Jethro Tull- Slow Marching Band

Would you join a slow marching band?
And take pleasure in your leaving
as the ferry sails and tears are dried
and cows come home at evening.

Could you get behind a slow marching band?
And join together in the passing
of all we shared through yesterdays
in sorrows neverlasting.

Take a hand and take a bow.
You played for me; that's all for now, oh, and never
mind the words just hum along and keep on going.
Walk on slowly --- don't look behind you.
Don't say goodbye, love. I won't remind you.

Dream of me as the nights draw cold
still marking time through Winter.
You paid the piper and called the tune
and you marched the band away.

Take a hand and take a bow.
You played for me; that's all for now, oh, and never
mind the words just hum along and keep on going.
Walk on slowly --- don't look behind you.
Don't say goodbye, love. I won't remind you.

Jethro Tull- Slow Marching Band, from the album The Broadsword and The Beast. A very underrated song, in my opinion.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• slow
• marching
• band
• jethro
• tull
• broadsword
• ian
• anderson

[JDbarclay]

I have had the Broadsword CD for years in my car and never noticed this great song was in it! Now Broadsword has conquered slot 1 on my cd player!

[Aqualung1989]

quite understandable :)

[lagerdalek]

btw my wife, my cousin and my best friend are all different people :/

[Aqualung1989]

oh really? :P

[hoserintraining]

My hat is off to the poster. Barely 20, but he understands. Thirty years his senior, I have the life experience that tells me this song says it all, with lyrics that communicate every father's wishes, while leaving the listener with an endearing optomism as a legacy for his loved ones. Well done, Aqualung 1989, well done Ian.

[vonnylouise]

Excellent, many thanks. Whoever arranges my funeral has to find a copy of this because it's in my living will that it's to be played when I've gone. A true Tull masterpiece.

[burnitupt5683]

@JDbarclay so it should be it's class

[marta3t6fox2]

I love Jethro Tull, and this song is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing this special moment!!!!

[edelweiss1001]

@RadarRider1701

its a good song to leave on...also a good song to raise a glass to on all times to come.

[RadarRider1701]

I played this song at my father's memorial service. He was a singer and musician and a minstrel in the fine old Irish tradition, and I could only think that this was how he would have said good-bye had he had the chance. He would have bade us all to walk on slowly, and not look behind us...

Thanks for this.

[dave2806]

my funeral song ! fantastic track .

[KimStruebind]

Marvellous song ... so great!

[edelweiss1001]

@makeascn37

play skating away on the thin ice of a new day.....tis your funeral, bugger them, or at least confuse them.

ok i', going for broadsword on my funeral, let them try for things they wont live up to (but might)

[mynorthernsky]

Oh, and never mind the words

just hum along and keep on going.

Walk on slowly --- don't look behind you.

Don't say goodbye, love... don't say goodbye.

[Grendel650]

This is a great song from one of their finest Albums. I consider it one of the finest 'Goodbye' songs I have heard, following very neatly on from 'Flying Colours'.

always evocative lyrics from Tull...

and Ian Andersons voice is superb!

[makeascn37]

I've heard this song was written after Ian let several members of Tull go. It is obviously a great song for a funeral, and like many, i hope to have it played at my own. I use it in a play I wrote about dealing with the loss of a loved one. I wrote the play after losing my best friend. This is one of Tull's best albums in my opinion.