Aqualung (song)
"Aqualung" is a song by the British progressive rock band Jethro Tull, and the title track from their Aqualung (1971) album. The song was written by the band's frontman, Ian Anderson, and his then-wife Jennie Franks.
While this track was never a single, its eponymous album Aqualung was Jethro Tull's first American Top 10 album, reaching #7 in June 1971.
Lyrics
The lyrics give a description and backstory of Aqualung. He is described as a dirty, paedophilic, homeless man. This, however, is merely the view of average passerby. By viewing Aqualung as a disgusting paedophile, we can excuse ourselves with not helping him. In verse two and three, the truth of Aqualung is told. He is simply an old man, who is lonely, sick and in pain, whom nobody cares for.
The lyrics include "deep sea diver sounds", referencing the actual aqualung device.
Recording
The original recording runs for 6:34. In an interview with singer Ian Anderson in the September 1999 Guitar World, he said:
So from that photograph and those sentiments, I began writing the words to "Aqualung". I can remember sitting in a hotel room in L.A., working out the chord structure for the verses. It's quite a tortured tangle of chords, but it was meant to really drag you here and there and then set you down into the more gentle acoustic section of the song.
