Can you tell me where my country lies?
Said the unifaun to his true love's eyes.
It lies with me! cried the queen of maybe
- for her merchandise, he traded in his prize.

Credo non ci sia nient'altro, nelle galassie musicali, capace di regalarmi le sensazioni che ancora - dopo quasi trent'anni dal primo ascolto - mi danno questi pochi versi, l'incipit di Dancing with the Moonlit Knight. Peter Gabriel, 23enne, geniale, trova un solo che solo a ripensarci dissemina brividi. Puro, etereo, cela in sé panorami infiniti. E' alba o tramonto, collina o radura, colori di questo mondo o di qualche contrada distante, rimossa, ormai irraggiungibile, come Tol Eressëa o Valinor o lo strano paese di quell'altro monstrum che fa capolino più volte da A Trick of the Tail, penultimo poscritto alle vere storie dei Genesis? Il tempo non tempo della leggenda riveste all'istante i panni di un momento dato, un tardo pomeriggio in cui arrivò a casa mia un vecchio - oggi! - amico che, con fare da cospiratore, estrasse dal giaccone un LP e, facendomi segno di tacere, lo mise su. Spense le luci tranne quella della scrivania e attese, quei secondi magici in cui la puntina viaggiava sul lucido inizio del disco. E poi partì la prima canzone...

Paper late! cried a voice in the crowd.
Old man dies! the note he left was signed old father thames
- it seems hes drowned;
Selling england by the pound.

Citizens of hope & glory,
Time goes by - its the time of your life.
Easy now, sit you down.
Chewing through your wimpey dreams,
They eat without a sound;
Digesting england by the pound.

Young man says you are what you eat - eat well.
Old man says you are what you wear - wear well.
You know what you are, you dont give a damn;
Bursting your belt that is your homemade sham.

The captain leads his dance right on through the night
- join the dance...
Follow on! till the grail sun sets in the mould.
Follow on! till the gold is cold.
Dancing out with the moonlit knight,
Knights of the green shield stamp and shout.

Theres a fat old lady outside the saloon;
Laying out the credit cards she plays fortune.
The deck is uneven right from the start;
And all of their hands are playing apart.

The captain leads his dance right on through the night
- join the dance...
Follow on! a round table-talking down we go.
Youre the show!
Off we go with - you play the hobbyhorse,
Ill play the fool.
Well tease the bull
Ringing round & loud, loud & round.

Follow on! with a twist of the world we go.
Follow on! till the gold is cold.
Dancing out with the moonlit knight,
Knights of the green shield stamp and shout.