telegraphcreeklocal Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 I like DOG YEARS a lot. It opens with a great Heavy jam then a change by Pearts' drum roll into the lyrics. I mean if you just heard the song without words, it jams like no other. The words are great too, especially if you ever had a dog in your life. Dogs are great friends and I miss all of mine. This song makes me feel good and it rocks so what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMeek Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 I like this guy. I like how he thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliewang Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 I think the music is perfect but the lyrics while pretty funny are kind of (with all due respect) a bit cheesy. Especially when you first hear the song it's one of the only Rush songs i really want to be played at a show where some thrashing goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMeek Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 QUOTE (charliewang @ May 14 2006, 01:48 AM) I think the music is perfect but the lyrics while pretty funny are kind of (with all due respect) a bit cheesy. Especially when you first hear the song it's one of the only Rush songs i really want to be played at a show where some thrashing goes on. Yeah, they could stick it in an instrumental medley like the R30 Overture on their next tour. Although it obviously wouldn't be called "R30 Overture"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtron Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 QUOTE (TheMeek @ May 13 2006, 10:56 PM) I think the real question is "who DOESN'T like this song?". Myself and most of the people I know that like Rush. The lyrics kill the song for me. I didn't think it could get worse...and then Virtuality came on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrAzYrAy2112 Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 first off I would love to say this board is great, although I miss CP,this is a great place 2 be...back 2 the topic at hand......DOG YEARS KICKS ASS,as well of ALL of T4E,as far as the song goes,I think there is alot of(lets bash DOG YEARS)followers....some of GEDSTER'S best bass playing can be heard here and what is so corny bout the lyrics????explain why they are corny.....the same peeps that r DOGGING DY's are the same people that say Caress of Steel is this and that....I know, to each there own and everyone cant think that all their song are great....I say f**k that ,there is NOT ONE RUSH SONG THAT IS NOT GREAT....and DOG YEARS is one of the great RUSH songs...... CrAzYrAy/digitalman_2112@CP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.G Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 It would be interesting if MITA could take this and remove the singing, like he did with peacable kingdom. I'm not saying the lyrics are bad, its just that a lot of people say they think it would be good as an instrumental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrAzYrAy2112 Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 QUOTE (R.G @ May 14 2006, 05:01 AM) It would be interesting if MITA could take this and remove the singing, like he did with peacable kingdom. I'm not saying the lyrics are bad, its just that a lot of people say they think it would be good as an instrumental. if anyone can do it, Chris can....he is the man.....love that guy CrAzYrAy/digitalman_2112@cp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test4VitalSigns Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 QUOTE (R.G @ May 14 2006, 06:01 AM) It would be interesting if MITA could take this and remove the singing, like he did with peacable kingdom. I'm not saying the lyrics are bad, its just that a lot of people say they think it would be good as an instrumental. A little bit off topic but Peaceable Kingdom minus the vocals is AWESOME! Yes the lyrics were powerful and spoke volumes about the state of today's gloomy world but as an instrumental it was equally effective and compelling.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMeek Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 QUOTE (Test4VitalSigns @ May 14 2006, 05:37 AM) QUOTE (R.G @ May 14 2006, 06:01 AM) It would be interesting if MITA could take this and remove the singing, like he did with peacable kingdom. I'm not saying the lyrics are bad, its just that a lot of people say they think it would be good as an instrumental. A little bit off topic but Peaceable Kingdom minus the vocals is AWESOME! Yes the lyrics were powerful and spoke volumes about the state of today's gloomy world but as an instrumental it was equally effective and compelling.... And just WHERE can I get a copy of said instrumental Peacable Kingdom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arleen2112 Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 I like Dog Years Just goes to show ya..even if Neil is hungover he can still pen a great tune Dog years...It's the season of the itch Dog years...With every scratch it reappears Dog years...For every sad son of a bitch Dog years...With his tail between his ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darth by tor Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Dog "shit" Years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.G Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 QUOTE (TheMeek @ May 14 2006, 02:06 PM) QUOTE (Test4VitalSigns @ May 14 2006, 05:37 AM) QUOTE (R.G @ May 14 2006, 06:01 AM) It would be interesting if MITA could take this and remove the singing, like he did with peacable kingdom. I'm not saying the lyrics are bad, its just that a lot of people say they think it would be good as an instrumental. A little bit off topic but Peaceable Kingdom minus the vocals is AWESOME! Yes the lyrics were powerful and spoke volumes about the state of today's gloomy world but as an instrumental it was equally effective and compelling.... And just WHERE can I get a copy of said instrumental Peacable Kingdom? here: Rush Oddities great stuff there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112-Rob-2112 Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 I like Dog Years...Definetly the music..ill admit the lyrics are a bit ehh but its still a good song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering Hermit Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 (edited) I generally don't like T4E, I consider it by far the weakest of all Rush albums, but Dog years is one of the few bright spots. Along with Time and Motion - the only two songs I really like on the whole thing. I had a thread over at CP, years ago, where I went through an exercise to quantify the thematic unity of all the albums. Basically I looked at every song and tried to assign a numerical score to approximate how much that song contributed to a coherent theme of the album. For example, 2112 is obviously highly thematic, but Counterparts even more so, because almost the entire work addresses the concept of opposites/pairs. T4E was dead last in thematic unity, by my reckoning. Maybe that is another reason why I just don't "get it" (Either that or I was biased in my analysis!) When CP is back up I will cross post. It was an interesting thread. Edited May 14, 2006 by Wandering Hermit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fendergirl4001 Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 decent tune, but still, melodically Rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalmonRushGuy Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I love all of Test for Echo. Neil's "Work In Progress" DVD which features Neil discussing his drum parts on the entire album (including "Dog Years") make it a little more special to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonelyHiker Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I like the tune just fine! "....we've lost our senses...for the higher level static of talk"... Corny lyrcs? I don't think so! While T4E isn't my favorite Rush album, it certainly ranks in the top third. