Neils lyrics.

[tks95747]

I find his lyrics oscillated between terrible to good, very occasionally excellent.

 

However, there are way better and more consistent lyricists out there.

You mean, like, Bon Scott?

 

Bon Scott was a fantastic lyricist, king of the double-entendre he was.

Bon was consistent to be sure.... Somehow, they lacked depth... ;)

[goose]

Counterparts was the first album where I started to not care for some of his lyrics and it got worse with each album after. Vapor Trails however had more I liked than disliked but that fell back to "ugh" with Snakes. Far Cry was the only song that I liked lyrically. Nothing on Clockwork stuck with me either. The chorus of Anarchist I guess

Counterparts is lyrically fantastic to me. Especially CTTC, Double Agent and Cold Fire

 

Cold Fire?? Holy hell. It's putrid.

 

"It was long after midnight, when we got to unconditional love"

 

So bad it should've been on Test For Echo.

 

That's not even the worst line!

 

She said just don't disappoint me,

You know how complex women are.

 

or

 

It was just before sunrise

when we started our traditional roles

 

Oh Neil, please shut up. It's all just so cringeably bad.

The chorus is solid though.

 

ahh yes to yes to ahh ahh to yes why the sun why the sun

 

Oh wait, that's another solid chorus on that album :)

lmao

That's actually a really good chorus, imo.

[goose]

I find his lyrics oscillated between terrible to good, very occasionally excellent.

 

However, there are way better and more consistent lyricists out there.

You mean, like, Bon Scott?

 

Bon Scott was a fantastic lyricist, king of the double-entendre he was.

Bon was consistent to be sure.... Somehow, they lacked depth... ;)

Or pretense. not a bad thing in rock and roll.

[tks95747]

I find his lyrics oscillated between terrible to good, very occasionally excellent.

 

However, there are way better and more consistent lyricists out there.

You mean, like, Bon Scott?

 

Bon Scott was a fantastic lyricist, king of the double-entendre he was.

Bon was consistent to be sure.... Somehow, they lacked depth... ;)

Or pretense. not a bad thing in rock and roll.

If you're saying that Pratt's lyrics were pretentious..... You would be putting it mildly...

[laughedatbytime]

I find his lyrics oscillated between terrible to good, very occasionally excellent.

 

However, there are way better and more consistent lyricists out there.

You mean, like, Bon Scott?

 

Bon Scott was a fantastic lyricist, king of the double-entendre he was.

Bon was consistent to be sure.... Somehow, they lacked depth... ;)

Or pretense. not a bad thing in rock and roll.

If you're saying that Pratt's lyrics were pretentious..... You would be putting it mildly...

From a rational point of view, obviously.

[grasbo]

Some interesting responses.What i was originally getting at when i started this thread was where the band was changing to shorter songs and synths ,Neil was changing his subject and lyrical style.Question is were the post Moving Pictures naysayers put off by Neils lyrics as well as the music in the same deal.My mate bemoans the fact that Natural Science was the last great epic both lyrically and musically.He doesn't care for marathons and teenage suicide.Mind you he still walks around with a Star Wars t shirt.And he is 65.Nothing wrong with that.

[Alien Girl]

Some interesting responses.What i was originally getting at when i started this thread was where the band was changing to shorter songs and synths ,Neil was changing his subject and lyrical style.Question is were the post Moving Pictures naysayers put off by Neils lyrics as well as the music in the same deal.My mate bemoans the fact that Natural Science was the last great epic both lyrically and musically.He doesn't care for marathons and teenage suicide.Mind you he still walks around with a Star Wars t shirt.And he is 65.Nothing wrong with that.

I agree w/ your mate.

Then again, I don't think anything pre or post NS can surpass it lyrically.

That's the best Neil ever wrote or has written since.

Natural Science is a masterpiece.

His lyrical magnum opus.

[tks95747]

I find his lyrics oscillated between terrible to good, very occasionally excellent.

 

However, there are way better and more consistent lyricists out there.

You mean, like, Bon Scott?

 

Bon Scott was a fantastic lyricist, king of the double-entendre he was.

Bon was consistent to be sure.... Somehow, they lacked depth... ;)

Or pretense. not a bad thing in rock and roll.

If you're saying that Pratt's lyrics were pretentious..... You would be putting it mildly...

From a rational point of view, obviously.

