Different Stages

Rush Different Stages Lyrics
1.2112

i. overture
Words:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

'and the meek shall inherit the earth.'

Ii. the temples of syrinx
Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

... 'the massive grey walls of the temples rise from the
Heart of every federation city. i have always been awed
By them, to think that every single facet of every life is
Regulated and directed from within! our books, our music,
Our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent
Wisdom of the priests...'

We've taken care of everything
The words you hear the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It's one for all and all for one
We work together common sons
Never need to wonder how or why

We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls

Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man
Oh what a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the red star proudly high in hand

We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls.

Iii. discovery
Words:neil peart
music:alex lifeson

... 'behind my beloved waterfall, in the little room that was
Hidden beneath the cave, i found it. i brushed away the
Dust of the years, and picked it up, holding it reverently in
My hands. i had no idea what it might be, but it was
Beautiful' ...
... 'i learned to lay my fingers across the wires, and to turn
The keys to make them sound differently. as i struck the
Wires with my other hand, i produced my first harmonious
Sounds, and soon my own music! how different it could
Be from the music of the temples! i can't wait to tell the
Priests about it! ...'

What can this strange device be?
When i touch it, it gives forth a sound
It's got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing be that i found?

See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Sounds that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently like rain

I can't wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The priests praise my name on this night

Iv. presentation
Words:neil peart
music:alex lifeson

... 'in the sudden silence as i finished playing, i looked up
To a circle of grim, expressionless faces. father brown
Rose to his feet, and his somnolent voice echoed
Throughout the silent temple hall.' ...
... 'instead of the grateful joy that i expected, they were
Words of quiet rejection! instead of praise, sullen
Dismissal. i watched in shock and horror as father brown
Ground my precious instrument to splinters beneath his
Feet...'

I know it's most unusual
To come before you so
But i've found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you

Yes, we know it's nothing new
It's just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
The world is doing fine

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan

I can't believe you're saying
These things just can't be true
Our world could use this beauty
Just think what we might do

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you

Don't annoy us further
We have our work to do
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan

V. oracle: the dream
Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

... 'i guess it was a dream, but even now it all seems so
Vivid to me. clearly yet i see the beckoning hand of the
Oracle as he stood at the summit of the staircase' ...
... 'i see still the incredible beauty of the sculptured cities
And the pure spirit of man revealed in the lives and works
Of this world. i was overwhelmed by both wonder and
Understanding as i saw a completely different way to life,
A way that had been crushed by the federation long ago. i
Saw now how meaningless life had become with the loss
Of all these things ...'

I wandered home though silent streets
And fell into a fitful sleep
Escape to realms beyond the night
Dream can't you show me the light?

I stand atop a spiral stair
An oracle confronts me there
He leads me on light years away
Through astral nights, galactic days

I see the works of gifted hands
That grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes

They left the planets long ago
The elder race still learn and grow
Their power grows with purpose strong
To claim the home where they belong
Home, to tear the temples down...
Home, to change..

Vi. soliloquy
Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

... 'i have not left this cave for days now, it has become
My last refuge in my total despair. i have only the music of
The waterfall to comfort me now. i can no longer live
Under the control of the federation, but there is no other
Place to go. my last hope is that with my death i may pass
Into the world of my dream, and know peace at last.'

The sleep is still in my eyes
The dream is still in my head
I heave a sigh and sadly smile
And lie a while in bed
I wish that it might come to pass
Not fade like all my dreams

Just think of what my life might be
In a world like i have seen
I don't think i can carry on
Carry on this cold and empty life
Oh...noo!

My spirits are low in the depths of despair
My lifeblood spills over..

Vii. grand finale
Music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

Attention all planets of the solar federation
Attention all planets of the solar federation
Attention all planets of the solar federation
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.


