THE ALBUMS: 2002-2012
VAPOR TRAILS • FEEDBACK • SNAKES & ARROWS • CLOCKWORK ANGELS
Box Set Released on June 6th, 2025VAPOR TRAILS • FEEDBACK • SNAKES & ARROWS • CLOCKWORK ANGELS
Limited Edition - 3,000 Copies
The Albums: 2002-2012 celebrates Rush's enduring legacy as one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, receiving a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2013. The RIAA has certified Rush for having the third-highest number of consecutive gold and platinum studio albums by a rock band.
Vapor Trails is Rush's 17th studio album, released after the band's longest hiatus of five years ending in 2002. After personal tragedies in the late 1990s, Neil Peart considered himself retired from music. During a 5-year convalescence, traveling America on his motorcycle, Peart was eventually drawn back to his need to create, leading to the creation of Vapor Trails. In an interview for Jam! In 2001, Geddy Lee emphasized that this album was for "the psychological health and welfare of all the people who have gone through a difficult time." Vapor Trails served as a testament to Rush's commitment to connecting with fans and propelled the band back onto the charts, reaching No. 3 in Canada and No. 6 in the U.S. - despite being born out of difficult circumstances.
Feedback is Rush's celebration of the band's success and the 30th anniversary of their debut album Rush (1974). Returning to their roots of 60s garage rock, the album includes covers of influential songs from the band's early days, including Buffalo Springfield's "Mr. Soul," The Who's "The Seeker," Cream's "Crossroads," with additional covers of works from the Yardbirds, Love, and Blue Cheer. The cover record landed at No. 5 and No. 19 on the Billboard Canadian and U.S. charts.
Snakes & Arrows continues Rush's progressive rock legacy. Acting as their first slew of original material since Vapor Trails, Peart emphasized, "[w]ithout a doubt, this is the best experience I've had making an album, ever." Snakes and Arrows peaked at No. 3 in both Canada and the U.S., gained a GRAMMY ™ nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and was named one of Classic Rock Magazine's Ten Essential Progressive Rock Albums of the decade.
Clockwork Angels is the 20th and final studio album from Rush, chronicling the story of a young man's quest in an apocalyptic steampunk world. Debuting at No. 1 and No. 2 on Billboard in Canada and the U.S., Clockwork Angels epicly concludes the studio journey of the prog-rock pioneers.
ORIGINAL ALBUM LINER NOTES & CREDITS
VAPOR TRAILS
Geddy Lee - bass guitar, vocals
Alex Lifeson - electric and acoustic guitars, mandola
Neil Peart - drums and cymbals
Produced by Rush and Paul Northfield
Recorded by Paul Northfield, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson, at Reaction Studios, Toronto, January - November, 2001, assisted by Chris Stringer
Mixed by David Bottrill
Assistant engineer: Mike Monson
Mastered by Andy VanDette
Management by Ray Danniels, SRO Management, Toronto
Executive Production by Anthem Entertainment: Liam Birt and Pegi Cecconi
Equipment care and feeding by Lorne (Gump) Wheaton
Art Direction, paintings, and portraits by Hugh Syme
Reissue design by Lisa Glines
Thanks to everyone at Reaction Studios: Ormond, Claire, Chris, and Jeff, and everyone at SRO: Ray Danniels, Pegi Cecconi, Sheila Posner, Andy Curran, Meg Symsyk, Cynthia Barry, Shelley Nott, Steve Hoffman, Bob Farmer, Randy and Frances Rolfe.
As always, we owe our families a huge debt of love, gratitude, appreciation, and attention. We also owe them an apology.
For technical help and contributions, our thanks to Jim Burgess and Ed Wilson at Saved By Technology, Andrew MacNaughtan, Barry and b. zee brokerage, Paul Reed Smith, Fender bass guitars, Coll Audio, Tyme Rogers at Tech 21, Mackie Digital Systems, Steve and Mark at Hughes and Kettner amplification, Dean Markley, Sean Browne at Yamaha, Drum Workshop, Avedis Zildjian, Promark, Remo, Roland electronic percussion, and -- ΩTM
Still brought to you by the letter "3"
© 2013 Atlantic Recording Corporation & Anthem Entertainment
FEEDBACK
Geddy Lee - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Alex Lifeson - Guitars (electric, acoustic, mandola)
Neil Peart - Drums and Cymbals
Produced by David Leonard and RUSH at Phase One Studios,
Toronto · March/April, 2004
Recorded by David Leonard at Phase One Studios, Toronto · March/April, 2004
Mixed and Engineered by David Leonard at Phase One Studios, Toronto · May 2004
Phase One Pro Tools recording by Michael Jack, Assistant · Jeff Muir
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen, Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood.
Management by Ray Danniels, SRO Management, Toronto
Executive Production by Anthem Entertainment · Liam Birt and Pegi Cecconi
Feedback Equipment Care and Feeding by Lorne Wheaton and Rick Britton
Art Direction, Illustration and Design · Hugh Syme
Photography · Andrew MacNaughtan
Thanks to everyone at Phase One Studios
Barry, Donny, Mike, and Jeff and everyone at SRO · Ray Danniels, Pegi Cecconi, Shelia Posner, Shelley Nott, Anna LeCoche, Cynthia Barry, Rayanne Lepieszo, Andy Curran, Bob Farmer, and Randy Rolfe.
As always, we thank our families for their patience, support, tolerance, and love.
Extra Special Thanks to Jason Sniderman, for planting the seed,
research, and endless encouragement.
For technical help & contributions, our thanks to Saved By Technology · Jim Burgess & Ted Onyszczak;
DW Drum, Sabian Cymbals, & Promark drumsticks.
© 2004 Atlantic Records © 2004 Anthem Entertainment
Snakes & Arrows
Produced by Nick Raskulinecz and Rush
Engineered by Richard Chycki
Mixed by Richard Chycki
Recorded at Allaire Studios, Shokan NY, November and December, 2006
Assistant engineer: Matt Snedecor
Additional recording at Grandmaster Recorders, Hollywood CA
Assistant engineer: Andrew Alekel
Mixed at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood CA, January 2007
Assistant engineer: Scott Moore
Additional engineering and mixing by Nick Raskulinecz
Arrangements by Rush and Nick Raskulinecz
Strings on "Faithless" by Ben Mink
Preproduction at Cherry Beach Studios, Toronto, May and September - October, 2006
Engineered by Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, assisted by Inaam Haq
Mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner
Management by Ray Danniels, SRO/Anthem, Toronto
Executive Production: Pegi Cecconi, Andy Curran, Lorne Wheaton
Equipment Supervision: Lorne Wheaton and Russ Ryan
Art direction, design, and illustrations by Hugh Syme
Cover painting The Leela of Self-Knowledge by Harish Johari, courtesy of Inner Traditions, Bear & Co.
