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In this song, Aqualung is a bum with poor hygiene. Jethro Tull vocalist and flute player Ian Anderson wrote it about a character he made up based on actual photographs of transient men. Ian's wife at the time, Jennie, was an amateur photographer and had brought the pictures for Ian to look at. Many of the lyrics are Ian describing the men in the pictures. (thanks, Matthew - Fountain Valley, CA)

Anderson called this "a guilt-ridden song of confusion about how you deal with beggars, the homeless."

The character Aqualung is mentioned in another song on the album, "Cross-Eyed Mary," which is also a character Anderson created.

Ian Anderson's wife Jennie got a songwriting credit on this and receives royalties from the song. She and Anderson divorced in 1974.

The album cover had a drawing of Aqualung. Some fans thought it was supposed to be Anderson.

This is Jethro Tull's most famous song, but it was not released as a single. Ian Anderson told us why: "Because it was too long, it was too episodic, it starts off with a loud guitar riff and then goes into rather more laid back acoustic stuff. Led Zeppelin at the time, you know, they didn't release any singles. It was album tracks. And radio sharply divided between AM radio, which played the 3-minute pop hits, and FM radio where they played what they called deep cuts. You would go into a album and play the obscure, the longer, the more convoluted songs in that period of more developmental rock music. But that day is not really with us anymore, whether it be classic rock stations that do play some of that music, but they are thin on the ground, and they too know that they've got to keep it short and sharp and cheerful, and provide the blue blanket of familiar sounding music and get onto the next set of commercial breaks, because that's what pays the radio station costs of being on the air. So pragmatic rules apply."

An "Aqualung" is a portable breathing apparatus for divers. The character in the song has a breathing problem, which is why he is known as "Aqualung." Learn more about an Aqualung and how it relates to diving in Song Images.

The unusual audio effect you hear in this song is called "telephone burbles" where you remove all frequencies except for a narrow band around the 1,000 hertz mark. This is to reproduce the sound of a telephone. As Ian Anderson told us: "It's also like when you're addressing a crowd through a megaphone. Or even perhaps the tinny sound of a voice trumpet, which is a non-active megaphone. It's a form of address. It's the sound that woke up young pilots in 1941 and sent them into the skies to battle the Hun. This is the sound of the Tannoy, the calling to arms of young men going up in their Hurricanes and Spitfires. It's something that's very much part of the blood of an Englishman."

Martin Barre's solo in this song was rated #25 in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos reader's poll. (thanks, Mark - Madison, WI)

This song is mentioned in the movie Anchorman after Will Ferrell plays a riff from it on his Jazz flute and says, "Hey, Aqualung." (thanks, Brad Nash - Rochester Hills, MI)

Comments:

idiots
- quinn, smallsville, VT

the line " goes down to the bog to warm his feet" when the homeless in england's feet would freeze they would urinate on the to keep them warm, thats what that line means
- mike, punta gorda , FL

It is strange for me to read all of this messages. The missus of Ian and the maybe meanings of this song. As a bloody german I have no clue. But can it be, that this is a piece of art and that we all have our own connections and feelings about it. Whatever you say friends, for me it is something which followed me my entire life. As a young boy I was rocking and dancing to it. Now, no spliff or alc is needed and I still love it. You English have Wilde, Byron, Shakespeare, and so many more. Jethro Tull is just another piece of your beautiful culture. berniwenig@yahoo.de
- Roppichan, Duisburg, Germany

Aqualung my friend don't start away uneasy you poor old sod, you see, it's only me. I believe this is Death talking to the wanderer. He is his friend and guide for the sick old man who is feeling sick and alone here at the time of his death, the Reaper figure easing his way to the Other Side. No more agonizing Decembers and bitter winters to endure. A few last rattling breaths and it's over.
- Peter, Omaha, NE

Jenny Anderson wrote all the lyrics to this song. That is why she still gets royalties to this song. Incidentally, she remarried and is living in the US.
- Steve Turner, st louis, MO

Jethro Tull never really got the critical acclaim they really deserved. True, they weren't exactly singing to the mainstream, but still, a lot of their songs were honest observations about life that anyone could listen to and enjoy without having to overanalyze it (eh Jena?). I have always enjoyed this song, though I was probably 12 before I could understand what the lyrics actually were. Good music is good music, whether you can understand the words or not.
- Jas, Clifton, TX