2.Animate

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Polarize me
Sensitize me
Criticize me
Civilize me
Compensate me
Animate me
Complicate me
Elevate me

Goddess in my garden
Sister in my soul
Angel in my armor
Actress in my role

Daughter of a demon-lover
Empress of the hidden face
Priestess of the pagan mother
Ancient queen of inner space

Spirit in my psyche
Double in my role
Alter in my image
Struggle for control

Mistress of the dark unconscious
Mermaid of the lunar sea
Daughter of the great enchantress
Sister to the boy inside of me

My counterpart --- my foolish heart
A man must learn to rule his tender part
A warming trend --- a gentle friend
A man must build a fortress to defend

A secret face --- a touch of grace
A man must learn to give a little space
A peaceful state --- a submissive trait
A man must learn to gently dominate


3.Anthem

Words:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

Know your place in life is where you want to be
Don't let them tell you that you owe it all to me
Keep on looking forward, no use in looking 'round
Hold your head above the ground and they won't bring you
Down

Anthem of the heart and anthem of the mind
A funeral dirge for eyes gone blind
We marvel after those who sought
New wonders in the world, wonders in the world,
Wonders in the world they wrought

Live for yourself -- there's no one else
More worth living for
Begging hands and bleeding hearts will
Only cry out for more

Well, i know they've always told you
Selfishness was wrong
Yet it was for me, not you, i
Came to write this song


4.A Farewell To Kings

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance

Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise

The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can't we find
The minds that made us strong
Can't we learn
To feel what's right and wrong

Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
Can't we raise our eyes
And make a start
Can't we find the minds
To lead us closer to the heart


5.Bastille Day

Words:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

There's no bread, let them eat cake
There's no end to what they'll take
Flaunt the fruits of noble birth
Wash the salt into the earth

But they're marching to bastille day la guillotine will claim
Her bloody prize free the dungeons of the innocent the king
Will kneel, and let his kingdom rise

Bloodstained velvet, dirty lace
Naked fear on every face
See them bow their heads to die
As we would bow as they rode by

And we're marching to bastille day la guillotine will claim
Her bloody prize sing, o choirs of cacophony the king has
Kneeled, to let his kingdom rise

Lessons taught but never learned
All around us anger burns
Guide the future by the past
Long ago the mould was cast

For they marched up to bastille day la guillotine -- claimed
Her bloody prize hear the echoes of the centuries power isn't
All that money buys


6.Bravado

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun
If the moment of glory
Is over before it's begun
If the dream is won --
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

When the dust has cleared
And victory denied
A summit too lofty
River a little too wide
If we keep our pride --
Though paradise is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost

And if the music stops
There's only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost


7.By-tor And The Snow Dog

Words:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

I. at the tobes of hades
The tobes of hades
Lit by flickering torchlight
The netherworld is gathered in the glare
Prince by-tor takes the cavern
To the north light
The sign of eth is rising in the air
By-tor, knight of darkness,
Centurion of evil
Devil's prince

Ii. across the styx
Across the river styx
Out of the lamplight
His nemesis is waiting at the gate
The snow dog, ermine glowing
In the damp night
Coal-black eyes shimmering with hate
By-tor and the snow dog
Square for battle
Let the fray begin

Iii. of the battle

Instrumental

Iv. epilogue
The battle's over
And the dust is clearing
Disciples of the snow dog sound the knell
Rejoicing echoes
As the dawn is nearing
By-tor in defeat
Retreats to hell
Snow dog is victorious
The land of the overworld
Is saved again


8.Cinderella Man

Words:geddy lee
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

A modest man from mandrake
Travelled rich to the city
He had a need to discover
A use for his newly-found wealth

Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane

Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendour
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain

Eyes wide open
Heart undefended
Innocence untarnished

Cinderella man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means

Cinderella man
Hang on to your plans
Try as they might
They cannot steal your dreams

In the betrayal of his love he awakened
To face a world of cold reality
And a look in the eyes of the hungry
Awakened him to what he could do

He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane

They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain


9.Closer To The Heart

Words:neil peart and peter talbot,
Music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the heart

The blacksmith and the artist
Reflect it in their art
Forge their creativity
Closer to the heart

Philosophers and ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the heart

You can be the captain
I will draw the chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the heart


10.Cygnus X-1

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart

Book one ---- the voyage
Prologue

In the constellation of cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The black hole
Of cygnus x-1

Six stars of the northern cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night....