"Workin' Them Angels" illustration created by Hugh Syme with the assistance of George Eastman
House, who supplied the original Lewis Hine photograph on which the illustration is based
"Bravest Face" illustration by Hugh Syme and Andrew MacNaughtan
Band photograph by Andrew MacNaughtan
All songs composed by Lee and Lifeson, with lyrics by Peart,
except "Hope", composed and performed by Lerxst Lifeson, all by his own self
All songs published by Core Music Publishing (SOCAN/SESAC)
Geddy would like to thank: Fender Musical Instruments and the Fender Custom Shop, Jim Burgess and Frank Szabo of Saved By Technology, Coll Audio, Tech 21, and Rotosound Bass Strings for their technical contributions, Duke and Ewan for their exceptional canine behavior in a supporting role, and last but certainly not least, my crowd at home: Nancy, Kyla, Julian and Lauren, for their unequivocal and loving support.
Alex would like to thank: Hans, Dennis, Paul, and Rudiger at H&K Amplification, Cara and Pat at GMI, Chris and Glen at Garrison Guitars, Dave at Dean Markley, Joel Singer and Audio Technica, Mike and Nina, Jerry, John and Nikki, Stephen Bennett, David Gilmour, Clatty, JP, Rob, Mike, Lukie, and especially Ade, Justin, Michelle, Taylor, and Chuckie.
Neil would like to thank: John Good, Don Lombardi, and Garrison at Drum Workshop, Mark Love and Chris Stankee at Sabian, Pat Brown and Kevin Radomski at Promark, Darren Shoepp at Roland, Michelle Jacoby at Remo, Greg Russell at neilpeart.net. Freddie Gruber, Matt Scannell, Lorne "Gump" Wheaton, all my "circle of brothers" (too many to list - you know who you are), and on the home front, Keith, Claudia, Jennifer, Adela. Winston, and - at the heart of it all - Carrie.
Our collective appreciation goes to Inaam, Shannon, Carmine, Chris, and David Godfrey Catering at Cherry Beach; Matt, Mark, Susan, Ken, Lisa, Rachel, Annalee, Thorn, Jay, Stephanie, Colby, and Julia at Allaire; Andrew and Jen at Grandmaster; Scott, Kelly, and Jessica at Ocean Way; Barry and Clint at BZ Brokers; and - Ω?
Extremely special thanks to our great support group at SRO/Anthem: Ray Danniels, Pegi Cecconi, Sheila Posner, Anna LeCoche, Cynthia Barry, Shelley Nott, Bob Farmer, Andy Curran, and Randy and Frances Rolfe.
Brought to you by the letter "sssss"
© 2007 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States excluding Canada.
Printed in U.S.A. Lyrics reprinted by permission. All Rights Reserved. © 2007 Anthem Entertainment/Lyrics Used by Permission.
CLOCKWORK ANGELS
PRODUCED BY NICK RASKULINECZ AND RUSH
GEDDY LEE bass guitar, keyboards, bass pedals, vocals
ALEX LIFESON guitars, keyboards
NEIL PEART drums, cymbals, tambourine
Recorded by Richard Chycki
Mixed by Nick Raskulinecz
"Caravan" and "BU2B" recorded at Blackbird Studios, Nashville TN, April 2010
Assisted by Lowell Reynolds
All other songs recorded at Revolution Recording, Toronto ON, October-December 2011
Assisted by Stephen Koszler and Jason Dufour
Mixed at Henson Studios, Los Angeles CA, January-March 2012
Assisted by Martin Cooke
Mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood CA
All songs composed by Lee and Lifeson, with lyrics by Peart
Arrangements by Rush and Nick Raskulinecz
Piano on "The Garden" by Jason Sniderman
Strings on "Halo Effect," "The Anarchist," "The Wreckers," "BU2B2," and "The Garden" arranged and conducted by David Campbell
Recorded at Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles CA, January 18, 2012
Engineered by Paul Fig
Assisted by Rouble Kapoor
"BU2B" new intro recorded on Lerxst Mobile, West Hollywood CA
Management: Ray Danniels
Executive Production: Andy Curran
Associate Production: Pegi Cecconi, Liam Birt
Equipment supervision: Lorne "Gump" Wheaton, John "Skully" McIntosh
Art direction, design, and illustrations: Hugh Syme
Band portrait: Andrew MacNaughtan
Geddy would like to thank the good people of the following companies for their technical contributions and support: Fender Musical Instruments and the Fender Custom Shop, Tech 21, Orange Amplifiers, Moog Synthesizers, Tom Brantley, James Hogg, Rotosound Bass Strings, and Jim Burgess of Saved By Technology. I would also like to thank Nancy, Kyla, Julian, and Lauren, for their constant and complete support, love, and understanding - and it is my pleasure to introduce ... The Wassermans ^..^ ^..^
Alex would like to thank: Pat Foley and the crew at Gibson Custom Shop and Gibson Guitars, Hughes & Kettner Amplification, Dean Markley Strings, Paul Reed Smith Guitars, Joel Singer and Audio Technica, Universal Audio, Dave Welderman at the Guitar Center, Hollywood, and especially Adrian, Charlene, Dylan, Justin, and Taylor. Farewell, Barbara and Paul.
Neil would like to thank: Don Lombardi, John Good, Louie Garcia, Garrison, and everybody at Drum Workshop and Drum Channel; Mark Love, Chris Stankee, and everybody at Sabian; Promark drumsticks, Remo drumheads, Darren Schoepp at Roland, Jeffery at KellyShu Industries, Greg Russell at neilpeart.net, Brutus at Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill, Freddie Gruber RIP, Peter Erskine, Lorne "Gump" Wheaton, and on the home front, Keith, Jeanette, Jennifer, Adela, Katie, Winston, and - lastest and mostest - Carrie and Olivia.