Touche' sir.... That was the best comment I've seen in weeks :laughing guy:

[theredtamasrule]

Rock lyrics, by and far (er...should I say: Far & Wide...), are laughably awful or nonsensical “art” from the high school drama club types that has great depth and meaning only to those that wrote them.

 

With a need to rhyme and fit a certain meter or melody it’s no wonder most are terrible. I’m pleasantly surpried when i hear a good one but I’m mainly along for the musical ride. Rush though has more than their fair share of decent lyrical content.

 

Sincerely,

 

“Whose come to slay the dragon...?”

I think you meant to put "will" instead of "to" in your quote above.

 

Ew.

it is possible that there might have been a different grammatical error in his quote. But how much fun is there in pointing it out directly?

 

Well, I mean, 'has' should be changed to 'have'...but that's not the one I was looking at after your 'will'/'to' post.

OK, I didn't think my joke was all that obscure. You had it right the first time. The obvious error was that he used "Whose" instead of "Who's" which made for the other error to be possible but not probable...

 

Carry on.

Now that you mention "obscure"... IMO, Pratt, far too often, becomes so enamored with his own lyrical content that the meaning rockets into the black hole of Obscurity Z-1

 

f**k. ME. DEAD. grammar is exhausting.

[tks95747]

Rock lyrics, by and far (er...should I say: Far & Wide...), are laughably awful or nonsensical “art” from the high school drama club types that has great depth and meaning only to those that wrote them.

 

With a need to rhyme and fit a certain meter or melody it’s no wonder most are terrible. I’m pleasantly surpried when i hear a good one but I’m mainly along for the musical ride. Rush though has more than their fair share of decent lyrical content.

 

Sincerely,

 

“Whose come to slay the dragon...?”

I think you meant to put "will" instead of "to" in your quote above.

 

Ew.

it is possible that there might have been a different grammatical error in his quote. But how much fun is there in pointing it out directly?

 

Well, I mean, 'has' should be changed to 'have'...but that's not the one I was looking at after your 'will'/'to' post.

OK, I didn't think my joke was all that obscure. You had it right the first time. The obvious error was that he used "Whose" instead of "Who's" which made for the other error to be possible but not probable...

 

Carry on.

Now that you mention "obscure"... IMO, Pratt, far too often, becomes so enamored with his own lyrical content that the meaning rockets into the black hole of Obscurity Z-1

 

f**k. ME. DEAD. grammar is exhausting.

You were doing just fine with those one word sentences.... You reached just a little too high.

[Alien Girl]

Rock lyrics, by and far (er...should I say: Far & Wide...), are laughably awful or nonsensical “art” from the high school drama club types that has great depth and meaning only to those that wrote them.

 

With a need to rhyme and fit a certain meter or melody it’s no wonder most are terrible. I’m pleasantly surpried when i hear a good one but I’m mainly along for the musical ride. Rush though has more than their fair share of decent lyrical content.

 

Sincerely,

 

“Whose come to slay the dragon...?”

I think you meant to put "will" instead of "to" in your quote above.

 

Ew.

it is possible that there might have been a different grammatical error in his quote. But how much fun is there in pointing it out directly?

 

Well, I mean, 'has' should be changed to 'have'...but that's not the one I was looking at after your 'will'/'to' post.

OK, I didn't think my joke was all that obscure. You had it right the first time. The obvious error was that he used "Whose" instead of "Who's" which made for the other error to be possible but not probable...

 

Carry on.

Now that you mention "obscure"... IMO, Pratt, far too often, becomes so enamored with his own lyrical content that the meaning rockets into the black hole of Obscurity Z-1

 

f**k. ME. DEAD. grammar is exhausting.

You were doing just fine with those one word sentences.... You reached just a little too high.

Flew too close to the sun?

[theredtamasrule]

Rock lyrics, by and far (er...should I say: Far & Wide...), are laughably awful or nonsensical “art” from the high school drama club types that has great depth and meaning only to those that wrote them.

 

With a need to rhyme and fit a certain meter or melody it’s no wonder most are terrible. I’m pleasantly surpried when i hear a good one but I’m mainly along for the musical ride. Rush though has more than their fair share of decent lyrical content.

 

Sincerely,

 

“Whose come to slay the dragon...?”

I think you meant to put "will" instead of "to" in your quote above.

 

Ew.

it is possible that there might have been a different grammatical error in his quote. But how much fun is there in pointing it out directly?