Hey, Ed in Canton, OH. I remember reading in a GUITARWORLD magazine tablature of the AQUALUNG that a "dog end" is British slang for a discarded cigarette butt.
- Barry, Greenville, NC

what? no comments about picking a dog-end? I hope this is a metaphor for something else and not literal. anyone from the isles care to enlighten me?
- Ed, Canton, OH

A song about a guy who's already dead: "Do you still remember December's foggy freeze [The frost that kills him] when the ice that clings on to your beard was screaming agony. [frostbite] And you snatch your rattling last breaths with deep-sea-diver sounds, [he's dying] and the flowers bloom like madness in the spring" [buried in the ground that "pushes up daisies" the next season; also an analogy of life & the fact that even after death, new life continues to flourish] Another thought: "you poor old sod, you see it's onl me" -- could mean the singer speaking to the "poor old sod" (either "Aqualung" or "the listener" as a third party w/ some connection to Aqualung), OR, to himself (You poor old sod [As in, his own dead self] OR [the listener], you see it's [the character in the song/Aqualung is] only me.
- Jena, Leavenworth, KS

For the record, I agree with Tim that the point of the song is to see how society views a poor soul like this. We should all take a walk in Aqualung's shoes for a day.
- Jack, Co9hasset, MA

I am a 4decade fan of Tull. saw them recently at Jones Beach, and was dissapointed. Ian just hit the High/Lows of there music anymore. May be time to retire and count fish. Sorry Andy from Rockaway.
- Andy, Rockaway , NY

I don't think he's blind. He's just afraid of people.
- Heather, Los Angeles, CA

I agree that the fast part is from the point of view of the type of person who hates homeless because he assumes they are all pedophiles and they bring down property values. All he has to do is glance at some little girls playing and it becomes "eyeing little girls with bad intent." Then the slow part is a friend or someone who is charitable toward Aqualung. Also, do you think Aqualung may be blind or have very poor eyesight? i think the line "don't you start away uneasy ... it's only me" suggests that he hears someone coming and shuffles away, and needs to be reasurred that it is someone friendly.
- Tim, Davis, CA

Keep up the good work.AsI love you.
- john, This city, Australia

Their music is great, but regarding Ian Anderson, I came across this on Metal Sludge: "I've interviewed him twice and he is a total ***hole. He thinks he's so much better than everyone else back in the day. I'll give credit where its due talentwise but as a human being this guy is a complete total creep."
- ChattyPancake, Saigon, Other

That's a very interesting comment from Jeff in Quincy. I had always wondered about the harder part and the softer part of the song and what it meant. That seems to make sense that the harder part is society talking and the softer is Aqualung himself. Actually, I think the softer part is a guy who gives Aqualung money (or helps him out in some way from time to time). I get that from the verse, "you poor old sod you see it's only me." It sounds like one person trying to soothe another. Also the comment about what a "bog" means (slang for bathroom)is interesting. I'd always thought it literally meant he went down to a bog (like a swamp) and stuck his feet in.
- Heather, Los Angeles, CA

My friend and I spoke about it-the meaning, I mean. We believe that Aqualung could also refer to him having pneumonia. That is interesting what one poster said about "going to the bog to warm his feet," and I would have to agree that is probably what the band meant for that. Cheers, mates and chums!
- Stephen, Erie, PA

The best Jethro Tull song
- ricardo, Mexico City, Mexico

A very weird sounding song. It's one of those songs you listen to over and over because it's very weird sounding. I actually don't know how to describe this song. All that I know is that this song and "Locomotive Breath" are my favorite Tull songs. I think the lyrics are very well done and seem very disturbing. Not dark but disturbing.
- Spog Zallagi, Blue Hill, ME

Nathan, what are you smoking.
- Paul, Muskegon, MI

Random Useless Fact: The Aqualung was invented by Jacques Cousteu.
- Chris, Meridian, ID

It's strange that Jethro Tull is not that famous as Led Zeppelin.I think Tull is even better.
- Nathan, Bruges, Belgium

