The Strawbs
Lyric guide

Hanging In The Gallery

Read Hanging In The Gallery lyrics by The Strawbs on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

The Strawbs visibility0 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: The Strawbs Canonical path: /the-strawbs/hanging-in-the-gallery Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Hanging In The Gallery

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

Is it the painter or the picture

Hanging in the gallery?

Admired by countless thousands

Who attempt to read the secrets

Of his vision of his very soul.

Is it the painter or the picture

Hanging in the gallery?

Or is it but a still life

Of his own interpretation

Of the way that God had made us

In the image of His eye?

Is it the sculptor or the sculpture

Hanging in the gallery?

Touched by fleeting strangers

Who desire to feel the strength of hands

That realised a form of life.

Is it the sculptor or the sculpture

Hanging in the gallery?

Or is it but the tenderness

With which his hands were guided

To discard the unessentials

And reveal the perfect truth?

Is it the actor or the drama

Playing to the gallery?

Heard in every corner

Of the theatre of cruelty

That masks the humour in his speech.

Is it the actor or the drama

Playing to the gallery?

Or is it but the character

Of any single member of the audience

That forms the plot

Of each and every play?

Is it the singer or his likeness

Hanging in the gallery?

Tongue black, still and swollen,

His eyes staring from their sockets,

He is silent now, will sing no more.

Is it the singer or his likeness

Hanging in the gallery?

Or is it but his conscience,

Insecurity, and loneliness,

When destiny becomes at last

The cause of his demise?

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Hanging In The Gallery"?

The Strawbs performs "Hanging In The Gallery", and this lyric page sits inside the The Strawbs catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Hanging In The Gallery"?

Yes. The related section below points to A Boy And His Dog and A Glimpse Of Heaven with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by The Strawbs?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through The Strawbs's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Hanging In The Gallery yet.