landed on Phil Collins stepping forwards from behind the drums - to stay. Gabriel saw no reason to force himself back; the members had obviously grown apart. "Today I need no replacement; I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant". The song is an attempt to explain this, with a spiritual experience as a teat.

The world benefitted from this. It got a refined pop/rock band, and a brand new rock legend came to blossom. And that song should really not be performed by anybody but Gabriel, but it is so bright and delightful that I can't let it be.

C...G...Am...D7 [4x]
G...G9...G
G                           G...G9...G
climbing up on Solsbury Hill
G                     Em...Esus4...Em
I could see the city light
Em                             Em...Esus4...Em
wind was blowing  time stood still
Em                     G...G9...G
eagle flew out of the night
G                      G...G9...G
he was something to observe
G                         Em...Esus4...Em
came in close I heard a voice
Em                         Em...Esus4...Em
standing stretching every nerve
Em                     G...G9
had to listen had no choice
  G/F#       Em             Em...Esus4...Emµ
I did not believe the information
Em          Cmaj7       Cmaj7
just had to trust imagination
    Esus4  Cmaj   Em    Cmaj7  Em/C#
my  heart  going  boom  boom  boom
Cmaj7           C
son  he said  grab your things
      Am      D7       G
I've come to take you home