While henry hamilton-smythe minor (8) was playing croquet with cynthia jane de blaise-william (9), sweet-smiling cynthia raised her mallet high and gracefully removed henrys head. two weeks later henrys nursery, she discovered his treasured musical box. eagerly she opened it and as old king cole began to play, a small spirit- figure appeared. henry had returned – but not, for as he stood in the room his body began ageing rapidly, leaving a childs mind inside. a lifetimes desires surged through him. unfortunately the attempt to persuade cynthia jane to fulfill romantic desire led his nurse to the nursery to investigate the noise. instinctively nanny hurled the musical box at the bearded child, destroying both.

The Musical Box
 
Play me old king cole
That I may join with you,
All your hearts now seem so far from me
It hardly seems to matter now.
 
And the nurse will tell you lies
Of a kingdom beyond the skies.
But I am lost within this half-world,
It hardly seems to matter now.
 
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
 
Just a little bit,
Just a little bit more time,
Time left to live out my life.
 
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
 
Old king cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
So he called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
 
But the clock, tick-tock,
On the mantlepiece -
And I want, and I feel, and I know, and I touch,
Her warmth…
 
Shes a lady, shes got time,
Brush back your hair, and let me get to know your face.
Shes a lady, she is mine.
Brush back your hair, and let me get to know your flesh.
 
Ive been waiting here for so long
And all this time has passed me by
It doesnt seem to matter now
You stand there with your fixed expression
Casting doubt on all I have to say.
Why dont you touch me, touch me,
Why dont you touch me, touch me,
Touch me now, now, now, now, now…
 

Op de in respectievelijk 1971 en 1972 uitgebrachte Nursery Cryme en Foxtrot komt de groep muzikaal tot wasdom. Het muzikale avontuur kan nu, dankzij de komst van de technisch veel competentere Hackett en Collins, ten volle worden aangegaan, en naast de duistere romantiek wordt ook de zwarte, macabere humor van Peter Gabriel onmisbaar onderdeel van de muziek van Genesis. En om het theatrale aspect van de muziek nog meer kracht bij te zetten – en ook om de ogen van de muziekpers op de groep gericht te krijgen – kruipt zanger Gabriel op het podium in de huid van een almaar groter arsenaal aan personages. Hij gebruikt make-up, vertelt bizarre verhalen, maar maakt voornamelijk gebruik van kostuums. Dat slaat, vanaf het moment dat hij zich uitdost in de rode jurk van zijn vrouw, en een vossemasker opzet, in als een bom, en Genesis en Gabriel zijn plotseling hot.
 
Bron: nl.wikipedia.org