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What is "The Trees" about?


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It's about anything you want it to. You can think it's about conflict, equality, a metaphor for humans, or just simply a story about trees.

 

They have written as song about a man fighting a snow dog so I don't see why it can't be just about trees.

 

It cannot be about anything you want it to be. What kind of nonsense is that?

It was written with a specific message in mind. You can interpret it any way you want but only one interpretation will be correct.

Seriously. How the hell can "The Trees" be about anything you want it to be?

 

Alright not anything then. But it's open to different interpretations by different people and maybe Neil did write it for a purpose but we'll probably never know seeing as he doesn't seem to want to say. Maybe he did just want you to interpret it how you want, maybe he didn't, maybe he hit his head and forgot what it was about. But seeing as no-one (except possibly Neil) knows the answer it can be about what you want/think it's about.

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I believe that there can be many interpretations of any Rush song. When it comes to Clockwork Angels, for instance, I view all the songs, except "The Garden", as being about machines, whereas "The Garden" is about the natural world, not the human made machinery.
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About the insanity of equal rights?

Not necessarily.

 

Go read the article in Rolling Stone. That's why Rand Paul quoted from the song in his speeches for years until Rush sent him a "cease and desist" order.

Not equal rights in a good way.

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About the insanity of equal rights?

Not necessarily.

 

Go read the article in Rolling Stone. That's why Rand Paul quoted from the song in his speeches for years until Rush sent him a "cease and desist" order.

No, he used it's because it's a great analogy to the negative impact of socialism. Better to live in shared mediocrity and misery than allow some to escape it and excel. Now that Neil has become a flak for the left the lyrics embarrass him.

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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

This is part of what bothers me, a point many "missed" in a previous thread.

 

Anyway, I'm going to see Neil Peart drum tonight. Can't wait.

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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

Yes, but like many on the left, the Maples were conflating equal rights with equal outcomes, which is what socialism strives for. Part of the genius of the song is that it brings this misunderstanding/intentional "confusing" into focus.

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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

Yes, but like many on the left, the Maples were conflating equal rights with equal outcomes, which is what socialism strives for. Part of the genius of the song is that it brings this misunderstanding/intentional "confusing" into focus.

 

In any event, as I said, even though Neil claims to still stand by that, his "bent" is in another direction. That's what I got from the article. :huh: That man is quite the dude - seems a bundle of contradictions to me.

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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

Yes, but like many on the left, the Maples were conflating equal rights with equal outcomes, which is what socialism strives for. Part of the genius of the song is that it brings this misunderstanding/intentional "confusing" into focus.

What the Maples advocate for is really the opposite of equal rights.
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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

This is part of what bothers me, a point many "missed" in a previous thread.

 

Anyway, I'm going to see Neil Peart drum tonight. Can't wait.

 

You Are??? Good for you! He is a very talented man and, as a drummer, is hard to top!

 

I sincerely hope you have the time of your life tonight. Lots of good TRFers will be there. Wish I still lived back there so I could join all of you! :hug2: :rush: :rush: :rush:

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It's about anything you want it to. You can think it's about conflict, equality, a metaphor for humans, or just simply a story about trees.

 

They have written as song about a man fighting a snow dog so I don't see why it can't be just about trees.

 

It cannot be about anything you want it to be. What kind of nonsense is that?

It was written with a specific message in mind. You can interpret it any way you want but only one interpretation will be correct.

 

I love disagreeing with you, so I'll be the one to tell you that the Trees definitley has more than one meaning. It all has one central theme, conflict, but it's not all one version of conflict that's set in stone.

I'm aware it's an allegory you imbecile.

 

 

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Okay, time to climb on the soapbox. Now this is not trying to objectively define what The Trees is about, this is just my personal intepretation after listening to the song a lot. It is indeed a damn good song :) I'll rundown the lyrics and with each verse, explain my point.

 

Okay...

 

The Oaks: The Mainstream Media

 

The Maples: LGBT people

 

The Sunlight: Representation in the media

 

"There is unrest in the forest, there is trouble with the trees,

for the maples want more sunlight and the oaks ignore their pleas."

 

Pretty self explanatory. A lot of LGBT people I know would like to see more openly gay, bisexual, or transgender characters on TV shows in mainstream media represented in the same way straight characters are, however it seems that a lot of shows don't listen to what they want and either flat out ignore their pleas, or make LGBT characters a walking, breathing stereotype.