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemari77 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I love Dog Years. I always like it when bands that have an uber serious image, just have fun and get a little goofy on a song or two. The only lyric that I had problems with is the "tortoise from Galapagos..." part. It's like, despite the overall simplistic playful nature of the verses and choruses, Neil couldn't resist being Neil during the bridge--getting overly wordy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemari77 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 QUOTE (SalmonRushGuy @ May 15 2006, 02:29 AM) I love all of Test for Echo. Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW2 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 DY is the only Rush song I skip when listening to any of their CDs. I actually kinda like Virtuality and love Carve Away the Stone. So, everyone has their own tastes. That's what the lady said who kissed the cow. (a phrase my Grandpa used to say). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circumstantial tree Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 When I first sampled "Dog years" it went like this: ......... ........... ............ ................ .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmoo Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 (edited) We've had threads like this over at CP. Dog Years is one of my favorite songs off of T4E, and primarily because of the lyrics. I believe the reason that most people don't like the lyrics, or think they're corny, is because they don't really "get it." I don't mean that as an insult, I just mean that Neil makes a lot of vague references and plays on words that you have to think about in order to really grasp. In that sense, if there is anything wrong with the song, it's the obscurity of the word plays, not the lyrics themselves. For anyone who cares, I'll give the same "interpretation" of the lyrics as I once gave on a Dog Years thread over at CP. This, of course, is merely MY interpretation of the lyrics. You may think I'm full of dog shite.... ------- "In a dog's life A year is really more like seven And all too soon a canine Will be chasing cars in doggie heaven" ------- This stanza is pretty self-explanatory. It begins the extended metaphor that Neil creates in the rest of the song. I agree that "doggy heaven" kind of sucks. ------- It seems to me As we make our own few circles 'round the sun We get it backwards And our seven years go by like one ------- In this stanza, Neil is making the very real observation that our lives go by very quickly, and if we aren't careful, the years will just pass us by. ------- Dog years - It's the season of the itch Dog years - With every scratch it reappears ------- The "season of the itch" is a very obscure reference to the movie "The Seven-Year Itch", which is about the way that people tend to get the "itch" for something new in their relationships every 7 years or so. So it's an obscure reference and it plays on the 7 years/1 year "dog years" theme. "With every scratch it reappears" is simply saying that when something goes wrong in our lives (i.e. a "scratch"), it makes us itch for something new. ------- In the dog days People look to Sirius Dogs cry for the moon But those connections are mysterious ------- I love this stanza. "Sirius" is the dog star. So it's a clever reference to the dog star, which fits the "dog years" theme, and it is also a pun that sounds like "people look too serious." In other words, in these dog days, people are way too serious and don't cut loose enough, and they also "look to Sirius", meaning they look for answers in astrology and in the spirit/religion realm. ------- It seems to me While it's true that every dog will have his day When all the bones are buried There is barely time to go outside and play ------- More word plays using dog metaphors. "When all the bones are buried, there's barely time to play" is saying that by the time we've done all the crap we have to do (i.e. burying our bones), there's no time to do the things we want to do. It can also be read as a play on words...."when the bones are buried" could be a reference to when we're dead. In other words, when we're dead, we'll be sorry we spent so much of our lives working and not playing. ------- Dog years - It's the season of the itch Dog years - With every scratch it reappears Dog years - For every sad son of a bitch Dog years - With his tail between his ears ------- The "sad son of a bitch" phrase is also really clever, I think. It rhymes the word "itch", which we've already pointed out is a clever, if not obscure, reference to the 7-Year Itch, and it also is a play on words by itself, with "son of a bitch" being a reference to a dog. "Tail between his ears" is rather enigmatic and does seem to be an attempt to merely rhyme the word "reappears." However, I think it's an obscure reference to someone having his "head up his ass", as it were, which would fit with the theme of the "sad son of a bitch" who has no time to go out and play. ------- I'd rather be a tortoise from Galapagos Or a span of geological time Than be living in these dog years ------- Tortoises live extraordinarily long lives....in the news recently a tortoise just died who had been born around 1750. A span of geological time is many thousands of years. So he's saying here that he'd rather live immortally than be living this life where the years go by so quickly. ------- In a dog's brain A constant buzz of low-level static One sniff at the hydrant And the answer is automatic It seems to me As well make our own few circles 'round the block We've lost our senses For the higher-level static of talk ------- A dog doesn't have a very well-developed brain...it functions basically on instinct. Neil then goes on to say that we live like this too...running on auto-pilot, forgetting to stop and smell the roses, too busy to just sit down, face-to-face, and talk. Edited May 15, 2006 by Schmoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telegraphcreeklocal Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 QUOTE (SalmonRushGuy @ May 15 2006, 12:29 AM) I love all of Test for Echo. Neil's "Work In Progress" DVD which features Neil discussing his drum parts on the entire album (including "Dog Years") make it a little more special to me. Exactly, man. A Work In Progress shows what Peart was working on for a year and a half, to see and hear the drum parts by it self should enlighten anyone how great Test For Echo is. When Peart starts up he is the best rock drummer in the whole world. Does he hit harder than anyone? Hell yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW2 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Hey, Schmoo-wassup? Ghost Writer from CP here. I really do understand the lyrics and the wordplay--for instance, I love Anagram (for Mongo) and it's wordplay, but something about Dog Years just doesn't click with me. Tell ya what, the next two or three times I put TFE in my CD player, I won't skip it and try and give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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