He returns from his mixed-up memories to the passage he was previously stuck in. This time he discovers a long carpeted corridor.
Peter Gabriel:"And he was left cuddling a prickly porcupine on a soft thick carpeted corridor -- 'Carpeted by Cyril [sp?] Lord at Prices You Can Afford.' --"
Peter Gabriel:"And I was left cuddling this gigantic prickly porcupine on a soft carpeted corridor -- 'Carpeted by Cyril [sp?] Lord at Prices You Can Afford.' --"
[The carpet crawlers are *people* who can't make it to the spiral staircase and to the chamber of 32 doors.
From the History Of Genesis, by Mick St. Michael, the following quote from Peter Gabriel: "There's an art to (writing pop songs). I always thought the melody of 'Carpet Crawlers' was one of the choicest things I'd written. To me, that was a pop song." (1977).
There is lambswool under my naked feet. 
The wool is soft and warm, -- gives off some kind of heat.
A salamander scurries into flame to be destroyed.
Imaginary creatures are trapped in birth on celluloid.
The fleas cling to the golden fleece, Hoping they'll find peace.
Each thought and gesture are caught in celluloid.
There's no hiding in my memory. There's no room to void.
The walls are painted in red ochre and are marked by strange insignia, some looking like a bulls-eye, others of birds and boats. Further down the corridor, he can see some people; all kneeling. With broken sighs and murmurs they struggle, in their slow motion to move towards a wooden door at the end. Having seen only the inanimate bodies in the Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging, Rael rushes to talk to them.
The crawlers cover the floor in the red ochre corridor.
For my second sight of people, they've more lifeblood than before.
They're moving. They're moving in time to a heavy wooden door, Where the needle's eye is winking, closing on the poor.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers: "We've got to get in to get out We've got to get in to get out."
"What's going on?" he cries to a muttering monk, who conceals a yawn and replies "It's a long time yet before the dawn." A sphinx-like crawler calls his name saying "Don't ask him, the monk is drunk. Each one of us is trying to reach the top of the stairs, a way out will await us there." Not asking how he can move freely, our hero goes boldly through the door. Behind a table loaded with food, is a spiral staircase going up into the ceiling.
Peter Gabriel:"Which in turn led up to a spiral staircase into a chamber with 32 doors, none of which would get any of them anywhere."
Peter Gabriel:"And it all led up to a spiral staircase which in turn led into a chamber with 32 doors, none of which went anywhere but back in the chamber."
There's only one direction in the faces that I see;
It's upward to the ceiling, where the chambers said to be.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree.
They are pulled up by the magnet, believing they're free.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
"We've got to get in to get out We've got to get in to get out."
Mild mannered supermen are held in kryptonite,
[This is a reference to the DC Comics character Superman, whose super abilities were nullified by a material from his destroyed home planet Krypton, called Kryptonite. "Mild mannered" was a phrase used to describe Superman's secret identity, Clark Kent. The names were capitalized.
In an aside, it is interesting to note that Genesis used these trademarked names apparently without incident. Stewart Copeland came out with an album titled Klark Kent in the early 1980s, not even spelled the same, and was forced to change it to Klerk Kant under legal pressure. Perhaps the movies that were made between these two albums made the difference.
Genesis has actually made 2 references to DC Comics characters -- the other is Batman in Blood On The Rooftops.]
And the wise and foolish virgins giggle with their bodies glowing bright.
Through the door a harvest feast is lit by candle light;
It's the bottom of a staircase that spirals out of sight.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers: "We've got to get in to get out We've got to get in to get out."
The porcelain mannikin with shattered skin fears attack.
The eager pack lift up their pitchers -- the carry all they lack.
The liquid has congealed, which has seeped out through the crack,
And the tickler takes his stickleback.
[Apparently some variations of the liner notes have this line
"And the tickler takes his tickle back"
The reason for this discrepancy is unknown. In light of the Horizon's error and the variations on "carpet crawl", it may just be a typographical slipup. Given the explanation of "tickle" following which applies to fish, it is more probable that this is an error rather than "stickle" being an error.
"Tickling" is a way of catching fish, usually trout, without fishing tackle. It involves standing quietly with your hand submerged in a river until the fish get used to your presence. When a fish comes close you gently move your hand underneath its belly and start making stroking motions. The fish will find this pleasant and gradually you move your hand closer to the fish until finally you can grab it and throw it onto the bank.
A stickleback is defined by the ironically named Collins English Dictionary (no connection to Phil that we know of) as:
stickleback: n. any of various small fishes that have a series of spines along the back and occur in cold and temperate regions.]
The carpet crawlers heed their callers: "We've got to get in to get out We've got to get in to get out."