Our collective appreciation goes to: John McBride and all at Blackbird; Joe Dunphy, Tanya Coghlan, and Amanda Pearl at Revolution (and Rene Lesko at Kindred Spirits Catering). At Henson, Martin and Faryal; Barry and Clint at BZ Brokers; and - Ω™
Extremely special thanks, as always, to our great support group at SRO/Anthem: Ray Danniels, Pegi Cecconi, Sheila Posner, Meghan Symsyk, Bob Farmer, Andy Curran, Cynthia Barry, Tyler Tasson, Emma Sunstrum, and Randy and Frances Rolfe.
February 25, 1964 - January 25, 2012 |
© 2012 T.Y.S., Inc. for the World excluding Canada. © 2012 Anthem Entertainment for Canada. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States.
All songs published by Core Music Publishing (SOCAN) for the world excluding USA; (SESAC) USA.
TRACK LISTING
VAPOR TRAILS
1. One Little Victory (5:08)
2. Ceiling Unlimited (5:28)
3. Ghost Rider (5:40)
4. Peaceable Kingdom (5:23)
5. The Stars Look Down (4:28)
6. How It Is (4:05)
7. Vapor Trail (4:57)
8. Secret Touch (6:34)
9. Earthshine (5:38)
10. Sweet Miracle (3:40)
11. Nocturne (4:49)
12. Freeze (Part IV of "Fear") (6:21)
13. Out Of The Cradle (5:03)
FEEDBACK
1. Summertime Blues (3:52)
2. Heart Full of Soul (2:52)
3. For What It's Worth (3:30)
4. The Seeker (3:27)
5. Mr. Soul (3:51)
6. Seven And Seven Is (2:53)
7. Shapes Of Things (3:16)
8. Crossroads (3:27)
SNAKES & ARROWS
1. Far Cry (5:21)
2. Armor and Sword (6:36)
3. Workin' Them Angels (4:47)
4. The Larger Bowl (4:07)
5. Spindrift (5:24)
6. The Main Monkey Business (6:01)
7. The Way The Wind Blows (6:28)
8. Hope Instrumental (2:02)
9. Faithless (5:31)
10. Bravest Face(5:12)
11. Good News First (4:51)
12. Malignant Narcissism (2:17)
13. We Hold On (4:13)
CLOCKWORK ANGELS
1. Caravan (5:40)
2. BU2B (5:10)
3. Clockwork Angels (7:31)
i - The Pedlar 1
4. The Anarchist (6:52)
5. Carnies (4:52)
6. Halo Effect (3:14)
7. Seven Cities Of Gold (6:32)
8. The Wreckers (5:01)
9. Headlong Flight (7:20)
ii - The Pedlar 2
10. BU2B2 (1:28)
11. Wish Them Well (5:25)
12. The Garden (6:59)
One Little Victory
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
A certain measure of innocence
Willing to appear naive
A certain degree of imagination
A measure of make-believe
A certain degree of surrender
To the forces of light and heat
A shot of satisfaction
In a willingness to risk defeat
Celebrate the moment
As it turns into one more
Another chance at victory
Another chance to score
The measure of the moment
Is a difference of degree
Just one little victory
A spirit breaking free
One little victory
The greatest act can be
One little victory
A certain measure of righteousness
A certain amount of force
A certain degree of determination
Daring on a different course
A certain amount of resistance
To the forces of the light and love
A certain measure of tolerance
A willingness to rise above
Ceiling Unlimited
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
It's not the heat
It's the inhumanity
Plugged into the sweat of a summer street
Machine gun images pass
Like malice through the looking glass
The slackjaw gaze
Of true profanity
Feels more like surrender than defeat
If culture is the curse of the thinking class
If culture is the curse of the thinking class
ceiling unlimited
world so wide
turn and turn again
feeling unlimited
still unsatisfied
changes never end
The vacant laugh
Of true insanity
Dressed up in the mask of Tragedy
Programmed for the guts and glands
Of idle minds and idle hands
I rest my case -
Or at least my vanity
Dressed up in the mask of Comedy
If laughter is a straw for a drowning man
If laughter is a straw for a drowning man
ceiling unlimited
windows open wide
look and look again
feeling unlimited
eyes on the prize
changes never end
winding like an ancient river
the time is now again
hope is like an endless river
the time is now again
Ghost Rider
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Pack up all those phantoms
Shoulder that invisible load
Keep on riding north and west
Haunting that wilderness road
Like a ghost rider
Carry all those phantoms
Through bitter wind and stormy skies
From the desert to the mountain
From the lowest low to the highest high
Like a ghost rider
Keep on riding north and west
Then circle south and east
Show me beauty, but there is no peace
For the ghost rider
Shadows on the road behind
Shadows on the road ahead
Nothing can stop you now
There's a shadow on the road behind
There's a shadow on the road ahead
Nothing can stop you now
Sunrise in the mirror
Lightens that invisible load
Riding on a nameless quest
Haunting that wilderness road
Like a ghost rider
Just an escape artist
Racing against the night
A wandering hermit
Racing toward the light
From the White Sands
To the Canyonlands
To the redwood stands
To the Barren Lands
Sunrise on the road behind
Sunset on the road ahead
There's nothing to stop you now
Nothing can stop you now
Peaceable Kingdom
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
A wave toward the clearing the sky
All this time we're talking and sharing our Rational View
A billion other voices are spreading other news
All this time we're living and trying to understand
Why a billion other choices are making their demands
Talk of a Peaceable Kingdom
Talk of a time without fear
The ones we wish would listen
Are never going to hear
Justice against The Hanged Man
Knight of Wands against the hour
Swords against the kingdom
Time against The Tower
All this time we're shuffling and laying out all our cards
While a billion other dealers are slipping past our guards
All this time we're hoping and praying we all might learn
While a billion other teachers are teaching them how to burn
Dream of a Peaceable Kingdom
Dream of a time without war
The ones we wish would hear us
Have heard it all before
A wave toward the clearing sky
A wave toward the clearing sky
The Hermit against The Lovers
Or the Devil against the Fool
Swords against the kingdom
The Wheel against the rules
All this time we're burning like bonfires in the dark
A billion other blazes are shooting off their sparks
Every spark a drifting ember of desire
To fall upon the earth and spark another fire
A homeward angel on the fly
A wave toward the clearing sky
The Stars Look Down
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Like the fly on the wheel, who says
"What a lot of dust we're raising"
Are you under the illusion
That you're part of this scheme?