 

Well, I mean, 'has' should be changed to 'have'...but that's not the one I was looking at after your 'will'/'to' post.

OK, I didn't think my joke was all that obscure. You had it right the first time. The obvious error was that he used "Whose" instead of "Who's" which made for the other error to be possible but not probable...

 

Carry on.

Now that you mention "obscure"... IMO, Pratt, far too often, becomes so enamored with his own lyrical content that the meaning rockets into the black hole of Obscurity Z-1

 

f**k. ME. DEAD. grammar is exhausting.

You were doing just fine with those one word sentences.... You reached just a little too high.

Flew too close to the sun?

 

Aahhh yess, aaahhh yessss...

[tks95747]

Rock lyrics, by and far (er...should I say: Far & Wide...), are laughably awful or nonsensical “art” from the high school drama club types that has great depth and meaning only to those that wrote them.

 

With a need to rhyme and fit a certain meter or melody it’s no wonder most are terrible. I’m pleasantly surpried when i hear a good one but I’m mainly along for the musical ride. Rush though has more than their fair share of decent lyrical content.

 

Sincerely,

 

“Whose come to slay the dragon...?”

I think you meant to put "will" instead of "to" in your quote above.

 

Ew.

it is possible that there might have been a different grammatical error in his quote. But how much fun is there in pointing it out directly?

 

Well, I mean, 'has' should be changed to 'have'...but that's not the one I was looking at after your 'will'/'to' post.

OK, I didn't think my joke was all that obscure. You had it right the first time. The obvious error was that he used "Whose" instead of "Who's" which made for the other error to be possible but not probable...

 

Carry on.

Now that you mention "obscure"... IMO, Pratt, far too often, becomes so enamored with his own lyrical content that the meaning rockets into the black hole of Obscurity Z-1

 

f**k. ME. DEAD. grammar is exhausting.

You were doing just fine with those one word sentences.... You reached just a little too high.

Flew too close to the sun?

 

Aahhh yess, aaahhh yessss...

I love this forum

[MalformedEarthborn]

Rush lyrics are like members of this forum:

Most of them don't make sense, they think they're smarter than they are, and they peaked in the 80s!

Edited December 10, 2018 by MalformedEarthborn

[tks95747]

Rush lyrics are like members of this forum:

Most of them don't make sense, they think they're smarter than they are, and they peaked in the 80s!

Or perhaps members of this forum are like Rush albums... A handful are fantastic, a bunch of others are pretty cool, a few are tolerable and the rest you avoid or just ignore~

[goose]

Rush lyrics are like members of this forum:

Most of them don't make sense, they think they're smarter than they are, and they peaked in the 80s!

:laughing guy:

[ElfDude]

The 80s saw a big change in Rush and mostly its the music that gets dissed here,synths ,shorter more compact songs,shorter haircuts.But Neal abandoned the Dungeons and Dragons/Star Trek lyrics as well.Never were we to see the likes of Hemispheres again.Red Barchetta is a classic example of what would once take twenty minutes of music and lyrics honed down to about five minutes.His lyrics were becoming economical with out extended need for excessive description.Also he came out of the clouds and hit earth with Spirit of Radio and Subdivisions,lyrics to which the average listener could fathom rather than sailing a spaceship through a black hole.So along with the naysayers who felt that it was all downhill after Signals ,was Neil's lyrics a part in their downfall as he became more topical and ultimately a bit preachey (against preachers).Did Neil throw out his copies of Dune and Lord of the Rings and hopped on a bike and looked at life in the avaidable light.Or did he smoke less weed. :smoke: He may have got back on it for Clockwork Angels.(as did Nick RzynSymzyck or whatever his name his)

Personally, I didn't mind so much the fact that Neil's lyrics took on a different, more serious, existential tone as time went by as I did the "preachy", almost condescending at times, tone that resulted from the change. I consider Pratt to be almost nigh a misanthrope or, at least, a closet misanthrope. His disdain for adulation and fan-contact has often been dismissed by many Rush fans as a quirk in his character, or something he is unable to control (i.e. shyness). However, in my estimation, there is a wide chasm between shyness and veiled cynicism. His distrust of, and brackishness towards, others necessarily caused his move away from fantasy into reality. It was a natural progression in his lyrical growth.

 

He is an unparalleled drummer, a matchless lyricist, however, as a human being, he leaves a great deal to be desired... All IMO, of course...

