Three Minute Boy
Marillion · Live From Cadogan Hall [2011]
Gone this afternoon
Another tune we almost remember
What's the story
Sex and drugs again
Business as usual
The clock's already ticking
La la la la
When he was young
Staring at the TV
He watched the fun happenin' to other people
Now they scream
As they run after him
Like a dream
Like Elvis and the Beatles
A three minute song is all he wrote
He only did it for a joke
They played him on the radio
From Tokyo to Timbuktu
A three minute boy, ain't that somethin'
They named their children after him
The good times rolled beneath his feet
He skipped along the one-way street
She's a pretty girl
She don't know how it started
She made a movie
He almost remembered
She measured up
They moved into a basement
"We're so in love!"
They giggled to the nation
La la la la
Three minute millionaire they said
The numbers rattled round his head
They spun him three times round the globe
She waited patiently at home
And all the pretty girls wanted him
In places that he'd never been
Too much love will do you in
Forgive Forgive Forgive Forgive
Yeah Yeah Ooo
Three minute kid is here again
Surrounded by three minute friends
He found someone to understand
To shock the world and hold his hand
No religion, no restraint
No direction, no complaints
No future and no way out
No time now to think about it
All the money's gone
He don't know what he spent it on
Girlfriends gone off with the Jag
Gone back to her mum and dad
He's curled up on the studio floor
He just can't do it anymore
The flashgun went off without warning
He'll read about it tomorrow morning
She's goin' out with someone new
In this week at number two
Three minute boy ain't that somethin'
Three Minute Boy
Marillion's "Three Minute Boy" stands as a defining track from their 1985 album Fugazi, capturing the band's early progressive rock intensity. The song is renowned for its complex structure, shifting tempos, and the distinctive vocal delivery of Steve Hogarth, who joined the band later but has become synonymous with their sound. This particular recording from Live From Cadogan Hall in 2011 showcases the group's enduring ability to deliver powerful live performances decades after the song's initial release. The track explores themes of fleeting youth and the passage of time, delivered with the band's characteristic blend of theatricality and melodic depth. As a staple of their live repertoire, it remains a testament to Marillion's influence within the British rock landscape and their continued relevance to fans of progressive music.