The Elusive Metallic Idol

THE ELUSIVE METALLIC IDOL

 ©Trev Teasdel December 1968 Coventry

There’s a maze of minds

Designing all kinds of cars.

There’s a surfeit of time to kill,

So the people do what they will.

Living in flats, so very high.

Working so hard till they finally die.

Cogwheels are spinning

And people are sinning.

Papa’s won the pools,

Look at all the fools

Smoking and drinking,

No time for thinking.

(Bridge)

I don’t know what to do for the best

I’m counting the hairs on my hairless chest

Times are so hard,

Think I’ll send them a Christmas card.

Money becomes their life,

The object of their strife.

The elusive metallic idol

Can make you suicidal.

So get outta bed,

Screw on your head

It’s full speed ahead.

Grab what you can while you may.

Got no time for pleasure and play!

...........................

This version by Mira and the Magnetic Ghosts 2025

 

The same version but on Reverbnation 

The Elusive Metallic Idol” (Trev Teasdel, Dec 1968) was written in Coventry during its car manufacturing heyday, inspired by a BBC Horizon documentary—possibly Hidden World—aired in December 1968. The film may have explored themes of built-in obsolescence, materialism, and modern industrial stress. Set against Coventry’s own car-town reality, the lyric became a poetic response to the psychological and social impact of consumer society and mass production. In 1970 Tony Mojo Morgan of Coventry's Mick Green Blues Band - later with Coventry's ska band EMF, wrote some music to it on guitar for the band - the tape got lost. The song was also influenced by early Cat Stevens songs like Matthew and Son. At the time of writing it I didn't play an instrument so it got shelved - using AI recently, I created a modern version of it.

This is another song called Just before Dawn but in this extended version, I covered some of the lyrics to Elusive Metallic Idol in the latter finger-picked verses.