1
Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die

All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force

Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized ---- at the core
Or through the astral door ----
To soar....

2
I set a course just east of lyra
And northwest of pegasus
Flew into the light of deneb
Sailed across the milky way

On my ship, the 'rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of cygnus
Headlong into mystery

The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the black hole ----
Gains control....

3
Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending

Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....

To be continued


11.Dreamline

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

He's got a road map of jupiter
A radar fix on the stars
All along the highway
She's got a liquid-crystal compass
A picture book of the rivers
Under the sahara

They travel in the time of the prophets
On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun
Like lovers and hereos, and the restless part of everyone
We're only at home when we're on the run
On the run

He's got a star map of hollywood
A list of cheap motels
All along the freeway
She's got a sister out in vegas
The promise of a decent job
Far away from her hometown

They travel on the road to redemption
A highway out of yesterday -- that tomorrow will bring
Like lovers and heroes, birds in the last days of spring
We're only at home when we're on the wing
On the wing

When we are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we're only immortal --
For a limited time

Time is a gypsy caravan
Steals away in the night
To leave you stranded in dreamland
Distance is a long-range filter
Memory a flickering light
Left behind in the heartland

We travel in the dark of the new moon
A starry highway traced on the map of the sky
Like lovers and heroes, lonely as the eagle's cry
We're only at home when we're on the fly
On the fly

We travel on the road to adventure
On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun
Like lovers and hereos, and the restless part of everyone
We're only at home when we're on the run
On the run...


12.Driven

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Driven up and down in circles
Skidding down a road of black ice
Staring in and out storm windows
Driven to a fool's paradise

But it's my turn to drive

Driven to the margin of error
Driven to the edge of control
Driven to the margin of terror
Driven to the edge of a deep, dark hole

Driven day and night in circles
Spinning like a whirlwind of leaves
Stealing in and out back alleys
Driven to another den of thieves

But it's my turn to drive

Driven in --- driven to the edge
Driven out --- on the thin end of the wedge
Driven off --- by things i've never seen
Driven on --- by the road to somewhere i've never been

It's my turn to drive

The road unwinds towards me
What was there is gone
The road unwinds before me
And i go riding on


13.Fly By Night

Words:geddy lee and neil peart
Music:geddy lee and neil peart

(original first stanza)
Airport scurry flurry faces
Parade of passers by
People going many places
With a smile or just a sigh
Waiting waiting pass the time
Another cigarette
Get in line - gate thirty-nine
The time is not here yet (end)

Why try? i know why
The feeling inside me says it's time i was gone
Clear head, new life ahead
I want to be king now not just one more pawn

Fly by night, away from here
Change my life again
Fly by night goodbye my dear
My ship isn't coming and i just can't pretend

Moon rise, thoughtful eyes
Staring back at me from the window beside
No fright or hindsight
Leaving behind that empty feeling inside

Start a new chapter
Find what i'm after
It's changing every day
The change of a season
Is enough of a reason
To want to get away

Quiet and pensive
My thoughts apprehensive
The hours drift away
Leaving my homeland
Playing a lone hand
My life begins today


14.Freewill

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

There are those who think that life
Has nothing left to chance
With a host of holy horrors
To direct our aimless dance

A planet of playthings
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
'the stars aren't aligned ---
Or the gods are malign'
Blame is better to give than receive

You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice

You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose free will

There are those who think that they've been dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them ---
They weren't born in lotus-land

All preordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face
You can't pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate

Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt
That's far too fleet...


15.In The Mood

Words:geddy lee
Music:geddy lee

Aw, hey now, baby,
Well, i like your smile
Won't you come and talk to me
For a little while

Well, you're makin' me crazy
The way you roll them eyes
Won't you come and sit with me
I'll tell you all my lies

Hey baby, it's a quarter to eight
I feel i'm in the mood
Hey baby, the hour is late
I feel i've got to move

Well, hey now, baby
Don't you talk so fast
I'm just try'n' to make these good times,
I'm try'n' to make it last

Ev'rything's getting hazy
Now honey, where'd you go?
I just want to find out, baby
Where'd you learn what you know?