 

I've read most of his books, and find him to be an interesting individual. But I have to agree with the shyness vs cynicism comment.

I am introverted to a fault. Didn't even know what that meant until a few years ago. Once I started reading articles on introverts my life suddenly made so much more sense.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that while I find small talk a little painful and crowds exhausting, when one of my bands plays a show and someone wants to come up and chat afterward, darn it, I'll chat for a little bit. I'm just so grateful that they came and they stayed, you know?

[tks95747]

The 80s saw a big change in Rush and mostly its the music that gets dissed here,synths ,shorter more compact songs,shorter haircuts.But Neal abandoned the Dungeons and Dragons/Star Trek lyrics as well.Never were we to see the likes of Hemispheres again.Red Barchetta is a classic example of what would once take twenty minutes of music and lyrics honed down to about five minutes.His lyrics were becoming economical with out extended need for excessive description.Also he came out of the clouds and hit earth with Spirit of Radio and Subdivisions,lyrics to which the average listener could fathom rather than sailing a spaceship through a black hole.So along with the naysayers who felt that it was all downhill after Signals ,was Neil's lyrics a part in their downfall as he became more topical and ultimately a bit preachey (against preachers).Did Neil throw out his copies of Dune and Lord of the Rings and hopped on a bike and looked at life in the avaidable light.Or did he smoke less weed. :smoke: He may have got back on it for Clockwork Angels.(as did Nick RzynSymzyck or whatever his name his)

Personally, I didn't mind so much the fact that Neil's lyrics took on a different, more serious, existential tone as time went by as I did the "preachy", almost condescending at times, tone that resulted from the change. I consider Pratt to be almost nigh a misanthrope or, at least, a closet misanthrope. His disdain for adulation and fan-contact has often been dismissed by many Rush fans as a quirk in his character, or something he is unable to control (i.e. shyness). However, in my estimation, there is a wide chasm between shyness and veiled cynicism. His distrust of, and brackishness towards, others necessarily caused his move away from fantasy into reality. It was a natural progression in his lyrical growth.

 

He is an unparalleled drummer, a matchless lyricist, however, as a human being, he leaves a great deal to be desired... All IMO, of course...

 

I've read most of his books, and find him to be an interesting individual. But I have to agree with the shyness vs cynicism comment.

I am introverted to a fault. Didn't even know what that meant until a few years ago. Once I started reading articles on introverts my life suddenly made so much more sense.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that while I find small talk a little painful and crowds exhausting, when one of my bands plays a show and someone wants to come up and chat afterward, darn it, I'll chat for a little bit. I'm just so grateful that they came and they stayed, you know?

I take my hat off to you sir. Your behavior, indeed, demonstrates your introversion/shyness and certainly not the cynicism I ascribed to Pratt. Imo, there is no human condition that justifies the purposeful poor treatment of another.

 

That Neil considers his fans meddlesome when their only aim is to thank him for the positive impact he has had on their lives is petty and narrow-minded. Contempt prior to investigation is not an action undertaken by the shy and introverted. It is behavior, however, exhibited by the brooding and standoffish...

[Blue Barchetta]

The 80s saw a big change in Rush and mostly its the music that gets dissed here,synths ,shorter more compact songs,shorter haircuts.But Neal abandoned the Dungeons and Dragons/Star Trek lyrics as well.Never were we to see the likes of Hemispheres again.Red Barchetta is a classic example of what would once take twenty minutes of music and lyrics honed down to about five minutes.His lyrics were becoming economical with out extended need for excessive description.Also he came out of the clouds and hit earth with Spirit of Radio and Subdivisions,lyrics to which the average listener could fathom rather than sailing a spaceship through a black hole.So along with the naysayers who felt that it was all downhill after Signals ,was Neil's lyrics a part in their downfall as he became more topical and ultimately a bit preachey (against preachers).Did Neil throw out his copies of Dune and Lord of the Rings and hopped on a bike and looked at life in the avaidable light.Or did he smoke less weed. :smoke: He may have got back on it for Clockwork Angels.(as did Nick RzynSymzyck or whatever his name his)

Personally, I didn't mind so much the fact that Neil's lyrics took on a different, more serious, existential tone as time went by as I did the "preachy", almost condescending at times, tone that resulted from the change. I consider Pratt to be almost nigh a misanthrope or, at least, a closet misanthrope. His disdain for adulation and fan-contact has often been dismissed by many Rush fans as a quirk in his character, or something he is unable to control (i.e. shyness). However, in my estimation, there is a wide chasm between shyness and veiled cynicism. His distrust of, and brackishness towards, others necessarily caused his move away from fantasy into reality. It was a natural progression in his lyrical growth.

