The New Rush CD Is A Concept Album On Faith

[Syrinx]

Neil Peart said that the lyrics in Snakes And Arrows were partially inspired by religious billboards that he saw on motorcycle journeys through North America.

Peart says he was struck by the ubiquity of religious billboards that have sprung up on America's highways, which got him thinking about some weighty topics. "Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me," he says.

"You try to put your own way of seeing the world into some kind of congruence with other peoples, and that's difficult for me," he admits. "I mean, I see the world in what I think to be a perfectly obvious and rational way, but when you go out into it and see the way other people think and behave, and express themselves on church signs, you realize, 'Well, I'm not really part of this club.'"

"I looked for the good side of faith," Peart says. "To me it ought to be your armor, something to protect you and something to console you in dark times. But it's more often being turned into a sword, and that's one big theme I'm messing with."

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003120134

Here's a few lyrical excerpts.

From the song "Faithless."

I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me

I've got my own spirit level for balance
To tell if my choice is leaning up or down
And all the shouting voices
Try to throw me off my course
Some by sermon, some by force
Fools and thieves are dangerous
In the temple and market place

From "The Way The Wind Blows."

Now it's come to this
It's like we're back in the Dark Ages
From the Middle East to the Middle West
It's a world of superstition

Now it's come to this
Wide-eyed armies of the faithful
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Pray, and pass the ammunition

So many people think that way
You gotta watch what you say
To them and them, and others too
Who don't seem to see to things the way you do

Now it's come to this
Hollow speeches of mass deception
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Like crusaders in a holy alliance

Now it's come to this
Like we're back in the dark ages
From the Middle East to the Middle West
It's a plague that resists our science

It seems to leave them partly blind
And they leave no child behind
While evil spirits haunt their sleep
While shepherds bless and count their sheep

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/S&Alyrics.htm

[Captain Angry]

1. Eerie timing...

My Outlook just popped up a reminder that the album comes out in three days. I clicked snooze to remind me in 24 hours, and this was the first post I saw when it minimized.

Can't wait.

[Syrinx]

4. I like it when things like that happen

:thumbsup:

[pepperbear]

2. all over it like a cheap suit ...peart's the man. n/t

[Forkboy]

3. I didn't know that bastard could even sing.

Oh...wait... :)

[Syrinx]

6. bad Forkboy!

:spank:

:)

[Maestro]

5. Already have it preordered.

Rush is awesome!