Allusions to Tennyson and Wordsworth in Jethro Tull lyrics

[Sergey Beatoff]

Dear all,
in the Jethro Tull song lyrics “Apogee” they mention the names of Tennyson and Wordsworth.
And the next quatrain contains an allusion to Wordsworth's poem “Daffodils”. Thinking logically, one can suggest that there should also be some allusion to Tennyson as well. However, I can't find it there maybe because of my poor knowledge of the English literature and realia as I'm not a native English speaker. (I'm Russian if you are interested.)

I'm addressing you as connoisseurs of English poetry.
Here is the full lyrics of the song. Could you look at it carefully searching some references to Tennyson or any other poets if there are any, of course. Will be very grateful if you could help me.


Sailing round the true-blue sphere –
is it too late to bale out of here?
Well, there has to be some better way
to turn back the night,
spin on to yesterday.

The old man and his crew –
after all these years,
it's Apogee.
Pilot training and remorse –
spirit friends fly too,
at Apogee.
Apogee – solar bright
Apogee – through the night
Apogee – overground
Don't think I'll be coming down.

Screened for a stable mate
with nerves of ice we flew,
at Apogee.
No creativity allowed
to pass through stainless veins of steel,
at Apogee.
Apogee – put the kettle on
Tight-lipped – soldier on
High point – communicate
Don't forget to urinate.

So glad they put this window in.
How to explain, how to begin?
See! Tennyson and Wordsworth there
waiting for me in the cold, thin air.

Beware a host of unearthly daffodils
drifting golden, turned up loud.
Tell the boys back home,
I'm gonna get some.

The Wrong Stuff's loose in here –
I'm climbing up the walls,
at Apogee.
So hoist the skull and bones –
death and glory's free,
at Apogee.

A stranger wind, a solar breeze –
I'm walking out upon the starry seas.
See pyramids, see standing stones –
pink cotton undies and blue telephones.

Goodbye, cruel world that was my home –
there's a cleaner space out there to roam.
Put my feet up on the moons of Mars –
sit back, relax and count the stars.

[Sergey Beatoff]

I really wonder, maybe I was wrong to ask my question here, or the topic isn't interesting, or I need to clarify something. So many people viewed the post and not a single answer? Redirect me, please, to the thread where I could get any practical help if I got the wrong way asking here.

[Charles Darnay]

It's an interesting question - and a fair one.

I am a big Jethro Tull fan, but never gave much consideration to Under Wraps as an album or this song. I have also never tried to take the lyrics too literally: while they are brilliant, they are often more random than representative.


But the idea of hoisting the skull and bones, and sailing off away to a better shore is reflective of Tennyson (Idylls of the King) - that might be while he included the reference.

[Sergey Beatoff]

Charles Darnay, thank you for the answer.
I like Ian Anderson's lyrics. It's interesting not only to listen to it in the song form but also to read it as a piece of poetry. I agree, one shouldn'd try to take every image literarlly. But being not a native English speaker I'm interested in the origin of poetic images.

[Eiseabhal]

There's a half-hearted allusion to Ulysses probably in the reference to the old man and his crew. But really the lyrics are a random jumble of nonsense like most posturing pop. Gawd the bugger used to stand on one leg dressed like a tramp and tootle on a flute. Later he became a successful business man in Easter Ross