Middletown Dreams
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
The office door closed early
The hidden bottle came out
The salesman turned to close the blinds
A little slow now, a little stout
But hes still heading down those tracks
Any day now for sure
Another day as drab as today
Is more than a man can endure
Dreams flow across the heartland
Feeding on the fires
Dreams transport desires
Drive you when youre down --
Dreams transport the ones
Who need to get out of town
The boy walks with his best friend
Through the fields of early may
They walk awhile in silence
One close -- one far away
But hed be climbing on that bus
Just him and his guitar
To blaze across the heavens
Like a brilliant shooting star
The middle-aged madonna
Calls her neighbour on the phone
Day by day the seasons pass
And leave her life alone
But shell go walking out that door
On some bright afternoon
To go and paint big cities
From a lonely attic room
Its understood
By every single person
Whod be elsewhere if they could
So far so good
And lifes not unpleasant
In their little neighbourhood
They dream in middletown...
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
Mission
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
Hold your fire --
Keep it burning bright
Hold the flame
til the dream ignites --
A spirit with a vision
Is a dream with a mission
I hear their passionate music
Read the words
That touch my heart
I gaze at their feverish pictures
The secrets that set them apart
When I feel the powerful visions
Their fire has made alive
I wish I had that instinct --
I wish I had that drive
Spirits fly on dangerous missions
Imaginations on fire
Focused high on soaring ambitions
Consumed in a single desire
In the grip of
A nameless possession --
A slave to the drive of obsession --
A spirit with a vision
Is a dream with a mission...
I watch their images flicker
Bringing light to a lifeless screen
I walk through
Their beautiful buildings
And I wish I had their dreams
But dreams dont need
To have motion
To keep their spark alive
Obsession has to have action --
Pride turns on the drive
Its cold comfort
To the ones without it
To know how they struggled --
How they suffered about it
If their lives were
Exotic and strange
They would likely have
Gladly exchanged them
For something a little more plain
Maybe something a little more sane
We each pay a fabulous price
For our visions of paradise
But a spirit with a vision
Is a dream with a mission...
song performed by by Rush
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I Think Im Going Bald
Words and music by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
I looked in the mirror today
My eyes just didnt seem so bright
Ive lost a few more hairs
I think Im going bald
I think Im going bald!
Seems like only yesterday
We would sit and talk of dreams all night
Dreams of youth
And simple truths
Now were so involved
So involved with life
Walk down vanity fair
Memory lane everywhere
Wall street shuffles there
Dressed in flowing hair
The wire!
Once we loved the flowers
Now we ask the price of the land
Once we would take water
But now it must be wine
Now weve been
And now weve seen what price, peace of mind
Take a piece of my mind
My life is slipping away
Im aging every day
But even when Im grey
Ill still be grey my way
song performed by by Rush
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Jacobs Ladder
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
The clouds prepare for battle
In the dark and brooding silence
Bruised and sullen stormclouds
Have the light of day obscured
Looming low and ominous
In twilight premature
Thunderheads are rumbling
In a distant overture
All at once,
The clouds are parted
Light streams down
In bright unbroken beams
Follow mens eyes
As they look to the skies
The shifting shafts of shining
Weave the fabric of their dreams...
song performed by by Rush
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The Twilight Zone
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
A pleasant faced man steps up to greet you
He smiles and says hes pleased to meet you
Beneath his hat the strangeness lies
Take it off, hes got three eyes
Truth is false and logic lost
Now the fourth dimension is crossed
You have entered the twilight zone
Beyond this world strange things are known
Use the key, unlock the door
See what your fate might have in store
Come explore your dreams creation
Enter this world of imagination
Wake up lost in an empty town
Wondering why no one else is around
Look up to see a giant boy
Youve just become his brand new toy
No escape, no place to hide
Here where time and space collide
song performed by by Rush
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A Passage To Bangkok
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
Our first stop is in bogota
To check columbian fields
The natives smile and pass along
A sample of their yield
Sweet jamaican pipe dreams
Golden acapulco nights
Then morocco, and the east,
Fly by morning light
Were on the train to bangkok
Aboard the thailand express
Well hit the stops along the way
We only stop for the best
Wreathed in smoke in lebanon
We burn the midnight oil
The fragrance of afghanistan
Rewards a long days toil pulling into katmandu
Smoke rings fill the air
Perfumed by a nepal night
The express gets you there
song performed by by Rush
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Chemistry
Words by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart,
Music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
Signals transmitted
Message received
Reaction making impact ---
Invisibly
Elemental telepathy
Exchange of energy
Reaction making contact ---
Mysteriously
Eye to i
Reaction burning hotter
Two to one
Reflection on the water
H to o
No flow without the other
Oh but how
Do they make contact
With one another?