Seems like a lifetime ago
You could look with pride
On your world of dreams
What is the meaning of this?
And the stars look down
What are you trying to do?
And the stars look down
Was it something I said?
And the stars look down
Like the rat in a maze who says,
"Watch me choose my own direction"
Are you under the illusion
The path is winding your way?
Are you surprised by confusion
When it leads you astray?
Have you lived a lifetime today -
Or do you feel like you just got carried away?
What is the meaning of this?
And the stars look down
What are you trying to do?
And the stars look down
Was it something I said?
And the stars look down
Something you'd like me to do?
And the stars look down
The stars look down
How It Is
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Here's a little trap
That sometimes catches everyone
When today's as far as we can see
Faith in bright tomorrows
giving way to resignation
That's how it is - how it's going to be
It's such a cloudy day
Seems we'll never see the sun
Or feel the day has possibilities
Frozen in the moment -
the lack of imagination
Between how it is and how it ought to be
Here's a little trap
That sometimes trips up everyone
When we tire of our own company
Sometimes we're the last to see beyond the day's frustrations
That's how it is - how it's going to be
It's such a cloudy day
Seems we'll never see the sun
I feel the day is all uncertainty
Burning in the moment - trapped by the desperation
Between how it is and how it ought to be
Foot upon the stair
Shoulder to the wheel
You can't tell yourself not to care
You can't tell yourself how to feel
That's how it is
Another cloudy day
Vapor Trail
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Stratospheric traces of our transitory flight
Trails of condensation held
in narrow bands of white
The sun is turning black
The world is turning gray
All the stars fade from the night
The oceans drain away
Horizon to Horizon
memory written on the wind
Fading away, like an hourglass, grain by grain
Swept away like voices in a hurricane
In a vapor trail
Atmospheric phases make the transitory last
Vaporize the memories that freeze the fading past
Silence all the songbirds
Stilled by the killing frost
Forests burn to ashes
Everything is lost
Washed away like footprints in the rain
In a vapor trail
Secret Touch
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
The way out
Is the way in
The way out
Is the way in...
Out of touch
With the weather and the wind direction
With the sunrise
And the phases of the moon
Out of touch
With life in the land of the loving
With the living night
And the darkness at high noon
You can never break the chain
There is never love without pain
A gentle hand, a secret touch on the heart
Out of sync
With the rhythm of my own reactions
With the things that last
And the things that come apart
Out of sync
With love in the land of the living
A gentle hand, a secret touch on the heart
A healing hand, a secret touch on the heart
There is never love without pain
Life is a power that remains
Earthshine
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
On certain nights
When the angles are right
And the moon is a slender crescent
Its circle shows
In a ghostly glow
Of earthly luminescence
Earthshine
A beacon in the night
I can raise my eyes to
Earthshine
Earthshine
A jewel out of reach
Form a dream to rise to
Earthshine
Floating high
In the evening sky
I see my faint reflection
Pale facsimile
Like what others see
When they look in my direction
Earthshine
Stretching out your hand
Full of starlit diamonds
Earthshine
Reflected light
To another's sight
And the moon tells a lover's story
My borrowed face
And my third-hand grace
Only reflect your glory
You're still out of reach
Form a dream to rise to
Earthshine
Sweet Miracle
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
I wasn't walking on water
I was standing on a reef
When the tide came in
Swept beneath the surface
Lost without a trace
No hope at all
No hope at all
Oh - sweet miracle
Oh - sweet miracle
Of life
I wasn't walking with angels
I was talking to myself
Rising up to the surface
Raging against the night
Starless night
Oh - sweet miracle
Love's sweet miracle
Of life
Oh salvation
Oh salvation
I wasn't praying for magic
I was hiding in plain sight
Rising up from the surface
To fly into the light
Nocturne
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Did I have a dream?
Or did the dream have me?
Set off on a night-sea journey
Without memory or desire
Drifting through lost latitudes
With no compass and no chart
Flying through hallucination
Distant voices, signal fires
Lighting up my unconscious
And the secret places of the heart
Dream - Temporary madness
Dream - A voice in the wilderness
Dream - Unconscious revelations
The morning says, the answer is yes
Floating through a darkened mirror
Deep reflections in disguise
Soaring through lost altitudes
Without wonder, without fear
Symbols on a field of visions
Behind the curtain of sleeping eyes
On the instant of waking
Another world of dreams appears
Dream - A walk in the wilderness
Dream - Unconscious recreation
The morning says, the answer is yes
Freeze
(part IV of "fear")
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
The city crouches, steaming
In the early morning half-light
The sun is still a rumor
And the night is still a threat
Slipping through the dark streets
And the echoes and the shadows
Something stirs behind me
And my palms begin to sweat
Sometimes I freeze - until the light comes
Sometimes I fly - into the night
Sometimes I fight - against the darkness
Sometimes I'm wrong - sometimes I'm right
Coiled for the spring
Or caught like a creature in the headlights
Into a desperate panic
Or a tempest of blind fury
Like a cornered beast
Or a conquering hero
The menace threatens, closing
And I'm frozen in the shadows
I'm not prepared to run away
And I'm not prepared to fight
I can't stand to reason
Or surrender to a reflex
I will trust my instincts
Or surrender to my fright
Sometimes we freeze - until the light comes
Sometimes we're wrong - and sometimes we're right
Sometimes we fight - against the darkness
Sometimes we fly - into the night
Blood running cold
Mind going down into a dark night
Of a desperate panic
Or a tempest of blind fury
Like a cornered beast
Or a conquering hero
Sometimes I freeze
Sometimes I fight
Sometimes I fly
Into the night
Out Of The Cradle
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
It's not a place
It's a yearning
It's not a race
It's a journey
It's not an act
It's attraction
It's not a style
It's an action
It's a dream for the waking
It's a flower touched by flame
It's a gift for the giving
It's a power with a hundred names
Surge of energy, spark of inspiration
The breath of love is electricity
Maybe Time is bird in flight
Endlessly mocking
Here we come out of the cradle
Endlessly rocking
Endlessly rocking
It's a hand
That rocks the cradle
It's a motion
That swings the sky
It's method on the edge of madness
It's a balance on the edge of a knife
It's a smile on the edge of sadness
It's a dance on the edge of life
Endlessly r o c k i n g
Summertime Blues
[Eddie Cochran]
Well, I'm gonna raise a fuss,
Yes I'm a gonna raise a holler
About working all summer
Just to try to earn a dollar
Well I went to the boss man
And tried to get a break...