Hey baby, it's a quarter to eight
I feel i'm in the mood
Hey baby, the hour is late
I feel i've got to move

Well, hey now, baby
Said, i like your style
You really got me, baby
Way down deep inside

Oo, you drive me crazy
Baby, you're the one
I just want to rock-and-roll you woman
Until the night is gone

Hey baby, it's a quarter to eight
I feel i'm in the mood
Hey baby, the hour is late
I feel i've got to move


16.Leave That Thing Alone

Music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Instrumental


17.Limelight

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Living on a lighted stage
Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel
In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage

Cast in this unlikely role,
Ill-equipped to act
With insufficient tact
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact

Living in the limelight
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem

Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation
Get on with the fascination
The real relation
The underlying theme

Living in a fisheye lens
Caught in the camera eye
I have no heart to lie
I can't pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend

All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage


18.Natural Science

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

I. tide pools
When the ebbing tide retreats
Along the rocky shoreline
It leaves a trail of tidal pools
In a short-lived galaxy
Each microcosmic planet
A complete society

A simple kind mirror
To reflect upon our own
All the busy little creatures
Chasing out their destinies
Living in their pools
They soon forget about the sea...

Wheels within wheels
In a spiral array
A pattern so grand
And complex
Time after time
We lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see
Their effects

Ii. hyperspace
A quantum leap forward
In time and in space
The universe learned to expand

The mess and the magic
Triumphant and tragic
A mechanized world, out of hand

Computerized clinic
For superior cynics
Who dance to a synthetic band

In their own image
Their world is fashioned ---
No wonder they don't understand

Wheels within wheels
In a spiral array
A pattern so grand
And complex
Time after time
We lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see
Their effects

Iii. permanent waves
Science, like nature
Must also be tamed
With a view towards its preservation
Given the same
State of integrity
It will surely serve us well

Art as expression ---
Not as market campaigns
Will still capture our imaginations
Given the same
State of integrity
It will surely help us along

The most endangered species ---
The honest man
Will still survive annihilation
Forming a world ---
State of integrity
Sensitive, open, and strong

Wave after wave
Will flow with the tide
And bury the world as it does
Tide after tide
Will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on
As it was...


19.Nobody's Hero

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

I knew he was different, in his sexuality
I went to his parties, as a straight minority
It never seemed a threat to my masculinity
He only introduced me to a wider reality

As the years went by, we drifted apart
When i heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But he's nobody's ---

Hero --- saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero --- lands the crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries

Hero --- not the handsome actor
Who plays a hero's role
Hero --- not the glamor girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
If anybody's buying
Nobody's hero

I didn't know the girl, but i knew her family
All their lives were shattered
In a nightmare of brutality
They try to carry on, try to bear the agony
Try to hold some faith
In the goodness of humanity

As the years went by, we drifted apart
When i heard that she was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But she's nobody's ---

Hero --- the voice of reason
Against the howling mob
Hero --- the pride of purpose
In the unrewarding job

Hero --- not the champion player
Who plays the perfect game
Not the glamor boy
Who loves to sell his name
Everybody's buying
Nobody's hero

As the years went by, we drifted apart
When i heard that you were gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart

Hero


20.Resist

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

I can learn to resist
Anything but temptation
I can learn to co-exist
With anything but pain

I can learn to compromise
Anything but my desires
I can learn to get along
With all the things i can't explain

I can learn to resist
Anything but frustration
I can learn to persist
With anything but aiming low

I can learn to close my eyes
To anything but injustice
I can learn to get along
With all the things i don't know

You can surrender
Without a prayer
But never really pray
Pray without surrender

You can fight
Without ever winning
But never ever win
Without a fight


21.Roll The Bones

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Well, you can stake that claim --
Good work is the key to good fortune
Winners take that praise
Losers seldom take that blame
If they don't take that game
And sometimes the winner takes nothing
We draw our own designs
But fortune has to make that frame

We go out in the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that lady luck dances
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones

Faith is cold as ice --
Why are little ones born only to suffer
For the want of immunity
Or a bowl of rice?
Well, who would hold a price
On the heads of the innocent children
If there's some immortal power
To control the dice?