I love this song, but it sounds eerily like the description of a child molestor...."eyeing little girls with bad intent"..."watching as the frilly panties run". Creepy!!
- Jena, Bonner Springs, KS

About going to the bog and warming his feet...it is a common practice for homeless people in the dead of winter to go to a public toilet (bog) and urinate on their feet to keep from getting frostbite on their toes..."he goes down to the bog and warms his feet." Jethro Tull also got in (minor) trouble for using the word Aqualung (especially likening it to "deep sea diver sounds"), which is a copywrited name.
- Brandon, Peoria, IL

And you snatch your rattling last breaths. rattling last breath has long been associated with the sound your throat makes before dying. It is a sound of a rattle. I heard this rattle with my father, and my grandmother. Mike, Calif.
- Mike, Salinas, CA

I don't think that Aqualung's a paedophile; in "Cross-Eyed Mary" and "Aqualung", Aqualung seems to be looking at what he's missed with contempt for the system that let him slip through the 'safety net1 of life. Over-analysis, I know...
- James, Edinburgh, Scotland

you can realize hes a pedophile when it says "eyeing little girls with bad intent"
- Tyler, Niagara Falls, NY

this song is actully about a bum who is also a petifile if you listen to the line "watching the frilly panties run" youll relize that
- Edward, Durham,Nc, NC

This song is so good! Poor Aqualung -__-
- Phil, Niagara Falls, Canada

Aqualung is one of the most beautifully sad songs I have ever heard. The song reminds me of a displaced war veteran who has a bad attitude toward society as implied by the tone in the first stanza. The second stanza informs the listener of the terrible condition the man is in. The third stanza shows the horror of the man's past haunting his present state and god or his former self assuring him and making him aware of why he is as he is because of where he has been, at war. The listener can then understand where his miserable state comes from and the system that placed him there. Anonymous C.C.,TX
- Anonymous, Corpus Christi, TX

Actually, Jimmy Page was trying to crack up guitarist Martin Barre while he was recording the solo for Aqualung; he was pounding on the recording booth window, making faces and jumping up and down. Barre forged ahead and completed his work without letting Page distract him.
- Jared, Rochester, NY

Of interesting note- When the Aqualung album was first released, the song name as printed was: Aqualung (Jennie Anderson) Indicating sole authorship Then when it was released on the Greatest Hits it was listed thusly: Aqualung (Anderson/Anderson) Now we see them sharing authorship. Perhaps things are not going well in the Anderson home? And finally when release on DVD: Aqualung (Ian Anderson) Post divorce. I suppose he got it in the settlement. IMHO- A Seminal Rock album. Incredible imaginative unique songwriting and superb musicianship. As close to a romanticized middle ages rock as you'll find. A TRUE orgininal!
- Charles, Bronxville, NY

This song is reputed to have been the all-time favourite of the late Owen Hart (the WWF wrestler). This is a terrific song, but 1969's "Living In The Past" was Tull's finest moment
- Dave, Cardiff, Wales

With regard to the first comment from Barry of New York, that incident occured during the recording of Minstrel in the Gallery not Aqualung.
- Tom, The far corners of the globe

According to Martin Barre, while he was recording his guitar solo, Jimmy Page waved to him. Either Martin could wave back or smile. "I just smiled at him" he recalled. This took place in December 1970 when Led Zeppelin was recording their masterpiece "Stairway To Heaven."
- Barry, New York, NC

The song is about how society views the homeless. If one listens to the "harder" parts that is society speaking, the "slower" parts is the homeless man himself. The term "aqualung" refers to TB from which this manis dying from.
- Jeff, Quincy, CA

Here are the true facts about the origin and meaning of the song as quoted by Ian. "'Aqualung': It's about a rather pathetic character, someone socially degraded. There's something marvellous about that situation. I would like to see the concept of God put into that situation." * Ian Anderson in Disc and Music Echo, 20th March 1971. The title song portrays an old and homeless, asthmatic man, who wanders the streets in a big city. Ian drew his inspiration from a project his first wife Jennie was working on. See: http://www.cupofwonder.com/aqua4.html ). She had been photographing homeless people, living their harsh lives in the streets of London near Thames river. From an interview with Ian in 'Guitar World' magazine, November 1996:
- Dan, Atlanta, GA

