Time/Songs:

On the cover of A Farewell to Kings

"I would've loved a cathedral in the same condition, or something more worthy of the pathos you were intended to feel for an old building being in that state."

"We also began a series of puns with that album, in that the King is a puppet King. There have been a lot of criticisms of the Throne over the past couple of decades as being a heritage that we really can't disregard, but certainly don't take as seriously as we used to."

- Hugh Syme, 1983 interview

A Farewell To Kings - The song

A Farewell to Kings -- Lyrics by Neil Peart
- -------- -- -----

When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance

   Cities full of hatred
   Fear and lies
   Withered hearts
   And cruel, tormented eyes
   Scheming demons
   Dressed in kingly guise
   Beating down the multitude
   And scoffing at the wise

The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of Truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can't we find
The minds that made us strong
Can't we learn
To feel what's right and wrong

   Cities full of hatred
   Fear and lies
   Withered hearts
   And cruel, tormented eyes
   Scheming demons
   Dressed in kingly guise
   Beating down the multitude
   And scoffing at the wise
   Can't we raise our eyes
   And make a start
   Can't we find the minds
   To lead us closer to the Heart

Xanadu - The song

This song was inspired by a poem by Samuel Taylor Colerid ge. The poem is titled "Kubla Khan" and was written back in 1816.

Xanadu
------
   "To seek the sacred river Alph
    To walk the caves of ice
    To break my fast on honey dew
    And drink the milk of Paradise..."

I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book.  I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost --- Xanadu

Xanadu --- To stand within The Pleasure Dome
   Decreed by Kubla Khan
   To taste anew the fruits of life
   The last immortal man
   To find the sacred river Alph
   To walk the caves of ice
   Oh, I will dine on honey dew
   And drink the milk of Paradise

A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost --- Xanadu

Xanadu --- Held within The Pleasure Dome
   Decreed by Kubla Khan
   To taste my bitter triumph
   As a mad immortal man
   Nevermore shall I return
   Escape these caves of ice
   For I have dined on honey dew
   And drunk the milk of Paradise

Closer to the Heart - The song

Alex on the song:

"There was a feeling that the song had changed a bit. It opens up into a bit more of a ham towards the end. It probably translates better live, visually, than it does on the record. But there is an energy to it, and it's a very positive song. It's been connected with the band for over 13 years."

- Alex Lifeson, 1991 Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine interview

Closer To The Heart
------ -- --- -----
And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the Heart

The Blacksmith and the Artist
Reflect it in their art
Forge their creativity
Closer to the Heart

Philosophers and Ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the Heart

You can be the Captain
I will draw the Chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the Heart

Cinderella Man - The song

What is "Cinderella Man" about?

The song is loosely based on a movie called "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", starring Gary Cooper as a man from a small town who inherits lots of money and moves to the big city.

- from the Rush FAQL

Cinderella Man
---------- ---
   A modest man from Mandrake
   Travelled rich to the city
   He had a need to discover
   A use for his newly-found wealth

Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane

Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendour
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain

   Eyes wide open
   Heart undefended
   Innocence untarnished

Cinderella Man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means

   Cinderella Man
   Hang on to your plans
   Try as they might
   They cannot steal your dreams

   In the betrayal of his love he awakened
   To face a world of cold reality
   And a look in the eyes of the hungry
   Awakened him to what he could do

He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane

They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain

Madrigal - The song

Madrigal
---------
When the dragons grow too mighty
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward
When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop awhile with you

When life becomes so barren
And as cold as winter skies
There's a beacon in the darkness
In a distant pair of eyes
In vain to search for order
In vain to search for truth
But these things can still be given
Your love has shown me proof

Cygnus X-1 - The song

Where does the name Cygnus X-1 come from?

It is the name given to an X-ray source in the constellation of Cygnus, believed to be a black hole. For a more detailed explanation, check issue 567 of TNMS, available via anonymous ftp from syrinx.umd.edu in the rush/special directory.

- from the Rush FAQL

Where does the name Rocinante come from?

In Greek mythology, Rocinante is the name of the horse that Zeus rides. It was the name of Steinbeck's motor home in Travels With Charlie. It was also the name of Don Quixote's horse.

- from the Rush FAQL

Cygnus X-1
------ ---
Book One --- The Voyage
Prologue

In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1

Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...

1

Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die

All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force

Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized --- at the core
Or through the Astral Door ---
To soar...

2

I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way

On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery

The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the Black Hole ---
Gains control...

3

Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending

Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....

To be continued