("He said, "No, dice, bud
You gotta work late")
Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do
Cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues
Well my mom and poppa told me
"Son you gotta earn some money,
If you want to use the car
To go ridin' next Sunday."
Well I wouldn't go to work
Told the boss I was sick...
(They said, "Now you can't use the car
Cause you didn't work a lick")
Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do
Cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues
I'm gonna take two weeks
I'm gonna have a fine vacation
Gonna take my problems
To the United Nations
Well I went to my congressman
And he said, quote...
("I'd love to help you, son
But you're too young to vote")
Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do
Cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues
Heart Full of Soul
[The Yardbirds]
Sick at heart and lonely,
Deep in dark despair
Thinking one thought only-
Where is she tell me where
And if she says to you
She don't love me
Just give her my message
Tell her of my plea
And I know if she had me back again
Well I would never make her sad
I've gotta heart full of soul
She's been gone such a long time
Longer than I can bear
But if she says she wants me
Tell her that I'll be there
And if she says to you
She don't love me
Just give her my message
Tell her of my plea.
For What It's Worth
[Buffalo Springfield]
There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
The Seeker
[The Who]
I looked under chairs
I looked under tables
I try to find the key
To fifty million fables
They call me the seeker
I've been searchin' low and high
I won't get to get what I'm after
Till the day I die
I asked Bobby Dylan
I asked the Beatles
I asked Timothy Leary
But he couldn't help me either
They call me the seeker
I've been searchin' low and high
I won't get to get what I'm after
Till the day I die
People tend to hate me
Cause I never smile
As I ransack their homes they wanna shake my hand
Focusin' on nowhere, investigatin' miles
I'm a seeker, I'm a really desperate man
I won't get to get what I'm after
Till the day I die
I learned how to raise my voice in anger
Yeah but look at my face, ain't this a smile
I'm happy when life's good, and when it's bad I cry
I got values but I don't know how or why
I'm lookin' for me
You're lookin' for you
We're lookin' at each other and we don't know what to do
They call me the seeker
I've been searchin' low and high
I won't get to get what I'm after
Till the day I die
Mr. Soul
[Buffalo Springfield]
Oh, hello, Mr. Soul, I dropped by to pick up a reason
For the thought that I caught that my head is the event of the season
Why in crowds just a trace of my face could seem so pleasin'
I'll cop out to the change, but a stranger is putting the tease on
I was down on a frown when the messenger brought me a letter
I was raised by the praise of a fan who said I upset her
Any girl in the world could have easily known me better
She said "you're strange, but don't change," and I let her
In a while, will the smile on my face turn to plaster?
Stick around while the clown who is sick does the trick of disaster
For the race of my head and my face is moving much faster
Is it strange I should change? I don't know, why don't you ask her?
Seven And Seven Is
[Love]
When I was a boy I thought about the times I'd be a man
I'd sit inside a bottle and pretend that I was in a jam
In my lonely room I'd sit my mind in an ice cream cone
You can throw me if you wanna 'cause I'm a bone and I go
And I go "Oop-ip-ip, oop-ip-ip, yeah."
If I don't start cryin' it's because that I have got no eyes
My father's in the fireplace and my dog lies hypnotized
Through a crack of light I was unable to find my way
Trapped inside a night but I'm a day and I go
And I go "Oop-ip-ip, oop-ip-ip, yeah."
When I was a boy I thought about the times I'd be a man
I'd sit inside a bottle and pretend that I was in a can
Through a crack of light I was unable to find my way
Trapped inside a night but I'm a day
And I go "Oop-ip-ip, oop-ip-ip, yeah."
Shapes Of Things
[The Yardbirds]
Shapes of things before my eyes,
Just teach me to despise.
Will time make men more wise?
Here within my lonely frame,
My eyes just hurt my brain.
But will it seem the same?
Come tomorrow, will I be older?
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier.
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?
Now the trees are almost green.
But will they still be seen?
When time and tide have been.
Fall into your passing hands.
Please don't destroy these lands.
Don't make them desert sands.
Soon I hope that I will find,
Thoughts deep within my mind.
That won't disgrace my kind.
Crossroads
[Robert Johnson]
I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above, have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please
Standin' at the crossroads, tried to flag a ride
Whee-hee, I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by
Standin' at the crossroads, risin' sun goin' down
Standin' at the crossroads baby, the risin' sun goin' down
I believe to my soul now, po' Bob is sinkin' down
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
That I got the crossroad blues this mornin', Lord, baby I'm sinkin' down
I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad, babe, I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman, ooh well, babe, in my distress
Far Cry
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Pariah dogs and wandering madmen
Barking at strangers and speaking in tongues
The ebb and flow of tidal fortune
Electrical changes are charging up the young
It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit
It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it
You can almost feel the current flowing
You can almost see the circuits blowing
One day I feel I'm on top of the world
And the next it's falling in on me
I can get back on
I can get back on
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel
And the next it's rolling over me
I can get back on
I can get back on
Whirlwind life of faith and betrayal
Rise in anger, fall back and repeat
Slow degrees on the dark horizon
Full moon rising, lays silver at your feet
You can almost see the circle growing
You can almost feel the planets glowing
One day I fly through a crack in the sky
And the next it's falling in on me
I can get back on
I can get back on
Armor and Sword
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
The snakes and arrows a child is heir to
Are enough to leave a thousand cuts
We build our defenses, a place of safety
And leave the darker places unexplored
Sometimes the fortress is too strong
Or the love is too weak
What should have been our armor
Becomes a sharp and angry sword
Our better natures seek elevation
A refuge for the coming night
No one gets to their heaven without a fight
We hold beliefs as a consolation
A way to take us out of ourselves
Meditation, or medication
A comfort, or a promised reward
Sometimes that spirit is too strong
Or the flesh is too weak
Sometimes the need is just too great
For the solace we seek
The suit of shining armor
Becomes a keen and bloody sword
A refuge for the coming night
A future of eternal light
No one gets to their heaven without a fight
Confused alarms of struggle and flight
Blood is drained of color
By the flashes of artillery light
No one gets to their heaven without a fight
The battle flags are flown
At the feet of a god unknown
No one gets to their heaven without a fight
Sometimes the damage is too great
Or the will is too weak
What should have been our armor
Becomes a sharp and burning sword
Workin' Them Angels
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Driving away to the east, and into the past
History recedes in my rear-view mirror
Carried away on a wave of music down a desert road
Memory humming at the heart of a factory town
All my life
I've been workin' them angels overtime
Riding and driving and living
So close to the edge
Workin' them angels - Overtime
Riding through the Range of Light to the wounded city
Filling my spirit with the wildest wish to fly
Taking the high road to the wounded city
Memory strumming at the heart of a moving picture
All this time
I've been working them angels overtime
Riding and driving and flying
Just over the edge
Workin' them angels - Overtime
Driving down the razor's edge between the past and the future
Turn up the music and smile
Get carried away on the songs and stories of vanished times
Memory drumming at the heart of an English winter
Memories beating at the heart of an African village
The Larger Bowl
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
(a pantoum)
if we're so much the same, like I always hear
why such different fortunes and fates?