 

"The trouble with the maples, and they're quite convinced they're right

They say the oaks are just to lofty and they grab up all the light,

But the oaks can't help their feelings if they like the way they're made.

And they wonder why the maples can't be happy in their shade."

 

Okay, with this one, we see LGBT people making their point that they don't get equal representation in the media. However the mainstream media has trouble understanding their plight. Even if the head honchos support gay rights, they simply don't get what the other side wants and they wonder why they can't be happy with the gay characters already on TV. (The really stereotypical background characters that don't get much characterization or just exist solely to be a token.)

 

"There is trouble in the forest and the creatures all have fled,

as the maples scream "OPPRESSION" and the oaks just shake their heads."

 

Once again, both sides are at a standstill. Maybe instead of screaming "Oppression!" they scream "Inequality!", either way, the top media execs still have trouble figuring out what the LGBT community wants, despite having it been explained to them several times.

 

 

"So the maples formed a union and demanded equal rights.

The oaks are just too greedy, we will make them give us light!"

 

Realistically, instead of a union, petitions would be made to give the LGBT community a voice, "Let them know we want equality in the media!"

 

"Now there's no more oak oppression, for they passed a noble law,

and the tress are all kept equal by hatchet, axe and saw."

 

Now this last line of the song was pretty difficult to interpret. This scenario would totally not end up in people cutting up each other like trees. This where it stops being literal and starts being figurative. My interpretation of this final line is....this is an example of how banning things to avoid offending people is toxic to both sides. The "noble law" is a law that states that no TV show can display any heterosexual couples at the risk of offending LGBT people. It was put in place as a f***ed up alternative to giving the LGBT community what they wanted the whole time. All they wanted was main, non stereotypical characters that are gay, bi, trans or any letter on the acronym.

 

There is no more oppression or inequality, but there is also no more satisfaction. The LGBT community never got what they desired, and now everyone else is effected by the so-called "Noble Law"

 

Interesting interpretation - what do you make of the "creatures all have fled" line - is that a reference to people who don't want to get involved in the conflict?

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The Palms could have made the Oaks and Maples it's bitches if it wanted too.
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It's about anything you want it to. You can think it's about conflict, equality, a metaphor for humans, or just simply a story about trees.

 

They have written as song about a man fighting a snow dog so I don't see why it can't be just about trees.

 

It cannot be about anything you want it to be. What kind of nonsense is that?

It was written with a specific message in mind. You can interpret it any way you want but only one interpretation will be correct.

 

I love disagreeing with you, so I'll be the one to tell you that the Trees definitley has more than one meaning. It all has one central theme, conflict, but it's not all one version of conflict that's set in stone.

I'm aware it's an allegory you imbecile.

 

S my D.

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It's about anything you want it to. You can think it's about conflict, equality, a metaphor for humans, or just simply a story about trees.

 

They have written as song about a man fighting a snow dog so I don't see why it can't be just about trees.

 

It cannot be about anything you want it to be. What kind of nonsense is that?

It was written with a specific message in mind. You can interpret it any way you want but only one interpretation will be correct.

 

I love disagreeing with you, so I'll be the one to tell you that the Trees definitley has more than one meaning. It all has one central theme, conflict, but it's not all one version of conflict that's set in stone.

I'm aware it's an allegory you imbecile.

 

S my D.

KMA

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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

Yes, but like many on the left, the Maples were conflating equal rights with equal outcomes, which is what socialism strives for. Part of the genius of the song is that it brings this misunderstanding/intentional "confusing" into focus.

:goodone:
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Here's from the article (yes, Neil is now embarrassed, but is too proud to back down so he says that he still stands by it):

And "The Trees," an allegorical power ballad about maples dooming a forest by agitating for "equal rights" with lofty oaks...

Yes, but like many on the left, the Maples were conflating equal rights with equal outcomes, which is what socialism strives for. Part of the genius of the song is that it brings this misunderstanding/intentional "confusing" into focus.

 

Well said.

 

The flip side is the notion of equality is equity. Equity being, of course, being fair and impartial. But people foolishly think fair is "equal". Not the same thing.

 

In the context of Neil, though, he's been saying that thing about "just writing a song about if trees behaved like people" for quite a while.... long before he declared himself to be a Democrat in the most recent Rolling Stone. Truly, as introverted as he is, I have to wonder if that's the line he came up with because he got tired of discussing the various other potential meanings with random people. His backing off the meaning of the song might not be about political leanings, rather I can see it being about interpersonal conflict.