We come into the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that lady luck dances
Roll the bones

Jack -- relax.
Get busy with the facts.
No zodiacs or almanacs,
No maniacs in polyester slacks.
Just the facts.
Gonna kick some gluteus max.
It's a parallax -- you dig?
You move around
The small gets big. it's a rig.
It's action -- reaction --
Random interaction.
So who's afraid
Of a little abstraction?
Can't get no satisfaction
From the facts?
You better run, homeboy --
A fact's a fact
From nome to rome, boy.

What's the deal? spin the wheel.
If the dice are hot -- take a shot.
Play your cards. show us what you got --
What you're holding.
If the cards are cold,
Don't go folding.
Lady luck is golden;
She favors the bold. that's cold.
Stop throwing stones --
The night has a thousand saxophones.
So get out there and rock,
And roll the bones.
Get busy!


22.Show Don't Tell

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

How many times do you hear it?
It goes on all day long
Everyone knows everything
And no one's ever wrong
Until later

Who can you believe?
It's hard to play it safe
But apart from a few good friends
We don't take anything on faith
Until later

Show don't tell

Show me don't tell me
You've figured out the score
Show me don't tell me
I've heard it all before
Show me don't tell me
I don't care what you say
Show me don't tell me

You can twist perceptions
Reality won't budge
You can raise objections
I will be the judge
And the jury

I'll give it due reflection
Watching from the fence
Give the jury direction
Based on the evidence
I, the jury

Show me don't tell me
Hey --- order in the court
Show me don't tell me
Let's try to keep it short
Show me don't tell me
Enough of your demands
Show me don't tell me
Witness take the stand
Show me don't tell me

Show me don't tell me
Hey --- order in the court
Show me don't tell me
Let's try to keep it short
Show me don't tell me
I don't care what you say
Show me don't tell me
Let's see exhibit a


23.Something For Nothing

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee

Waiting for the winds of change
To sweep the clouds away
Waiting for the rainbow's end
To cast its gold your way
Countless ways
You pass the days

Waiting for someone to call
And turn your world around
Looking for an answer to
The question you have found
Looking for
An open door

You don't get something for nothing
You don't get freedom for free
You won't get wise
With the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dreams might be

What you own is your own kingdom
What you do is your own glory
What you love is your own power
What you live is your own story
In your head is the answer
Let it guide you along
Let your heart be the anchor
And the beat of your own song


24.Stick It Out

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Trust to your insticts
If it's safely restrained
Lightning reactions
Must be carefully trained

Heat of the moment
Curse of the young
Spit out your anger
Don't swallow your tongue

Stick it out

Don't swallow the poison
Spit it out
Don't swallow your pride
Stick it out
Don't swallow your anger
Spit it out
Don't swallow the lies

Natural reflex
Pendulum swing
You might be too dizzy
To do the right thing

Trial under fire
Ultimate proof
Moment of crisis
Don't swallow the truth

Stick it out

Each time we bathe our reactions
In artificial light
Each time we alter the focus
To make the wrong moves seem right

You get so used to deception
You make yourself a nervous wreck
You get so used to surrender
Running back to cover your neck

Stick it out


25.Test For Echo

Words:neil peart and pye dubois,
Music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Here we go --- vertigo
Video vertigo
Test for echo

Here we go --- in slo-mo
Video vertigo
Test for echo

Some kind of trouble on the sensory screen
Camera curves over caved-in cop cars
Bleacher-creatures, would-be desperados
Clutch at plausible deniability
Don't touch that dial ---
We're in denial
Until the showcase trial on tv

Some kind of pictures on the sense o'clock news
Miles of yellow tape --- silhouetted chalklines
Tough-talking hood boys in pro-team logo knock-offs
Conform to uniforms of some corporate entity
Don't change that station
It's gangster nation
Now crime's in syndication on tv

