Counterparts

• Released October 19, 1993 by Atlantic Records
• Went Gold (500,000 copies) on December 7, 1993
• Purchase This Album

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1. Animate (6:03)
2. Stick It Out (4:30)
3. Cut To The Chase (4:48)
4. Nobody's Hero (4:54)
5. Between Sun & Moon (4:37)
6. Alien Shore (5:45)
7. The Speed Of Love (5:02)
8. Double Agent (4:51)
9. Leave That Thing Alone (4:05)
10. Cold Fire (4:26)
11. Everyday Glory (5:11)

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Lyrics

• Animate (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  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
  
  
• Stick It Out (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  Trust to your instincts
  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
  
  
• Cut To The Chase (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  It is the fire that lights itself
  But it burns with a restless flame
  The arrow on a moving target
  The archer must be sure of his aim
  
  It is the engine that drives itself
  But it chooses the uphill climb
  A bearing on magnetic north
  Growing farther away all the time
  Can't stop -- moving
  Can't stop -- moving
  Can't stop
  
  YOU MAY BE RIGHT
  IT'S ALL A WASTE OF TIME
  I GUESS THAT'S JUST A CHANCE
  I'M PREPARED TO TAKE
  A DANGER I'M PREPARED TO FACE
  CUT TO THE CHASE
  
  It is the rocket that ignites itself
  And launches its way to the stars
  A driver on a busy freeway
  Racing the oblivious cars
  
  It's the motor of the western world
  Spinning off to every extreme
  Pure as a lover's desire
  Evil as a murderer's dream
  
  Young enough not to care too much
  About the way things used to be
  I'm young enough to remember the future --
  The past has no claim on me
  
  I'm old enough not to care too much
  About what you think of me
  But I'm young enough to remember the future
  And the way things ought to be
  
  WHAT KIND OF DIFFERENCE
  CAN ONE PERSON MAKE?
  CUT TO THE CHASE
  
  
• Nobody's Hero (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  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
  
  
• Between Sun And Moon (DuBois, Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  There is a lake between sun and moon
  Not too many know about
  In the silence between whisper and shout
  The space between wonder and doubt
  
  This is a fine place
  Shining face to face
  Those bonfire lights in the mirror of sky
  The space between wonder and why
  
  ahh yes to yes to ahh ahh to yes
  why the sun why the sun
  
  There is a fine line between love and illusion --
  A fine place to penetrate
  The gap between actor and act
  The lens between wishes and fact
  
  This is a fine place
  To hesitate
  Those bonfire lights in the lake of sky
  The time between wonder and why
  
  Some need to pray to the sun at high noon
  Some need to howl at the midwinter moon
  Reborn and baptized in a moment of grace
  We just need a break --
  From the headlong race
  
  ahh yes to yes to ahh ahh to yes
  why the sun why the sun
  
  This is a fine place, shining face to face
  These bonfire lights in the mirrored sky
  The space between wonder and why
  
  
• Alien Shore (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  You and I, we are strangers by one chromosome
  Slave to the hormone, body and soul
  In a struggle to be happy and free
  Swimming in a primitive sea
  
  You and I, we must dive below the surface
  A world of red neon, and ultramarine
  Shining bridges on the ocean floor
  Reaching to the alien shore
  
  For you and me -- Sex is not a competition
  For you and me -- Sex is not a job description
  For you and me -- We agree
  
  You and I, we are pressed into these solitudes
  Color and culture, language and race
  Just variations on a theme
  Islands in a much larger stream
  
  For you and me -- Race is not a competition
  For you and me -- Race is not a definition
  For you and me -- We agree
  
  Reaching for the alien shore
  
  You and I, we reject these narrow attitudes
  We add to each other, like a coral reef
  Building bridges on the ocean floor
  Reaching for the alien shore
  
  For you and me -- We hold these truths to be self-evident
  For you and me -- We'd elect each other president
  For you and me -- We might agree
  But that's just us
  
  Reaching for the alien shore
  
  
• The Speed Of Love (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  Love is born with lightning bolts
  Electro-magnetic force
  Burning skin and fireworks
  A storm on a raging course
  
  Like a force of nature,
  Love can fade with the stars at dawn
  Sometimes it takes all your strength
  Just to keep holding on
  At the speed of love
  A radiance that travels
  At the speed of love
  My heart goes out to you.
  
