Les Deffner
6 Rush songs whose lyrics of Neil Peart move me to tears
Afterimage – Written about the death of Robbie Whelan, the sound engineer for the Permanent Waves album. The lyric that gets me:
_Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon
Red Sector A – Written about the atrocity of Geddy’s parents in Nazi concentration camps. The lyric that gets me:
_I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gate
Are the liberators here, do I hope or do I fear?
For my father and my brother, it’s too late
But I must help my mother stand up straight_
Losing It – Written about those who’ve had a talent or skill, and have lost it…leaving them heartbroken. The lyric that gets me:
_Thirty years ago, how the words would flow
With passion and precision
But now his mind is dark and dulled
By sickness and indecision
And he stares out the kitchen door
Where the sun will rise no more_
Nobody’s Hero – Written about the death of a gay friend to either Neil or Geddy(unsure), and of the death of girl who grew up in Geddy’s childhood neighborhood. The lyric that gets me:
_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_
Ghost Rider- Written about Neil’s travels trying to overcome the sudden deaths of his daughter and first wife. The lyric that gets me:
_Pack up all those phantoms
Shoulder that invisible load
Keep on riding north and west
Haunting that wilderness road
Like a ghost rider_
The Garden – Neil’s swan song.The last song, of the last album Rush ever recorded. The lyric that gets me:
_The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect_
https://youtu.be/cWoMIlivrtU
I am devastated by the loss of a musician whose lyrics have been with me since I was 13. I am now 45, and in tears.
#RIPNeilPeart #neilpeart #Rush
