Well, you can stake that claim
Good work is the key to good fortune
Winners take that praise
Losers seldom take that blame

If they don't take that game
And sometimes the winner takes nothing
We draw our own designs
But fortune has to make that frame

We go out in the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that Lady Luck dances
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Faith is cold as ice
Why are little ones born only to suffer
For the want of immunity
Or a bowl of rice?

Well, who would hold a price
On the heads of the innocent children
If there's some immortal power
To control the dice?

We come into the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That's the way that lady luck dances
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones
Why does it happen?

Jack, relax
Get busy with the facts
No zodiacs or almanacs
No maniacs in polyester slacks
Just the facts
Gonna kick some gluteus max
It's a parallax, you dig?
You move around
The small gets big, it's a rig
It's action, reaction
Random interaction
So who's afraid
Of a little abstraction?
Can't get no satisfaction
From the facts?
You better run, homeboy
A fact's a fact
From Nome to Rome, boy

What's the deal? Spin the wheel
If the dice are hot, take a shot
Play your cards, show us what you got
What you're holding
If the cards are cold
Don't go folding
Lady Luck is golden
She favors the bold, that's cold
Stop throwing stones
The night has a thousand saxophones
So get out there and rock
And roll the bones
Get busy

Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones
Roll the bones

Why are we here?
Because we're here
Roll the bones
Roll the bones


Lyrics submitted by shed27

Roll the Bones Lyrics as written by Gary Lee Weinrib Alex Zivojinovich

Lyrics © Anthem Entertainment

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Roll The Bones song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

35 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    -nemt

    "Is it just me, or is the voice used for the latter part of the song VERY gay?"

    Well, nemt, yes. It probably is 'just you' who think's that. Aside from your personal right to an opinion, I don't see how the word 'gay' can be used so blatantly in defining a Rush song, or a part of it.

    I'm really getting sick of these narrow-headed neanderthals like yourself who generalize everything they dislike with a false and ridiclious stereotype against homosexuals. You, nemt, should go browse through a dictionary and fill your vocabulary with something other that bullshit.

    Anywho.

    Rockin' song! Love the rapping by Geddy. Can't wait for the new album!

    FenJazzon June 07, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
The song "Fortnight" by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word "fortnight" shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.