rftag Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Neil has written a lot of thought provoking and profound lyrics over the years. What Rush song do you think has the most profound or thought provoking lyrics? I've always thought the lyrics at the end of Freewill are pretty powerful: "Each of us A cell of awareness Imperfect and incomplete Genetic blends With uncertain ends On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet" But there are so many examples. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Need Your Love! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I the Mood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narps Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Witch Hunt. Case closed... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) The most profound and meaningful lyrics to me are the ones that are ambiguous enough to allow the listener their own interpretation .... I really enjoy being taken somewhere, and having the music and lyrics be cinematic, yet allow me to insert my own perspective ... The combination of the gauzy lyrics and moody music in Jacob's Ladder are very provocative for me I also love the transformative theme in the Cygnus songs - those for me are inspiring and give hope .. . . Edited July 9, 2015 by Lucas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g under p Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 For me one of the most haunting is Red Sector A, the imagery is so real. The most profound is an underrated song I imo is..... "The Pass" Proud swagger out of the school yardWaiting for the world's applauseRebel without a conscienceMartyr without a cause Static on your frequencyElectrical storm in your veinsRaging at unreachable gloryStraining at invisible chains And now you're trembling on a rocky ledgeStaring down into a heartless seaCan't face life on a razor's edgeNothing's what you thought it would be All of us get lost in the darknessDreamers learn to steer by the starsAll of us do time in the gutterDreamers turn to look at the carsTurn around and turn around and turn aroundTurn around and walk the razor's edgeDon't turn your backAnd slam the door on me It's not as if this barricadeBlocks the only roadIt's not as if you're all aloneIn wanting to explode Someone set a bad exampleMade surrender seem all rightThe act of a noble warriorWho lost the will to fight And now you're trembling on a rocky ledgeStaring down into a heartless seaDone with life on a razor's edgeNothing's what you thought it would be No hero in your tragedyNo daring in your escapeNo salutes for your surrenderNothing noble in your fateChrist, what have you done? A song to me about suicide of the over achievers rather than kids who under achieve. I can understand I've been there. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geddy's Soul Patch Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Hard to narrow it down to one, but a few that come to mind for me are: Emotion Detector, Ghost Rider, War Paint, Resist, and Time Stand Still 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimsonmistymemory Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Totem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteen Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Tai Shan lol. But really for me it was Freewill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driven_to_xanadu Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Hard to choose just one... Some of my favorites are: Natural Science Jacob's Ladder Hemispheres Marathon The Camera Eye The Weapon Open Secrets Edited July 9, 2015 by driven_to_xanadu 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony R Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Rush lyrics profound?Do me a favour! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Rush lyrics profound?Do me a favour!When reading Neil's, people look too serious. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhawk2112 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Second Nature, Heresy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merely Space Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Bravado 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue J Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Hard to choose just one... Some of my favorites are: Natural Science Jacob's Ladder Hemispheres Marathon The Camera Eye The Weapon Open Secrets Excellent list, IMO. Open Secrets is my vote. Natural Science is very close behind it, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Segue Myles Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Witch Hunt and Open Secrets. Open Secrets was a song that only truly elevated itself to my top favourite off of HYF once I read the lyrics. The things that we're concealing Will never let us grow Time will do its healing You've got to let it go I really needed to hear this message a few weeks back, when I hit a point where I realised I needed to fight my OCD and negatively compulsive thoughts and move on from a terrible period in my life that saw me reach an incredible low last year. (And before anyone asks, it wasn't the break up of a classic rock band!) Time will do its healing, you survive lows and move on. You've got to let the bad memories go, otherwise I will spend years keeping them alive. It helped an awful lot, as the last year I have been raked over the coals by my emotions and I just had an epiphany moment when I read these lines. I took steps to leave behind my medications and fight the battle against both my depression, its causes and also to pinpoint and swerve away from my OCD trigger points. I stopped giving up on myself and waged a massive battle against my mind all because these lines gave me an understanding of what was going wrong with me. It is about two months now, and despite a couple of dips, I have been getting better! Edited July 9, 2015 by Segue Myles 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue J Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 :goodone: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue J Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Excellent post, Segue. That particular lyric you cited has also helped me in the past. But the whole song is absolutely golden. "I find no absolutionIn my rational point of viewMaybe some things are instinctiveBut there's one thing you could doYou could try to understand meI could try to understand you" The first in a series of Neil's lyrics that touch on personal/interpersonal relationships...I think there are several good ones from Hold Your Fire through Counterparts (Cold Fire). