Meaning of “Abacab” by Genesis
“Abacab” is a song performed by the internationally renowned English band Genesis. Upon the release of the song in the early 1980s, many assumed “Abacab” was an actual word (a proper noun). A number of Genesis fans even confessed to consulting the English dictionary in an attempt to find out if the word existed there and what it meant.
What really is the meaning of Abacab?
The truth of the matter is that “Abacab” isn’t any word that you can find in the dictionary and it has no meaning. The title of the song was gotten while the band was working on the earlier version of the song. According to Genesis guitarist, Mike Rutherford, he and the other members of the band (Phil Collins and Tony Banks) labeled the sections of the earlier version of the song with the alphabets A,B, and C with “A” referring to the “verse”, “B” referring to the “chorus” and “C” referring to the “bridge”. So the initial structure of the song was in the order: A-B-A-C-A-B.
However, by the time the band had come out with the final and complete version of the song to be released to the public, the structure had changed from the A-B-A-C-A-B format to a different format, but despite the change, the band members decided to stick with “Abacab” as the song’s title.
With regard to the actual meaning of Abacab, not even the band members know what it means. The lead singer of Genesis, Phil Collins said during rehearsals for the band’s 2007 reunion tours, he was forced to take the song out of the set because he didn’t know what the song was about.
Facts about “Abacab”
- The song was written by all three members of Genesis (Collins, Rutherford and Banks).
- The title of the song “Abacab” is meaningless.
- The song was released on 14th August, 1981 as the first of the four singles from the band’s eleventh studio album, which is also titled “Abacab”.
- Peaking at number 9 on the UK Singles chart and number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the song remains one of the most successful singles to be released by Genesis.
- The horn noises at the tail end of the instrumental section of the song, is played by The Phenix Horns (formerly known as EWF Horns). However, the Phenix Horns weren’t credited for that.
I was watching a tattoo show and ACAB was a prison tat that meant All Cops Are Bastards. A B, well we know what that stands for. Not saying one had to do with the other but that’s why I was looking to see if there was a meaning behind it.
Great Song
In Street Baglian, it means “the pompetus of love”.
Great. WTF is a pompetus?
yeh really
Ask Maurice
I wouldn’t know I’m a joker I’m a smoker I’m a midnight toker
lmao..
Good one!
Ashley, OMG that is too funny! An actual LOL! I was thinking maybe In a Gadda Da Vida….Hee-hee.
some of Queens lyrics have no meaning either..Bizmeelah
Bismillah means “in the name of Allah” and is the first word in The Qu’ran.
Actually it’s bismallah in Arabic means “in the name of God,” kind of like “For God’s sake”
Yaah – Baah -Dooh !!!
Susudio doesn’t mean anything, too!
Well it’s not entirely meaningless if it refers to song structure eh? Even if the final structure was different (ABABCAB?)
Genesis was very instrumental during my last 2 years of college, prior to graduation.
I have alway liked the song as a child and today it’s only album I have bought from Genesis. I have had replace it seven times over the years.
Simply class……
It’s pretty stupid to remove a hit song from a playlist (as Collins did) just because he doesn’t know what the song is about. Plenty of their songs make no rational sense. It’s music. It’s art.
Agreed… But if you cant get into singing your own song It can come can come across to your audience in a negative way. It’s still musical art to my ears 40 yrs later and should endure time better than other songs.
love the comments. I heard this song the other day on the radio and have been playing it constantly the last couple days off youtube. I have been inspired to play this at my next FamJam(family jam). Already called my sister and she gave it a thumbs up. Now, I just gota figure out the guitar parts and try not to butcher up the lyrics at the same time. I always wondered what the song meant but apparently it’s pretty much meaningless, like a lot of things in life…but still fun!
I’m so glad I found out about this song, and it doesn’t really much matter. But I Love the song. Genesis was my life through the 80’s. God he kept putting Great songs out one after another. Now I’m so nostalgic I listen to it all the time.anything in the 80’s brings back memories.
Me too!
Abacab bachearía is BACBA which is —> Oenocarpus bacaba
A palm tree that it fruits are used to make pig’s food
.
Abacab backwards reads Bacaba which is a palm tree with the scientific name —> Oenocarpus bacaba
Used for make pigs food
LOL
It’s that song in your head you can’t get rid of. It’s everywhere. Behind the door… under the pillow. That’s it. Your welcome. 😊
I heard this playing on the radio and looked up the first few lines of lyrics to figure out what the song was. I figured it was Phil or Genesis but I wasn’t sure. So there I am listening to the song and looking at the lyrics, and my imagination manifested a mysterious clown jester of sorts, kinda like the main character of Nights: into Dreams on Sega Saturn. Abacab is referred to as “he” and he “doesn’t care” and seems to be omnipresent, I just pictured a snarky trickster character flying around your house, tapping you on the shoulder and flying away when you turn around. Also the repeated line “there’s a whole in there somewhere” had me imagining that hole being where the mysterious Ababcab emerged from inside the house, escaping from another dimension. I like the idea of combining this trickster jester visual with the previous commenter’s take on the song being about a song stuck in your head. The jester is the physical manifestation of that. Anyway, I’ve come to love this whole colorful album.
I looked up the first few lines of lyrics to figure out what this song this was after hearing it on the radio. Had a feeling it was Phil or Genesis but wasn’t sure. Reading the lyrics and listening to the song, which refers to Abacab as “he” and he “doesn’t really care,” I pictured a flying jester trickster character. Kinda like the main character in Nights: into Dreams o n Sega Saturn. He’s flying around your house, tapping you on the shoulder and flying away when you turn around. I like this visual combined with the previous commenter’s take on it being about a song stuck in your head. The jester character would be the physical manifestation of that. Also, the repeated lyric “there’s a hole in there somewhere” had me picturing that as the hole in the house from which the mysterious Abacab emerged from another dimension.
Wake up in the morning covered in cellophane, there’s a hole in there somewhere.. wtf does that mean
Missing organ?
Always thought it referred to an album in the record store covered in cellophane
I figured he was suffocating. Theres a hole in there somewhere. Its saying you have a fighting chance. Imop
Maybe its about suffocating. Theres a hole in there somewhere is about you have a fighting chance. Its the best part imop.
Funny. Wife & I just bought a 2023 Genesis G70 3.3T. Our license plate is …. ABACAB. We love the song & the car. We’re both old peeps 64 y.o. LOL