Electricity? biology?
Seems to me its chemistry
Emotion transmitted
Emotion received
Music in the abstract ---
Positively
Elemental empathy
A change of synergy
Music making contact ---
Naturally
One, two, three ---
Add without subtraction
Sound on sound
Multiplied reaction
H to o
No flow without the other
Oh but how
Do we make contact
With one another?
song performed by by Rush
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2112
I. overture
Words and music by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
And the meek shall inherit the earth.
Ii. the temples of syrinx
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
... the massive grey walls of the temples rise from the
Heart of every federation city. I have always been awed
By them, to think that every single facet of every life is
Regulated and directed from within! our books, our music,
Our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent
Wisdom of the priests...
Weve taken care of everything
The words you hear the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
Its one for all and all for one
We work together common sons
Never need to wonder how or why
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls
Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man
Oh what a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the red star proudly high in hand
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
We are the priests of the temples of syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls.
Iii. discovery
Words by neil peart, music by alex lifeson
... behind my beloved waterfall, in the little room that was
Hidden beneath the cave, I found it. I brushed away the
Dust of the years, and picked it up, holding it reverently in
My hands. I had no idea what it might be, but it was
Beautiful ...
... I learned to lay my fingers across the wires, and to turn
The keys to make them sound differently. as I struck the
Wires with my other hand, I produced my first harmonious
Sounds, and soon my own music! how different it could
Be from the music of the temples! I cant wait to tell the
Priests about it! ...
What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
Its got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing be that I found?
See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Sounds that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently like rain
I cant wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The priests praise my name on this night
Iv. presentation
Words by neil peart, music by alex lifeson
... in the sudden silence as I finished playing, I looked up
To a circle of grim, expressionless faces. father brown
Rose to his feet, and his somnolent voice echoed
Throughout the silent temple hall. ...
... instead of the grateful joy that I expected, they were
Words of quiet rejection! instead of praise, sullen
Dismissal. I watched in shock and horror as father brown
Ground my precious instrument to splinters beneath his
Feet...
I know its most unusual
To come before you so
But Ive found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know
Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
Theres something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you
Yes, we know its nothing new
Its just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
The world is doing fine
Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesnt fit the plan
I cant believe youre saying
These things just cant be true
Our world could use this beauty
Just think what we might do
Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
Theres something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you
Dont annoy us further
We have our work to do
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?
Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesnt fit the plan
V. oracle: the dream
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
... I guess it was a dream, but even now it all seems so
Vivid to me. clearly yet I see the beckoning hand of the
Oracle as he stood at the summit of the staircase ...
... I see still the incredible beauty of the sculptured cities
And the pure spirit of man revealed in the lives and works
Of this world. I was overwhelmed by both wonder and
Understanding as I saw a completely different way to life,
A way that had been crushed by the federation long ago. i
Saw now how meaningless life had become with the loss
Of all these things ...
I wandered home though silent streets
And fell into a fitful sleep
Escape to realms beyond the night
Dream cant you show me the light?
I stand atop a spiral stair
An oracle confronts me there
He leads me on light years away
Through astral nights, galactic days
I see the works of gifted hands
That grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes
They left the planets long ago
The elder race still learn and grow
Their power grows with purpose strong
To claim the home where they belong
Home, to tear the temples down...
Home, to change..
Vi. soliloquy
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
... I have not left this cave for days now, it has become
My last refuge in my total despair. I have only the music of
The waterfall to comfort me now. I can no longer live
Under the control of the federation, but there is no other
Place to go. my last hope is that with my death I may pass
Into the world of my dream, and know peace at last.
The sleep is still in my eyes
The dream is still in my head
I heave a sigh and sadly smile
And lie a while in bed
I wish that it might come to pass
Not fade like all my dreams
Just think of what my life might be
In a world like I have seen
I dont think I can carry on
Carry on this cold and empty life
Oh...noo!