 

He is an unparalleled drummer, a matchless lyricist, however, as a human being, he leaves a great deal to be desired... All IMO, of course...

 

I've read most of his books, and find him to be an interesting individual. But I have to agree with the shyness vs cynicism comment.

I am introverted to a fault. Didn't even know what that meant until a few years ago. Once I started reading articles on introverts my life suddenly made so much more sense.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that while I find small talk a little painful and crowds exhausting, when one of my bands plays a show and someone wants to come up and chat afterward, darn it, I'll chat for a little bit. I'm just so grateful that they came and they stayed, you know?

I take my hat off to you sir. Your behavior, indeed, demonstrates your introversion/shyness and certainly not the cynicism I ascribed to Pratt. Imo, there is no human condition that justifies the purposeful poor treatment of another.

 

That Neil considers his fans meddlesome when their only aim is to thank him for the positive impact he has had on their lives is petty and narrow-minded. Contempt prior to investigation is not an action undertaken by the shy and introverted. It is behavior, however, exhibited by the brooding and standoffish...

When reading Ghost Rider, what really bothered me was his obvious disdain for "common" people. He didn't even TRY to act like he didn't consider himself better than most people. I still love his talent, but that book really kind of knocked Neil off the pedestal he'd been on...at least for me.

[Blue Barchetta]

Rush lyrics are like members of this forum:

Most of them don't make sense, they think they're smarter than they are, and they peaked in the 80s!

I never peaked. It was more like a gentle slope I just rolled over.

[tangy]

Rush lyrics are like members of this forum:

Most of them don't make sense, they think they're smarter than they are, and they peaked in the 80s!

:laughing guy:

 

Guilty as charged!

 

Roll the bones bzitches

[Wil1972]

Rush lyrics are like members of this forum:

Most of them don't make sense, they think they're smarter than they are, and they peaked in the 80s!

 

Some are peaking right now... :smoke:

Edited December 28, 2018 by Wil1972

[Entre_Perpetuo]

For my two cents, I've never griped with any of his 70s stuff. You want to write fantasy lyrics? Fine by me, as long as they portray a likable fantasy. Most often I find they do. In fact many of his non-fantasy lyrics from the 70s I love as well. Something For Nothing, Circumstances, In The End. I find these personally inspiring. As far as his 80s lyrics, I like them just as much, but for different reasons. He trades in fantasy references for a kind of everyday social motivation/commentary that I find unforgettable and affirming. Natural Science, Limelight, Subdivisions, Losing It, The Camera Eye. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. Heck, I can get some pretty motivational meaning out of Tom Sawyer with a little bit of work. I do think he started having some notable misses around HYF/Presto. I've never cared so much for his word game lyrics (though Red Lenses has a couple nice lines and works well with Ged's delivery). Also, once his everyday life lyrics started getting very on the nose, they lost their magic. However, I don't really mind until CP. Some of the lyrics on that album are just unpleasant to hear, cringey at best really. T4E isn't quite as bad, but mostly trades in an acute displeasure for a dull boredom. I've never really read much of the lyrics on VT actually, and the production is such that I don't really pay attention to them when I listen to it, but what I have made out of them has been a return to form. SnA is where Neil begins to get too preachy for my taste (Faithless could easily be my least favorite Rush song, by the numbers ballad with lyrics I truly dislike). But CA brings it all back home for me with Neil's grand return to fantasy, something I believe he writes well. Were there another album in the works, I would hope Neil would mine his fantasy side for inspiration once again, as I don't think he ever lost his touch in that genre of lyric.

[goose]

Second Nature is the first Rush song with lyrics that are cringey for a band like them...

While the goofy lyrics found in Madrigal, Rivendell, ByTor, Cygnus, AFTK are cringe-worthy for any band

[Lurkst]

While the goofy lyrics found in Madrigal, Rivendell, ByTor, Cygnus, AFTK are cringe-worthy for any band

 

Never found the lyrics in Madrigal to be cringeworthy, lovely little song.