When i read Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man more than a dozen years ago, i was struck by the irony of his description of his young black protagonist as being “invisible”. These days most white people become instantly alert upon seeing a young black man, racist stereotypes being what they are in the U.S. This image has stayed with me, and when i started writing songs, i thought about including the metaphor in a song. At that time it occurred to me that now the elderly are the least visible indiviuals in our country. So, when i finally got around to actually writing the song, i took it in that direction. Later, i wrote “Visibility” (using the same first verse and melody); it takes a different tack.