A Favorite Poet

#0 of not-a-series

Neil Peart

He writes most of the lyrics for RUSH, one of the few bands I've seen in concert.

Last night I was listening to music while waiting for sleep to overtake me. After a few epic, warming songs by Peter Gabriel (another lyricist and singer I love), I switched to some Rush (in Rio).

One of the songs on my mp3 player was The Pass:

(Live version below the lyrics. Both vids are in better quality on YouTube, and I find the album version to have very nice cinematography.)

The Pass

Words by Neil Peart, music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, originally on Presto

Proud swagger out of the schoolyard
Waiting for the worlds applause
Rebel without a conscience
Martyr without a cause

Static on your frequency
Electrical storm in your veins
Raging at unreachable glory
Straining at invisible chains

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Can't face life on a razors edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be

All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razors edge
Don't turn your back
And slam the door on me

It's not as if this barricade
Blocks the only road
It's not as if you're all alone
In wanting to explode

Someone set a bad example
Made surrender seem all right
The act of a noble warrior
Who lost the will to fight

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Done with life on a razors edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be

No hero in your tragedy
No daring in your escape
No salutes for your surrender
Nothing noble in your fate
Christ, what have you done?

All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razors edge
Turn around and walk the razors edge
Turn around and walk the razors edge
Don't turn your back
And slam the door on me