some of us live in a cloud of fear
some live behind iron gates
why such different fortunes and fates?
some are blessed and some are cursed
some live behind iron gates
while others see only the worst
some are blessed and some are cursed
the golden one or scarred from birth
while others only see the worst
such a lot of pain on the earth
the golden one or scarred from birth
some things can never be changed
such a lot of pain on this earth
it's somehow so badly arranged
some things can never be changed
some reasons will never come clear
it's somehow so badly arranged
if we're so much the same, like I always hear
Spindrift
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
As the waves crash in
On the western shore
The wind blows fierce from the east
Wavetops torn into flying spindrift
As the waves crash in
On the western shore
It makes me feel uneasy
The spray that's torn away
Is an image of the way I feel
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
When you talk that way?
As the sun goes down
On the western shore
The wind blows hard from the east
It whips the sand into a flying spindrift
As the sun goes down
On the western shore
It makes me feel uneasy
In the hot dry rasp of the devil winds
Who cares what a fool believes?
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
When you talk that way?
Words that fly against the wind and waves
(A little closer to you)
Where is the wave that will carry me
A little closer to you?
What am I supposed to do?
Where are the words that will make you see
What I believe is true?
The Main Monkey Business
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
Instrumental
The Way The Wind Blows
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Now it's come to this
It's like we're back in the Dark Ages
From the Middle East to the Middle West
It's a world of superstition
Now it's come to this
Wide-eyed armies of the faithful
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Pray, and pass the ammunition
So many people think that way
You gotta watch what you say
To them and them, and others too
Who don't seem to see things the way you do
We can only grow the way the wind blows
On a bare and weathered shore
We can only bow to the here and now
In our elemental war
We can only grow the way the wind blows
We can only bow to the here and now
Or be broken down blow by blow
Now it's come to this
Hollow speeches of mass deception
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Like crusaders in unholy alliance
Now it's come to this
Like we're back in the Dark Ages
From the Middle East to the Middle West
It's a plague that resists all science
It seems to leave them partly blind
And they leave no child behind
While evil spirits haunt their sleep
While shepherds bless and count their sheep
Like a solitary pine
On a bare wind-blasted shore
We can only grow the way the wind blows
Hope
Music: Alex Lifeson
Instrumental
Faithless
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
I've got my own moral compass to steer by
A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky
And all the preaching voices -
Empty vessels ring so loud
As they move among the crowd
Fools and thieves are well disguised
In the temple and marketplace
Like a stone in the river
Against the floods of spring
I will quietly resist
Like the willows in the wind
Or the cliffs along the ocean
I will quietly resist
I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
But I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me
I've got my own spirit level for balance
To tell if my choice is leading up or down
And all the shouting voices
Try to throw me off my course
Some by sermons, some by force
Fools and thieves are dangerous
In the temple and marketplace
Like a forest bows to winter
Beneath the deep white silence
I will quietly resist
Like a flower in the desert
That only blooms at night
I will quietly resist
Bravest Face
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
Though we might have precious little
It's still precious
I like that song
About this wonderful world
It's got a sunny point of view
And sometimes I feel it's true
At least for a few of us
I like that world
It makes a wonderful song
But there's a darker point of view
That's sadly just as true
For so many among us
In the sweetest child there's a vicious streak
In the strongest man there's a child so weak
In the whole wide world there's no magic place
So you might as well rise, put on your bravest face
I like that show
Where they solve all the murders
That heroic point of view
It's got justice and vengeance too
At least, so the story goes
I like that story -
Makes a satisfying case
But there's a messy point of view
That's sadly just as true
For so many among us
In the softest voice there's an acid tongue
In the oldest eyes there's a soul so young
In the shakiest will there's a core of steel
On the smoothest ride there's a squeaky wheel
Though we might have precious little
It's still precious
Good News First
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
The best we can agree on
Is it could have been worse
What happened to your old
Benevolent universe'
You know the one with stars
That revolve around you
Beaming down full of promises
To bring good news
You used to feel that way
The saddest words you could ever say
But I know you'll remember that day
And the most beautiful words I could ever say
The worst thing about it all
Is that you might have been right
And I'm still not really sure
What started that fight
But I still get this feeling
There's more trouble ahead
So never mind the bad news
Let's have the good news instead
Some would say they never fear a thing
Well I do
And I'm afraid enough for both of us -
For me and you
Time, if nothing else, will do its worst
So do me that favor
And tell me the good news first
Malignant Narcissism
Music: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart
Instrumental
"Usually a case of malignant narcissism brought on during childhood."
We Hold On
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
How many times
Do we tire of all the little battles
Threaten to call it quits
Tempted to cut and run
How many times
Do we weather out the stormy evenings
Long to slam the front door
Drive away into the setting sun
Keep going until dawn
How many times must another line be drawn
We could be down and gone
But we hold on
How many times
Do we chafe against the repetition
Straining against a fate
Measured out in coffee breaks
How many times
Do we swallow our ambitions
Long to give up the same old way
Find another road to take
Keep holding on so long
'Cause there's a chance
That we might not be so wrong
We could be down and gone
But we hold on
How many times
Do we wonder if it's even worth it
There's got to be some other way
To get me through the days
But we hold on
Caravan
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
IT SEEMS LIKE A LIFETIME AGO - which of course it was, all that and more. For a boy, life on the farm was idyllic, but for the young man I became, that very peace and predictability were stifling, unbearable. I had big dreams, and needed a big place to explore them: the whole wide world.