Edited by WorkingAllTheTime
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About the insanity of equal rights?

 

It's about the insanity of mediocre people expecting great people to stop being great.

 

The fantastic animated film from Pixar, The Incredibles, addressed the same issue. Superheroes were shunned by society for being great (and for accidentally causing collateral damage), and were forced to become like everyone else - mediocre and "normal". Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) was all for his super-fast son, Dash, competing in his school's track meets. Bob's wife, Helen (Elasti-Girl), disagreed. She wanted their family to fit in with Society, so she wanted Dash to learn that "everyone is special".

 

Ayn Rand addressed the same issue. She loathed the idea of being "like everyone else". She fiercely supported being one's own self, striving for and achieving greatness, and not dumbing yourself down just to make Society happy.

 

The Oaks can't help how they were made. They're tall, strong, mighty.....why should they have to be like the mediocre Maples?

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About the insanity of equal rights?

 

It's about the insanity of mediocre people expecting great people to stop being great.

 

The fantastic animated film from Pixar, The Incredibles, addressed the same issue. Superheroes were shunned by society for being great (and for accidentally causing collateral damage), and were forced to become like everyone else - mediocre and "normal". Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) was all for his super-fast son, Dash, competing in his school's track meets. Bob's wife, Helen (Elasti-Girl), disagreed. She wanted their family to fit in with Society, so she wanted Dash to learn that "everyone is special".

 

Ayn Rand addressed the same issue. She loathed the idea of being "like everyone else". She fiercely supported being one's own self, striving for and achieving greatness, and not dumbing yourself down just to make Society happy.

 

The Oaks can't help how they were made. They're tall, strong, mighty.....why should they have to be like the mediocre Maples?

 

Techinically, everyone is special. Why don't you tell me the last time that you saw two people exactly alike, in personality, looks etc...We're not clones.

 

BTW, Ayn Rand is a selfish fu.cking c,unt and no one should respect her. In the end, the bitch didn't even believe in her own bullshit because she signed up for Medicare and Social Security in the final days of her life, what a fake.

Edited by fraroc
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About the insanity of equal rights?

 

It's about the insanity of mediocre people expecting great people to stop being great.

 

The fantastic animated film from Pixar, The Incredibles, addressed the same issue. Superheroes were shunned by society for being great (and for accidentally causing collateral damage), and were forced to become like everyone else - mediocre and "normal". Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) was all for his super-fast son, Dash, competing in his school's track meets. Bob's wife, Helen (Elasti-Girl), disagreed. She wanted their family to fit in with Society, so she wanted Dash to learn that "everyone is special".

 

Ayn Rand addressed the same issue. She loathed the idea of being "like everyone else". She fiercely supported being one's own self, striving for and achieving greatness, and not dumbing yourself down just to make Society happy.

 

The Oaks can't help how they were made. They're tall, strong, mighty.....why should they have to be like the mediocre Maples?

Well said... :cheers:
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About the insanity of equal rights?

 

It's about the insanity of mediocre people expecting great people to stop being great.

 

The fantastic animated film from Pixar, The Incredibles, addressed the same issue. Superheroes were shunned by society for being great (and for accidentally causing collateral damage), and were forced to become like everyone else - mediocre and "normal". Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) was all for his super-fast son, Dash, competing in his school's track meets. Bob's wife, Helen (Elasti-Girl), disagreed. She wanted their family to fit in with Society, so she wanted Dash to learn that "everyone is special".

 

Ayn Rand addressed the same issue. She loathed the idea of being "like everyone else". She fiercely supported being one's own self, striving for and achieving greatness, and not dumbing yourself down just to make Society happy.

 

The Oaks can't help how they were made. They're tall, strong, mighty.....why should they have to be like the mediocre Maples?

 

Techinically, everyone is special. Why don't you tell me the last time that you saw two people exactly alike, in personality, looks etc...We're not clones.

 

BTW, Ayn Rand is a selfish fu.cking c,unt and no one should respect her. In the end, the bitch didn't even believe in her own bullshit because she signed up for Medicare and Social Security in the final days of her life, what a fake.

 

Glad to see the real Fraroc coming out.

I

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In the end, the bitch didn't even believe in her own bullshit because she signed up for Medicare and Social Security in the final days of her life, what a fake.

Seriously? You certainly must be able to understand why doing that was perfectly consistent with her beliefs, don't you?

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