Aqualung was also a "perv" - "sitting on a park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent..."
- Dave, Marieta, GA

As a hard core Tull fan i wonder if some of the people who post comments listen to the words of a song or just hear what they want to.(that goes for a lot of songs on this sight) Ian Anderson's likeness appears on alot of their albums covers, songs from the wood, heavy horses, broadsword & the beast, stand up. To Josef your right they should never have got the award for best metal album, they should have got it for being the greatest and nicest people in music. It was an honor to meet and share the stage with them.
- Michael, Brisbane (Seoul), Korea - South

I never gave the lyrics that much thought being a guitarist. Martin Barre's solo in this song got my attention.
- bob, Cincinnati, OH

The aqualung theme of the song refers to the sounds made by scuba divers' breathing units (aqualungs) when they're diving ("deep sea diver sounds"). Among other characteristics, the mythical homeless man of this song has some form of consumption, and chokes on his own breath because of all the gunk in his lungs.
- NickC, Ft. Wayne, IN

i always thought the name aqualung sort of refered to anderson's amazing lung capacity, i dunno if any of you have ever tried to play the flute, but it requires obscene amounts of air because a very small portion of the air you exhale actually enters the instrument and makes the sound. not that ian's mere ability to play demonstrates lung capacity, but if you notice he takes breaths very infrequently.
- dave, baltimore, MA

how dare you make fun of Ian anderson josef.
- charlie, Thomaston, CT

To Kent, yeah I know, I never really thought of that though. Silly me!
- James, Bransgore, England

Oh, wait they don't, I thought you said toilet. No, we call a toilet a bog, never heard anyone call a pub a bog before.
- James, Bransgore, England

I always laughed at this song because it was so despicably sad, and way out of this world. I even used to mock Ian Anderson as he used to sing it live. Aaaaa KwWAAAA lung Myy yy yyy Freei eneed... He sounded and looked like alot of the transients I see on the streets each day...I can't believe they beat Metallica out on the best metal record that one year. Ian Anderson is now making more money as a Salmon Farmer... Thank goodness.
- Josef, Corpus Christi, TX

Aqualung is the reflection of a tramp as he looks through his life when he's taking his "rattling last breath" He see's the soup kitchen, foraging for cigarettes and the freezing cold he's had to endure. Just a thought!
- rachel, castleford, England

the bog is a toilet, public toilet in this case
- John, Durham, England

Dear James, Many Brits refer to a bar as "the bog."
- Kent, Boise, ID

Cool song...
- Ali, Syracuse , NY

I think maybe that line "And you snatch your rattling last breaths" is the guy drowning. It says he goes down to the bog, which is a watery swamp, and I reckon he falls in and drowns. That's what I gathered anyway.
- James, Bransgore, United States

i don't think the lines December's foggy freeze when the ice that clings on to your beard is screaming agony. And you snatch your rattling last breaths" is about asthma, my theory is that aqualung was involved in a science experiment gone awry in which they tried to make a man breath underwater and when they failed they abondend and forgot about him and so he became a begger, who forgot his past life. notice the line you forget to talk about(stef) "last breaths WITH DEEP SEE DIVER SOUNDS" thus i think that he was involved in a long lost forgotten experiment. i posted this as a song fact which i doubt will ever be posted.
- charlie, Thomaston, DC

The song Aqualung was written by Ian Anderson's wife, Jennie. The line "the army's up the rode salvation à la mode and a cup of tea." Refers to the Salvation Army, who used to give beggars and bums tea and coffee in the winter to warm up. The line "December's foggy freeze when the ice that clings on to your beard is screaming agony. And you snatch your rattling last breaths" Refers to the beggars asthma, due to the foggy freeze of December.
- Stef, Oshawa , Canada

I don't actually think Ian was upset over the likeness of Aqualung. I have always heard that he felt the was so much of him in the songs, that it would be only logical that the character would resemble him. Other examples of this can be found on the cover of Broadsword and the Beatie and the comic on the inside of Too Old To Rock N Roll jacket. Also, contrary to common misconception, Ian has always claimed that Aqualung was not a concept album, rather just "a collection of songs."
- Ken, Hartland, MI