Squonk Lyrics

Performed by Genesis

afLike father like son
Not flesh nor fish nor bone
A red rag hangs from an open mouth.
Alive at both ends but a little dead in the middle,
A-tumbling and a-bumbling he will go.
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Could never put a smile on that face.

He's a sly one, he's a shy one
Wouldn't you be too.
Scared to be left all on his own.
Hasn't a, hasn't a friend to play with, the Ugly Duckling
The pressure on, the bubble will burst before our eyes.
All the while in perfect time
His tears are falling on the ground
BUT IF YOU DON'T STAND UP YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE.

Go a little faster now, you might get there in time.

Mirror mirror on the wall,
His heart was broken long before he ever came to you.
Stop your tears from falling,
The trail they leave is very clear for all to see at night
all to see at night.
THEY COME AT NIGHT!

In season, out of season
What's the difference when you don't know the reason.
In one hand bread, the other a stone.
The Hunter enters the forest.
All are not huntsmen who can blow the huntsman's horn
By the look of this one you've not got much to fear.

Here I am, I'm very fierce and frightening
Come to match my skill to yours.
Now listen here, listen to me, don't you run away now
I am a friend, I'd really like to play with you.
Making noises my little furry friend would make
I'll trick him, then I'll kick him into my sack.
You better watch out... You better watch out.

I've got you, I've got you, you'll never get away.

Walking home that night
The sack across my back, the sound of sobbing on my shoulder.
When suddenly it stopped,
I opened up the sack, all that I had
A pool of bubbles and tears - JUST A POOL OF TEARS.

All in all you are a very dying race
Placing trust upon a cruel world.
You never had the things you thought you should have had
And you'll not get them now,
And all the while in perfect time
Your tears are falling on the ground.


The Squonk is of a very retiring disposition and due to its ugliness, weeps constantly. It is easy prey for hunters who simply follow a tear-stained trail. When cornered it will dissolve itself into tears.
True or False?

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Squonk - a mythic tale or a parable of international banking? | Reviewer: garvin dinsdale | 11/30/11

Squonk - the name is vulgar, the lyrics are tragic and the music is beautiful, somehow they all coalesce into much, much more than the sum of the parts.

Squonk's focus on a beast who's best trait is its constant crying, its bubbles and pools of tears, bears a remarkable resemblance to the banking system of the last 25 years. Bubbles and tears.

A delicious song that still delights though many years has passed since pen met paper and voice and instruments met tape.

An entire cover album is waiting to be recorded, just other bands covering this song in different genres. A hip-hop squonk? What if Prince made a funky love song version? The mind reels....

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Probably one of the best rock songs ever | Reviewer: Tommy | 6/5/11

I'm usually a listener or a more heavy metal genre, however, this song has probably some of the best melodies, rhythms, and hooks I have ever heard in any song. For me I don't get the lyrics and story line, but the instrumentation is remarkable. I can't help but to hear this song over and over again. I like Peter Gabriel, but I think they did just fine when they became three.

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I love Genesis But... | Reviewer: Ethics are Paramount | 11/11/10

What a disaster. This is that, which was the sign of what was to follow; musically not much of a let down, but lyrically in the gutter. No moral compass here at all. It's obvious that Peter is no longer their lyric writer.

These lyrics were taken from an old mythical tale originating in the Hemlock forests of Pennsylvania, USA in the latter 1800's. The epilogue, as well as all the parts added by Genesis, is focused on the fears of the poor tortured Squonk, and not the treachery of the hunter. If it were I that adlibbed the story, the hunter's folly would have been the moral.

As the epilogue, I would have had the Hunter seeing his reflection in it's tears change into a Squonk as some of them touched his hand, then as a tear trickles down his cheek, he drops the sack running back into the forest with the approaching sound of a hunters horn. Poetic justice!

To me this is a much more powerful message and is something Peter would have done, as it’s in keeping with prior Genesis lyrics and Peter’s solo career.

Let's face it, the Progressive attitude of Genesis died with the loss of Peter Gabriel, and that was its roots and its most endearing quality. What followed was just the surfing on the wave that the Peter lead Genesis had created, which eventually propelled Phil into his Pop stardom. I would say that after Peter left, Genesis never gained any altitude and that Phil merely allowed for a slow controlled decent.

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The song that changed it all... | Reviewer: Bob/Westfield, NJ | 10/1/07

This was actually the song that convinced not only his bandmates, but Phil Collins himself, that he could actually take the reigns from Peter Gabriel, immediately ending the search for a new lead man. It's a powerful song and one of the best "story" songs genesis ever recorded. Written by the guitarist of the group, it features one of Mike Rutherford's best performances on doubleneck bass/electric with booming bass pedals. He was always good at this, but realy shines on this album. The sound and melody carried all the way into Los Endos, the final instrumental on the album, which became a huge in-concert hit as well. This became the blueprint for several other album-enders on "And Then there were Three", and "Duke". All in all, a pivotal moment for the band.

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Brilliant!!!! | Reviewer: Dave/Liberty Hill,TX | 9/1/07

A brilliant piece of craftsmenship by a truly talented group of musicians. The level of detail is astonishing as it is also responsible for the enduring success of this song. Forget "the phil collins show" material of the '80s. Squonk is the bell weather song of the prog rock movement of the 70s. What would it sound like if Peter was still with the band at the time of the recording, Hmmmm? Please consider that the most popular version of the song is also from a live concert tape. Enough.
Go listen and decide for yourself.

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