My spirits are low in the depths of despair
My lifeblood spills over..
Vii. grand finale
Music by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Attention all planets of the solar federation
Attention all planets of the solar federation
Attention all planets of the solar federation
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Making Memories
Words and music by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Theres a time for feelin as good as we can
The time is now, and theres no stoppin us
Theres a time for livin as high as we can
Behind us you will only see our dust
You know were havin good days
And we hope theyre gonna last
Our future still looks brighter than our past
We feel no need to worry
No reason to be sad
Our memries remind us, maybe road lifes not so bad
Just keep smilin, move onward evry day
And try to keep our thoughts away from home
Were travlin around, no time to settle down
And satisfy our wanderlust to roam
Well from sea to shining sea, and a hundred points between
Still we go on diggin evry show
The cities in the land all extend a welcome hand
Till morning when its time for us to go
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Subdivisions
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown
Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone
Subdivisions ---
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions ---
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth
Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night
Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights...
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Resist
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
I can learn to resist
Anything but temptation
I can learn to co-exist
With anything but pain
I can learn to compromise
Anything but my desires
I can learn to get along
With all the things I cant explain
I can learn to resist
Anything but frustration
I can learn to persist
With anything but aiming low
I can learn to close my eyes
To anything but injustice
I can learn to get along
With all the things I dont know
You can surrender
Without a prayer
But never really pray
Pray without surrender
You can fight
Without ever winning
But never ever win
Without a fight
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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All Alone With You
J. spinks
I see your face across a crowded room
I hear you say that youll be leaving soon
I know its late but all that I can do
Is close my eyes and dream that Im alone with you
Id like to talk to you so much but I dont know your name
I bet theres not a man in here that doesnt feel the same
As youre walking out the door theres nothing I can do
I close my eyes and dream that Im alone with you
Yeah its once in my life
Wish that I wasnt alone with myself
I feel like a child
Seems that I cant think of anyone else
The night is over an I guess youre gone
I try and tell myself forget it and just carry on
But as I walk these lonely streets with nothing else to do
I close my eyes and dream that Im alone with you
I close my eyes and dream that Im alone with you
I close my eyes and dream that Im alone with you
song performed by by Outfield
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Madrigal
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
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 theres 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
Theres 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
song performed by by Rush
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Losing It
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
The dancer slows her frantic pace
In pain and desperation,
Her aching limbs and downcast face
Aglow with perspiration
Stiff as wire, her lungs on fire,
With just the briefest pause ---
The flooding through her memory,
The echoes of old applause.
She limps across the floor
And closes her bedroom door...
The writer stares with glassy eyes ---
Defies the empty page
His beard is white, his face is lined
And streaked with tears of rage.
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...
Some are born to move the world ---
To live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about
The things wed like to be
Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you -- the blind who once could see ---
The bell tolls for thee...
song performed by by Rush
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Bravado
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun
If the moment of glory
Is over before its begun
If the dream is won --
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
When the dust has cleared
And victory denied
A summit too lofty
River a little too wide
If we keep our pride --
Though paradise is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
And if the music stops
Theres only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
[and] if love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In Dreams
Roy orbison
A candy-colored clown they call the sandman
Tiptoes to my room every night
Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper
Go to sleep. everything is all right.
I close my eyes, then I drift away
Into the magic night. I softly say
A silent prayerlike dreamers do.
Then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you.
In dreams I walk with you. in dreams I talk to you.
In dreams youre mine. all of the time were together
In dreams, in dreams.
But just before the dawn, I awake and find you gone.
I cant help it, I cant help it, if I cry.
I remember that you said goodbye.
Its too bad that all these things, can only happen in my dreams
Only in dreams in beautiful dreams.