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 For me one of the most haunting is Red Sector A, the imagery is so real. The most profound is an underrated song I imo is..... "The Pass" Proud swagger out of the school yardWaiting for the world's applauseRebel without a conscienceMartyr without a cause Static on your frequencyElectrical storm in your veinsRaging at unreachable gloryStraining at invisible chains And now you're trembling on a rocky ledgeStaring down into a heartless seaCan't face life on a razor's edgeNothing's what you thought it would be All of us get lost in the darknessDreamers learn to steer by the starsAll of us do time in the gutterDreamers turn to look at the carsTurn around and turn around and turn aroundTurn around and walk the razor's edgeDon't turn your backAnd slam the door on me It's not as if this barricadeBlocks the only roadIt's not as if you're all aloneIn wanting to explode Someone set a bad exampleMade surrender seem all rightThe act of a noble warriorWho lost the will to fight And now you're trembling on a rocky ledgeStaring down into a heartless seaDone with life on a razor's edgeNothing's what you thought it would be No hero in your tragedyNo daring in your escapeNo salutes for your surrenderNothing noble in your fateChrist, what have you done? A song to me about suicide of the over achievers rather than kids who under achieve. I can understand I've been there. Honestly, it seems more like the soliloquy of under achievers trying to find their own happiness but feel as if their lives ain't worth shit because they aren't millionaires, they don't have sex with a million attractive women, and they don't live in a mansion. Its a song about feeling like you're not good enough. Trust me, I've dealt with suicidal thoughts for years. I know what The Pass is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiBeers Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Good choices above. I would add Territories. Everytime I see war footage on the news the lyrics start playing in my head. A dark horse is Sweet Miracle. The lyrics remind me of the tsunami disaster in india about 10 years ago. It also relates to Neil's tragedy soon before VT. Edited July 9, 2015 by 2112FirstStreet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorkingAllTheTime Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Profound is in the eye of the beholder. In another thread, I mentioned how a cousin used "Bravest Face" to get me to stop feeling sorry for myself during a difficult post-surgery recovery. Most fans view that song as also-ran filler, but in my mind and heart it is symbolic of both the love my cousin has for me and a turning point in my recovery. That's pretty profound, yes? I think the thing about Neil's lyrics is that because he dives into a variety of topics that are not at all the norm for rock music, a few things happen: 1) Some people look for deep, profound meaning in all of Neil's lyrics even when there may not be any2) Some people assume Neil is always trying to be profound even when he's not3) Some people hate Neil and Rush because he doesn't write lyrics about beer and boobs I don't think Neil is/was always trying to be profound or political. Sometimes I think he is/was just having fun with language (Red Lenses and Anagram are good examples of that). Sometimes I think he is just trying to suggest a statement about the common human condition (Bravest Face would be a good example) without being overly personal or political. But, yes, sometimes he is trying to make a statement (Second Nature would be a good example). I think many people confuse Neil's shyness and voracious reading as him being unable to take things without a degree of seriousness. I don't, though, think the guy could have remained both friends and business partners with Alex and Geddy for 40 years without having a pretty significant laid back, goofy streak. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuesday's Gone Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Dog Years I'd rather be a tortoise from GalapagosOr a span of geological timeThan be living in these dog years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSHandOSU Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 The pass and Bravado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I don't pay much attention to Neil and his lyrics. There are some lines he's written that I relate well to, and many that he's written to mean one thing but I take them another way entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedRush Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 The most profound and meaningful lyrics to me are the ones that are ambiguous enough to allow the listener their own interpretation .... I really enjoy being taken somewhere, and having the music and lyrics be cinematic, yet allow me to insert my own perspective ... The combination of the gauzy lyrics and moody music in Jacob's Ladder are very provocative for me I also love the transformative theme in the Cygnus songs - those for me are inspiring and give hope .. . . I agree completely, which is why I might go with Lamneth as my choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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