this Rush song perfectly describes America, 2004

[Syrinx]

It's "Witch Hunt." It came out in 1982, maybe '81, but it nails the present day.

The night is black, without a moon.
The air is thick and still.
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torchlit hill.

Features distorted in the flickering light,
Faces are twisted and grotesque.
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possesed.
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best.

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will.
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill.

They say there are strangers who threaten us,
Our immigrants and infidels.
They say there is strangeness to danger us
In our theatres and bookstore shelves,
That those who know what’s best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves.

Quick to judge,
Quick to anger,
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand.

[Indiana_Dem]

1. Oh man. Rush used to be my favorite.

Everybody else always said they didn't like them because they were too commercialized but there was something about the poetry in their lyrics and that drummer, oh that drummer had me mesmerized by his--I think you call it syncopated--beat. I liked that one song where the chorus says somewhere along the line "I will choose free will".

Can you tell I graduated in '82??? heh heh!

I saw them twice in concert.

Yes those words are pertinent to today. It seems alot of older songs are pertinent to today. I know this is an age old struggle but things were never as bad then as they are today, politically speaking. At least I don't think so. Of course, I was younger and less attuned to politics back then. Most of the time I was pretty wasted and listening to songs like this....except I understood their messages. It's only more surreal today.

[Syrinx]

3. of all the criticisms I ever heard of Rush...

Being too commercial was never one of them. lol. You must have hung with some outlaws. ;)

I've seen them about five times, mostly in Birmingham, but the most recent was in Nashville last May. It was a great show, but I wish they had had some new songs. It was more of a nostalgia trip that time around.

I thought this song was pertinent when it came out, under Reagan, and it was. But it fits today too close for comfort. :scared:

[kimchi]

2. I too think Rush is timeless.

The music is mesmerizing so that you can hear the words. Or it may be that I was usually stoned...

[Undercover Owl]

5. "Bruschetta" song (no, not red barchetta)

I know all the words to "Free Will" and "Fly By Night". Fly By Night has a real meaning to me in certain times of my life.

Does anybody know what the chorus is to "Finding My Way Back Home"? it sounds like "bruschetta"

[walldude]

4. Neal Pert the drummer for Rush

also wrote all their lyrics. What I've been noticing lately is that there is a ton of stuff from the early 80's that has become more relevant today that when it was written. I recently saw Queensryche in Denver and they played their entire 80's album Operation Mindcrime. When written, Mindcrime was a total rip on the greed and insanity of the Reagan years. It's even more powerful now. These lyrics are from the opening song, Revolution Calling.

Got no love for politicians
Or that crazy scene in D.C.
It's just a power mad town
But the time is ripe for changes
There's a growing feeling
That taking a chance on a new kind of vision is due
I used to trust the media
To tell me the truth, tell us the truth
But now I've seen the payoffs
Everywhere I look
Who do you trust when everyone's a crook?
CHORUS
Revelution calling
Revolution calling
Revolution calling you
Revolution calling
Revolution calling
Gotta make a change
Gota push, gotta push it on through
I'm tired of all this bullshit
They keep selling me on TV
About thte communist plan
And all the shady preachers
Begging for my cash
Swiss bank accounts while giving their
Secretaries the slam
They're all in Penthouse now
Or Playboy Magazine
Million dollar stories to tell
I guess Warhol wasn't wrong
Fame fifteen minutes long
Everyon'es using everybody, making the sale
I used to think
That only America's way, way was right
But now the holy dollar rules everybody's lives
Gotta make a million doesn't matter who dies
CHORUS
I used to trust the media
To tell me the truth, tell us the truth
But now I've seen the payoffs
Everywhere I look
Who do you trust when everyone's a crook
CHORUS

[Syrinx]

6. you're right

And I didn't realize "Queensryche" was that old. Thought they started in the nineties. Ooops.