Editing We Can't Dance (section)

==Songs==
In a similar way to the writing of ''Invisible Touch'', the band initially allocated roughly one third of the album to each member, who was then responsible for the lyrics to their collection of songs. Banks said having one person work on a set of lyrics was a better way of carrying an idea through.<ref name=1991presskit/> In the end, ''We Can't Dance'' saw Collins contribute a greater amount of lyrics than before; his efforts praised by Rutherford who considered his words for its songs among his best in Genesis history. Collins went further and rated his lyrics on ''We Can't Dance'' as some of the best of his career and said, "Obviously, the music stimulated me".<ref name=1991presskit/> In a week during which Banks and Rutherford left the studio for promotional work, Collins started to write lyrical ideas; according to Rutherford "he just couldn't stop himself after that. He found he had dead time on his hands."<ref name=vox1991/>

Several songs deal with serious matters and social issues. "[[No Son of Mine]]" tackles the subject of the [[domestic abuse]] of a 15-year-old boy, which originated with Collins repeating the phrase "no son of mine" as a dummy lyric during the writing sessions, rather than a song concerning social commentary.<ref name=vox1991/> The ten-minute "Driving The Last Spike" is about 19th-century Irish [[navvies]] who helped built the railways in the UK, and the poor and unsafe working conditions they had to endure. Collins wrote it after being given a book on the subject by a correspondent who sought to produce a television show about it.<ref name=vox1991/> Banks used a [[Hammond organ]] patch on the track, which referenced his prominent use of the instrument early in Genesis' career. "Dreaming While You Sleep" concerns a hit-and-run driver and his guilt after failing to stop at the scene of the accident. The former contains a sample of a sound that Rutherford achieved as he was "messing about bending two notes" that Banks had recorded from a microphone on his E-mu Emulator which he then sampled and slowed down, creating a noise he compared to an elephant's trumpeting.<ref name=guitarmag1992/><ref name=keyboard1992/> "Tell Me Why" criticises the [[Gulf War]] and the plight of the Kurdish people in its aftermath. Collins got the idea from a television news report while he was having dinner with his wife and daughter. "So I just mixed my feelings with previous thoughts about Bangladesh and Ethiopia". Its original working title was "Rickenbacker" after the 12-string Rickenbacker guitar used by Rutherford on the song and known for their distinct "ringing" sound.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|p=221}}<ref name=boston1991>{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7685241.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311201855/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7685241.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 March 2018|title=Latest Genesis reunion proves that democracy does work|first=Steve|last=Morse|date=10 November 1991|newspaper=The Boston Globe|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=subscription |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref> "Since I Lost You" was written by Collins for his friend [[Eric Clapton]], following the death of the guitarist's son Conor, on 20 March 1991. Banks and Rutherford were the only members in the studio that day, and played what music they had written to Collins the following day. Collins said, "Straight away, I was singing the things you hear on the record", and wrote a set of lyrics based on the incident, not revealing what they were about to his bandmates until he had finished them.<ref name=cincinnati1991/> Some lines were from a real-life conversation Collins had with Clapton following the incident.<ref name=boston1991/> The other long track, "[[Fading Lights]]", came out of group improvisation.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|pp=220-221}} 
 
The serious material was balanced by shorter and lighter songs. "[[Jesus He Knows Me]]" was a barbed parody of the [[televangelist]] movement in the US, which the band members had seen while touring the country.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|pp=221-222}} "[[I Can't Dance]]" was a criticism of models who appeared in jeans adverts popular at the time, and built around a heavy Rutherford guitar riff.{{sfn|Bowler|Dray|1992|pp=221-222}} Banks noted his electric piano part was one of the most minimal riffs he has played on record and had thought of a style heard on the 1968 song "[[Feelin' Alright?]]" by [[Traffic (band)|Traffic]].<ref name=keyboard1992/> "Living Forever" deals with a cynical view of society's obsession with modern diets and lifestyles.<ref name=1991presskit/> Its original working title was "Hip-Hop Brushes" after Collins acquired new drum disks for his [[E-mu SP-1200]] drum machine and devised a hip-hop oriented drum pattern using its brush sound, as he recalled, in around ten minutes which the group then played from and developed the song from it.<ref name=keyboard1992/> Two songs, "On the Shoreline" and "Hearts on Fire", were cut from the album due to time constraints; instead, both songs were released as B-sides for the singles "I Can't Dance" and "Jesus He Knows Me" respectively, as well as appearing in the ''[[Genesis Archive 2: 1976–1992]]'' and ''[[Genesis 1983–1998]]'' box sets. Among the keyboards Banks plays on the album are the [[Korg 01/W]] Music Workstation, [[Korg Wavestation]], [[Ensoniq VFX]], [[Roland JD-800]], Roland Rhodes VK-1000, and [[E-mu Emulator III]]; the latter enabled Banks to create samples in stereo.<ref name=keyboard1992>{{cite magazine|title=Genesis: We Can't Dance|first=Robert L.|last=Doerschuk|date=February 1992|issue=62|pages=82–94|magazine=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]]}}</ref>