What a show --- vertigo
Video vertigo
Test for echo

Touch and go -- in slo-mo
Video vertigo
Test for echo

Some kind of drama live on satellite
Hidden camera coverage from the crime scene to the courtroom
Nail-biting hood boys in borrowed ties and jackets
Clutching at the straws of respectability
Can't do the time?
Don't do the crime
And wind up in the perp walk on tv


26.The Analog Kid

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

A hot and windy august afternoon
Has the trees in constant motion
With a flash of silver leaves
As they're rocking in the breeze

The boy lies in the grass with one blade
Stuck between his teeth
A vague sensation quickens
In his young and restless heart
And a bright and nameless vision
Has him longing to depart

You move me ---
You move me ---
With your buildings and your eyes
Autumn woods and winter skies
You move me ---
You move me ---
Open sea and city lights
Busy streets and dizzy heights
You call me ---
You call me ---

The fawn-eyed girl with sun-browned legs
Dances on the edge of his dream
And her voice rings in his ears
Like the music of the spheres

The boy lies in the grass, unmoving
Staring at the sky
His mother starts to call him
As a hawk goes soaring by
The boy pulls down his baseball cap
And covers up his eyes

Too many hands on my time
Too many feelings ---
Too many things on my mind
When i leave i don't know
What i'm hoping to find
When i leave i don't know
What i'm leaving behind...


27.The Rhythm Method(Drum Solo)

(drum solo)


28.The Spirit Of Radio

Inspired by 'the spirit of radio' in toronto, alive and well (so
far).
Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

Begin the day
With a friendly voice
A companion, unobtrusive
Plays that song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood

Off on your way
Hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude

Invisible airwaves
Crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle
With the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price ---
Almost free...

All this machinery
Making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question
Of your honesty

One likes to believe
In the freedom of music
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion
Of integrity

'for the words of the profits
Are written on the studio wall,
Concert hall ---
Echoes with the sounds...
Of salesmen.'


29.The Trees

Words:neil peart
music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunligh
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(and they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too 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?

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'oppression!'
And the oaks, just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'the oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet,
Axe,
And saw ...


30.Tom Sawyer

Words:neil peart and pye dubois,
Music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride
Today's tom sawyer
Mean mean pride

Though his mind is not for rent
Don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve, a quiet defense
Riding out the day's events ---
The river

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
,- catch the mist --- catch the myth
,- catch the mystery --- catch the drift

The world is the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide

Today's tom sawyer
He gets high on you
And the space he invades
He gets by on you

No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent ---
But change is

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
,- catch the witness --- catch the wit
,- catch the spirit --- catch the spit

The world is the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his eyes are wide

Exit the warrior
Today's tom sawyer
He gets high on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to
The friction of the day


31.Working Man

Words:geddy lee and alex lifeson
Music:geddy lee and alex lifeson

I get up at seven, yeah
And i go to work at nine
I got no time for livin'
Yes, i'm workin' all the time

It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than i think i am
I guess that's why they call me
They call me the workin' man

They call me the workin' man
I guess that's what i am

I get home at five o'clock
And i take myself out a nice, cold beer
Always seem to be wond'rin'
Why there's nothin' goin' down here

It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than i think i am
I guess that's why they call me
They call me the workin' man

They call me the workin' man
I guess that's what i am

Well they call me the workin' man
I guess that's what i am


32.Xanadu

'to seek the sacred river alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew
And drink the milk of paradise....'

I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book. i took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and man alone
Searching for the lost ---- xanadu

Xanadu ---- to stand within the pleasure dome
Decreed by kubla khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man
To find the sacred river alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, i will dine on honey dew
And drink the milk of paradise

A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost ---- xanadu

Xanadu ---- held within the pleasure dome
Decreed by kubla khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man
Nevermore shall i return
Escape these caves of ice
For i have dined on honey dew
And drunk the milk of paradise
More than paradise


33.Yyz

Music:geddy lee and neil peart

Instrumental