  Love is born with solar flares
  From two magnetic poles
  It moves towards a higher plane
  Where two halves make two wholes
  
  Like a force of nature,
  Love shines in many forms
  One night we are bathed in light
  One day carried away in the storms
  At the speed of love
  Nothing changes faster
  Than the speed of love
  My heart goes out to you
  
  We don't have to talk
  We don't even have to touch
  I can feel your prescence
  In the silence that we share
  Got to keep moving
  At the speed of love
  Nothing changes faster
  Than the speed of love
  Got to keep on shining
  At the speed of love
  Nothing changes faster
  Than the speed of love
  My heart goes out to you
  
  
• Double Agent (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  Where would you rather be?
  Anywhere but here
  When will the time be right?
  Anytime but now
  
  On the edge of sleep,
  I was drifting for half the night
  Anxious and restless,
  pressed down by the darkness
  Bound up and wound up so tight
  So many decisions, a million revisions
  Caught between darkness and light...
  
  Wilderness of mirrors
  World of polished steel
  Gears and iron chains
  Turn the grinding wheel
  I run between the shadows
  Some are phantoms, some are real
  
  Where would you rather be?
  Anywhere but here
  When will the time be right?
  Anytime but now
  The doubt and the fear
  I know would all disappear
  Anywhere but here
  
  On the edge of sleep,
  I heard voices behind the door
  The known and the nameless,
  familiar and faceless
  My angels and my demons at war
  Which one will lose -- depends on what I choose
  Or maybe which voice I ignore...
  
  Wilderness of mirrors
  Streets of cold desire
  My precious sense of honor
  Just a shield of rusty wire
  I hold against the chaos --
  And the cross of holy fire
  
  Wilderness of mirrors
  So easy to deceive
  My precious sense of rightness
  Is sometimes so naive
  So that which I imagine
  Is that which I believe
  
  On the edge of sleep, I awoke to a sun so bright
  Rested and fearless, cheered by your nearness
  I knew which direction was right
  The case had been tried by the jury inside
  The choice between darkness and light...
  
  
• Leave That Thing Alone (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  (Instrumental)
  
  
• Cold Fire (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  It was long after midnight
  When we got to unconditional love
  She said sure, my heart is boundless
  But don't push my limits too far
  
  I said if love was so transcendant
  I don't understand these boundaries
  She said just don't disappoint me --
  You know how complex women are
  I'll be around
  If you don't let me down
  Too far
  
  It was just before sunrise
  When we started on traditional roles
  She said sure I'll be your partner
  But don't make too many demands
  
  I said if love has these conditions
  I don't understand those songs you love
  She said this is not a love song
  This isn't fantasy-land
  I'll be around
  If you don't push me down
  Too far
  
  DON'T GO TOO FAR --
  The phosphorescent wave on a tropical sea
  Is a cold fire
  DON'T CROSS THE LINE --
  The pattern of moonlight on the bedroom floor
  
  Is a cold fire
  DON'T LET ME DOWN --
  The flame at the heart of a pawnbroker's diamond
  Is a cold fire
  DON'T BREAK THE SPELL --
  The look in your eyes as you head for the door
  Is a cold fire
  
  Love is blind if you are gentle
  Love can turn to a long, cold burn
  
  
• Everyday Glory (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  In the house where nobody laughs
  And nobody sleeps
  In the house where love lies dying
  And the shadows creep
  A little girl hides, shaking,
  With her hands on her ears
  Pushing back the tears, 'til the pain disappears
  
  Mama says some ugly words
  Daddy pounds the wall
  They can fight about their little girl later
  Right now they don't care at all
  No matter what they say...
  No matter what they say...
  
  EVERYDAY PEOPLE
  EVERYDAY SHAME
  EVERYDAY PROMISE
  SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES
  
  EVERYDAY SUNRISE
  ANOTHER EVERYDAY STORY
  RISE FROM THE ASHES --
  A BLAZE OF EVERYDAY GLORY
  
  In the city where nobody smiles
  And nobody dreams
  In the city where desperation
  Drives the bored to extremes
  
  Just one spark of decency
  Against a starless night
  One glow of hope and dignity
  A child can follow the light
  No matter what they say
  No matter what they say...
  
  If the future's looking dark
  We're the ones who have to shine
  If there's no one in control
  We're the ones who draw the line
  Though we live in trying times --
  We're the ones who have to try
  Though we know that time has wings --
  We're the ones who have to fly