song performed by by Roy Orbison
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The Color Of Right
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
I dont have an explanation
For another lonely night
I just feel this sense of mission
And the sense of what is right
Take it easy on my now ---
Id be there if I could
Im so full of what is right
I cant see what is good
Its a hopeless situation
Lie awake for half the night
Youre not sure whats going on here
But youre sure it isnt right
Make it easy on yourself
Theres nothing more you can do
Youre so full of what is right
You cant see what is true
A quality of justice
A quantity of light
A particle of mercy
Makes the color of right
Gravity and distance
Change the passage of light
Gravity and distance
Change the color of right
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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War Paint
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
Girl before the mirror
Appraises her disguise
Child become a mother
Tries to fix her eyes
No more of his excuses
It has to be today
She can keep her fantasy
If she can get away
Paint her name on a one-way street
Painted cheeks with angry heat
Wounded pride on painted eyes
Paint the night with battlecries
All puffed up with vanity
We see what we want to see
To the beautiful and the wise
The mirror always lies
Boy before the mirror
Checks his camoflauge
Polishes his armor
And the charger in the garage
No more lame excuses
It has to be tonight
He can take the princess
If he can take the fight
Pound the drums with martial beat
Pound the streets with marching feet
Wounded pride, distorted eyes
Paint the night with battlecries
All puffed up with vanity
We see what we want to see
To the powerful and the wise
The mirror always lies
Boys and girls together
Mistake conceit for pride
--- ambition for illusion
--- dreams for self-delusion
Girls and boys together
See what it is we lack
Boys and girls together
Lets paint the mirror black
Paint it black
song performed by by Rush
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Lakeside Park
Words and music by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Midway hawkers calling
Try your luck with me
Merry-go-round wheezing
The same old melody
A thousand ten cent wonders
Who could ask for more
A pocketful of silver
The key to heavens door
Lakeside park
Willows in the breeze
Lakeside park
So many memories
Laughing rides
Midway lights
Shining stars on summer nights
Days of barefoot freedom
Racing with the waves
Nights of starlit secrets
Crackling driftwood flames
Drinking by the lighthouse
Smoking on the pier
Still we saw the magic
Fading every year
Everyone would gather on the twenty-fourth of may sitting
In the sand to watch the fireworks display dancing fires on
The beach singing songs together though its just a memory
Some memories last forever
song performed by by Rush
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Only Lonely
Only lonely by hootie & the blowfish
Hello again
Your words they make me smile
As I drift away
In my little room upstairs
Oh I spend my nights
Imagining your face, your touch
Then I realize
How I dont even know your name
If we could share our time
Would I disappoint your fantasies?
But I believe that I could be the one youre needing
cause im
Only lonely on the inside
Didnt mean to take away your dreams
Im only lonely on the inside
When you close your eyes to your deepest thoughts
And I could start to give apologies
For all the stupid things that I will say and i
Will do
If we should ever cross the same place at the same
Time
Would your world skip a beat cause it was me?
If we could share our life
Would I disappoint your memories?
And I believe that you could be the one Im needing
And im
Only lonely on the inside
Didnt mean to take away your dreams
Im only lonely on the inside
When you close your eyes to your deepest thoughts
If I could give back your hopes, your joys, your
Treasures
Dont you think that I would change my world?
But theres so many things trying to pull us
Together
And even though were far apart I can still watch
You walk away
Only lonely on the inside
Only lonely on the inside
When you close your eyes, what do you see?
Only lonely on the inside
Didnt mean to take away your dreams
Im only lonely on the inside
In your deepest thoughts, what do you see?
Only lonely on the inside
I didnt mean, I didnt mean, to steal your dreams
Away
Im only lonely on the inside
When you close your eyes, in your deepest thoughts,
Do you see me?
Only lonely on the inside, Im only lonely when
Youre gone
Only lonely on the inside, I see you babe, I see you
Only lonely on the inside, only lonely, only lonely
On the inside
Im only lonely on the inside
song performed by by Hootie & The Blowfish
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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To Close To Leave
To be with you
youre so sweet
your naked body lies next to mine
and were here
within touching youre skin with my eyes
Im a river so deep in your arms
sharin the same heart
within dont let me be one of your stars
cos I live all the dreams you dream
and I see all the things you need
(youve been down with me
Im to close to leave)
Enemy
seem to be
do you really think that you want me
coming through
into my heart
touching my soul here I start
dont talk when all words aint enough
act like my man
we know life is rough
within hold on when time seems to stop
cos I live all the dreams you dream
and I see all the things you need
(youve been down with me
Im to close to leave)
animating the sin in me
when Im with you I leave reality
I let in
I let i the sin
I let in
I let i the sin...
youve been down with me
now Im to close to leave
cos I live all the dreams you dream
and I see all the things you need
(youve been down with me
Im to close to leave)
animating the sin in me
when Im with you I leave reality
song performed by by Guano Apes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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