Subdivisions

@Puckers2811 I very much agreed, when Rush explains the lyric in "basement bars" the legal drinking age is 19 in the Ontario Providence so those who were under the drinking age were feeling they were uncool to those who were able to drink and they were not invited to the big parties and other social gatherings.

I have a little more clarity on these last two verses… The entire last two verses are related to the attraction of city life, including both the excitement that youths feel when going out on the town, and the humdrum way that adults have going to their jobs.

'Lit up like a firefly' - lit up store fronts, signs etcetera of a city at nighttime. Just as moths are attracted to lights at night, so too are youths seeking excitement, referenced by 'Just to feel the living night'.

'Some will sell their dreams for small desires' - the desire for income, a new car, a new material item that can only be obtained with the money earned from a job. Committing to that job meant sacrificing a dream, or 'sell their dreams'.

'Or lose the race to rats' - lose precious spirit and time to enjoy life by travelling a depressing commute, to and from the job.

'Get caught in ticking traps' - I have to admit, seeing the Subdivisions video gave me more clarity on what was meant by this line…. ticking traps are basically time commitments, that cause you miss out on valuable experiences in life. You scramble to get to a train by a certain time everyday, or complete your work tasks on a strict schedule. You are bound to these commitments, causing you to miss out on other valuable experiences.

'And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight ' - The tedium of the daily commute leaves you longing for your suburban, subdivided home, where you can just go and relax.

'Somewhere out of a memory Of lighted streets on quiet nights' - The longing get to your suburban home, is not just a current thought but also deeply engrained in your memory, from having been raised in the same type of subdivision for example.

@GregJ8787 I feel like this one is very obvious:

'Some will sell their dreams for small desires' :
Husbands or wives that sacrifice a happy marriage for a one night stand of the legal or 'solicited' variety. Or A person who gives up a promising future for a drug addiction, one high at a time.

The part of the song after all is about people from the suburbs, a peaceful place going into the city and being overwhelmed by it

@GregJ8787 I think it means that while chasing your dreams in the city, you get caught up in a lot of bullshit and the pace is fast, and you begin to remember “the lighted streets on quiet nights” and long to be back in that environment again

@GregJ8787 I think it means that while chasing your dreams in the city, you get caught up in a lot of bullshit and the pace is fast, and you begin to remember “the lighted streets on quiet nights” and long to be back in that environment again

@GregJ8787 I think it means that while chasing your dreams in the city, you get caught up in a lot of bullshit and the pace is fast, and you begin to remember “the lighted streets on quiet nights” and long to be back in that environment again

For me, MKG, it actually depresses me... Being in high school, not popular, nor getting good grades, I feel frustrated. The only thing I like to do, is music, (not gay pop) but jazz, and I do feel that I am being led to a pre determined destination, one that seems inevidable, one that they teach you how to lead. I do not wish to conform to the modern day criteria for being a kid, so that makes me a cast out. And many kids do give up their dreams for small desires, I also feel that because I am a Christian, it makes me a little more different than the crowd. (I love being a Christian, I am not dreading it at all). Also the people will do anything to be cool. This is what I feel, and this song relates to me very heavily.