Near our village of Barrel Arbor, the steamliners touched down and traveled on rails along the Winding Pinion River toward Crown City. Watching them pass in the night, how I prayed to get away . . .
In a world lit only by fire
Long train of flares under piercing stars
I stand watching the steamliners roll by
The caravan thunders onward
To the distant dream of the city
The caravan carries me onward
On my way at last
On my way at last
I can't stop thinking big
I can't stop thinking big
On a road lit only by fire
Going where I want, instead of where I should
I peer out at the passing shadows
Carried through the night into the city
Where a young man has a chance of making good
A chance to break from the past
The caravan thunders onward
Stars winking through the canvas hood
On my way at last
In a world where I feel so small
I can't stop thinking big
BU2B
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
WE WERE ALWAYS TAUGHT that we lived in "the best of all possible worlds." The Watchmaker ruled from Crown City through the Regulators; the alchemist-priests gave us coldfire for power and light, and everything was well ordered. We accepted our various individual fates as inevitable, for we had also been taught, "Whatever happens to us must be what we deserve, for it could not happen to us if we did not deserve it."
None of it seemed right to me . . .
I was brought up to believe
The universe has a plan
We are only human
It's not ours to understand
The universe has a plan
All is for the best
Some will be rewarded
And the devil take the rest
All is for the best
Believe in what we're told
Blind men in the market
Buying what we're sold
Believe in what we're told
Until our final breath
While our loving Watchmaker
Loves us all to death
In a world of cut and thrust
I was always taught to trust
In a world where all must fail
Heaven's justice will prevail
The joy and pain that we receive
Each comes with its own cost
The price of what we're winning
Is the same as what we've lost
Until our final breath
The joy and pain that we receive
Must be what we deserve
I was brought up to believe
Clockwork Angels
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
THE PLACE I HAD MOST WANTED TO SEE - Chronos Square, at the heart of Crown City. I had seen many images of the city before, and Chronos Square, but nothing could convey its immensity - the heaven-reaching towers of the Cathedral of the Timekeepers, or the radiant glory of the Angels - Land, Sea, Sky, and Light - bathed in the brilliant glow of the floating globes.
High above the city square
Globes of light float in mid-air
Higher still, against the night
Clockwork angels bathed in light
You promise every treasure, to the foolish and the wise
Goddesses of mystery, spirits in disguise
Every pleasure, we bow and close our eyes
Clockwork angels, promise every prize
Clockwork angels, spread their arms and sing
Synchronized and graceful, they move like living things
Goddesses of Light, of Sea and Sky and Land
Clockwork angels, the people raise their hands - As if to fly
All around the city square
Power shimmers in the air
People gazing up with love
To those angels high above
Celestial machinery - move through your commands
Goddesses of mystery, so delicate and so grand
Moved to worship, we bow and close our eyes
Clockwork angels, promise every prize
"Lean not upon your own understanding *
Ignorance is well and truly blessed
Trust in perfect love, and perfect planning
Everything will turn out for the best"
Stars aglow like scattered sparks
Span the sky in clockwork arcs
Hint at more than we can see
Spiritual machinery
*Proverbs 3:5 [and In-N-Out milkshake!]
i - The Pedlar 1
A foggy woodland road, a crowded village square, the busy streets of Crown City - a wandering pedlar travels the land, uttering the ageless call.
"What do you lack?"
The Anarchist
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
WALKING AMONG THE PEOPLE - who are so content, so blind - the Anarchist hears the pedlar's call, and sneers derisively. "What do I lack? Ah ... vengeance?"
Will there be world enough and time for me to sing that song?
A voice so silent for so long
For all those years I had to get along, they told me I was wrong
I never wanted to belong - I was so strong
I lack their smiles and their diamonds; I lack their happiness and love
I envy them for all those things, I never got my fair share of
The lenses inside of me that paint the world black
The pools of poison, the scarlet mist, that spill over into rage
The things I've always been denied
An early promise that somehow died
A missing part of me that grows around me like a cage
In all your science of the mind, seeking blind through flesh and bone
Find the blood inside this stone
What I know, I've never shown; what I feel, I've always known
I plan my vengeance on my own - and I was always alone
Oh - They tried to get me
Oh - They'll never forget me
Carnies
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
I FOUND WORK WITH A TRAVELING CARNIVAL, and for the Midsummer Festival in Crown City, our games and rides were set up right in the middle of the Square, beneath the Angels. One night, amid the noise and confusion of the crowded midway, I saw a man working with wires and wooden barrels. He stood and turned - the Anarchist! - holding a clockwork detonator in his hand. I called out to warn the crowd, then suddenly he threw the device at me, and I caught it automatically - just as the people turned to look my way. I escaped, but in disgrace, and fled down the Winding Pinion River to the sea.
Under the gaze of the angels
A spectacle like he's never seen
Spinning lights and faces
Demon music and gypsy queens
The glint of iron wheels
Bodies spin in a clockwork dance
The smell of flint and steel
A wheel of fate, a game of chance
How I prayed just to get away
To carry me anywhere
Sometimes the angels punish us
By answering our prayers
A face of naked evil
Turns the young boy's blood to ice
Deadly confrontation
Such a dangerous device
Shout to warn the crowd
Accusations ringing loud
A ticking box, in the hand of the innocent
The angry crowd moves toward him with bad intent
Halo Effect
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
I HAD FALLEN HELPLESSLY IN LOVE with one of the performers. She was so different from "the girl I left behind," and I was beginning to understand I had only pretended she was right for me. I pursued my beautiful acrobat obsessively until she let me be with her - then I suffered her rejection and contempt. Once again, I had created an ideal of the perfect soulmate, and tried to graft it onto her. It didn't fit. Such illusions have colored my whole life.
What did I see?
Fool that I was
A goddess, with wings on her heels
All my illusions
Projected on her
The ideal, that I wanted to see
What did I know?
Fool that I was
Little by little, I learned
My friends were dismayed
To see me betrayed
But they knew they could never tell me
What did I care?
Fool that I was
Little by little, I burned
Maybe sometimes
There might be a flaw
But how pretty the picture was back then
What did I do?
Fool that I was
To profit from youthful mistakes?
It's shameful to tell
How often I fell
In love with illusions again
So shameful to tell
Just how often I fell
In love with illusions again
A goddess with wings on her heels . . .
Seven Cities Of Gold
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
THE LEGEND HAD PASSED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS. Far across the Western Sea, where the steamliners could not fly, lay a wilderness land hiding seven cities of gold. I dared the crossing on one of the stout ships that followed the trade route to Poseidon, a tough port city. I worked there for a while on the steamliners that served the alchemy mines, then eventually set out into the Redrock Desert. The stones were sculpted into unearthly monuments, and the country grew cold as I traveled north in search of the most famous City of Gold: Cíbola. Its name had sounded in my dreams since childhood.
A man can lose his past, in a country like this
Wandering aimless
Parched and nameless
A man could lose his way, in a country like this
Canyons and cactus
Endless and trackless
Searching through a grim eternity
Sculptured by a prehistoric sea
Seven Cities of Gold
Stories that fired my imagination
Seven Cities of Gold
A splendid mirage in this desolation
Seven Cities of Gold
Glowing in my dreams, like hallucinations
Glitter in the sun like a revelation
Distant as a comet or a constellation
A man can lose himself, in a country like this
Rewrite the story
Recapture the glory
A man could lose his life, in a country like this
Sunblind and friendless
Frozen and endless
The nights grow longer, the farther I go
Wake to aching cold, and a deep Sahara of snow
That gleam in the distance could be heaven's gate
A long-awaited treasure at the end of my cruel fate
The Wreckers
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
NARROWLY ESCAPING A FROZEN DEATH IN THAT DESERT, I made my way back to Poseidon, and found a berth on a homeward ship. Caught in a terrible storm, we seemed to find salvation in an unexpected signal light. Steering toward it, we soon learned it was false - placed by the denizens to lure ships to their doom on the jagged reefs. They plundered the cargos and abandoned the crews and passengers to the icy waves.
I was the only survivor.
The breakers roar on an unseen shore
In the teeth of a hurricane
We struggle in vain
A hellish night - a ghostly light
Appears through the driving rain
Salvation in a human chain
All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
Of a miracle too good to be true
All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
Everything in life you thought you knew
All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
'Cause sometimes the target is you
Driven aground, with that awful sound
Drowned by the cheer from ashore
We wonder what for
The people swarm through the darkling storm
Gather everything they can score
'Til their backs won't bear any more
The breakers roar on an unseen shore
In the teeth of an icy grave
The human chain leaves a bloody stain
Washed away in the pounding waves
All I know is that memory can be too much to carry
Striking down like a bolt from the blue
Headlong Flight
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
THINKING BACK OVER MY LIFE, AND TELLING STORIES ABOUT MY "GREAT ADVENTURES" - they didn't always feel that grand at the time. But on balance, I wouldn't change anything. In the words of one of our great alchemists, Friedrich Gruber, "I wish I could do it all again."
All the journeys
Of this great adventure
It didn't always feel that way
I wouldn't trade them
Because I made them
The best I could
And that's enough to say
Some days were dark
I wish that I could live it all again
Some nights were bright
I wish that I could live it all again
All the highlights of that headlong flight
Holding on with all my might
To what I felt back then
I wish that I could live it all again
I have stoked the fire on the big steel wheels
Steered the airships right across the stars
I learned to fight, I learned to love and learned to feel
Oh, I wish that I could live it all again
All the treasures
The gold and glory
It didn't always feel that way
I don't regret it
I never forget it
I wouldn't trade tomorrow for today
I learned to fight and learned to love and learned to steal
I wish that I could live it all again
ii - The Pedlar 2
The ever-wandering pedlar.
"What do you lack?"
BU2B2
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
THOSE FATEFUL WORDS, "What do you lack?" spark an inner monologue about all that I have lost. No more boundless optimism, no more faith in greater powers, too much pain, too much grief, and too much disillusion. Despite all that, I realize the great irony that although I now believe only in the exchange of love, even that little faith follows the childhood reflex that "I was brought up to believe."
I was brought up to believe
Belief has failed me now
The bright glow of optimism
Abandoned me somehow
Belief has failed me now
Life goes from bad to worse
No philosophy consoles me
In a clockwork universe
Life goes from bad to worse
I still choose to live
Find a measure of love and laughter
And another measure to give
I still choose to live
And give, even while I grieve
Though the balance tilts against me
I was brought up to believe
Wish Them Well
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
VICTIMIZED, BEREAVED, AND DISAPPOINTED, SEEMINGLY AT EVERY TURN, I still resist feeling defeated, or cynical. I have come to believe that anger and grudges are burning embers in the heart not worth carrying through life. The best response to those who wound me is to get away from them - and wish them well.
All that you can do is wish them well
All that you can do is wish them well
Spirits turned bitter by the poison of envy
Always angry and dissatisfied
Even the lost ones, the frightened and mean ones
Even the ones with a devil inside
Thank your stars you're not that way
Turn your back and walk away
Don't even pause and ask them why
Turn around and say goodbye
People who judge without a measure of mercy
All the victims who will never learn
Even the lost ones, you can only give up on
Even the ones who make you burn
The ones who've done you wrong
The ones who pretended to be so strong
The grudges you've held for so long
It's not worth singing that same sad song
Even though you're going through hell
Just keep on going
Let the demons dwell
Just wish them well
The Garden
Music: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson / Lyrics: Neil Peart
LONG AGO I READ A STORY FROM ANOTHER TIMELINE about a character named Candide. He also survived a harrowing series of misadventures and tragedies, then settled on a farm near Constantinople. Listening to a philosophical rant, Candide replied, "That is all very well, but now we must tend our garden."
I have now arrived at that point in my own story. There is a metaphorical garden in the acts and attitudes of a person's life, and the treasures of that garden are love and respect. I have come to realize that the gathering of love and respect - from others and for myself - has been the real quest of my life.
"Now we must tend our garden."
In this one of many possible worlds, all for the best, or some bizarre test?
It is what it is - and whatever
Time is still the infinite jest
The arrow flies when you dream, the hours tick away - the cells tick away
The Watchmaker keeps to his schemes
The hours tick away - they tick away
The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
In the rise and the set of the sun
'Til the stars go spinning - spinning 'round the night
It is what it is - and forever
Each moment a memory in flight
The arrow flies while you breathe, the hours tick away - the cells tick away
The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve
The hours tick away - they tick away
The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect
The way you live, the gifts that you give
In the fullness of time
It's the only return that you expect
The future disappears into memory
With only a moment between
Forever dwells in that moment
Hope is what remains to be seen
