Tai Shan

Clearly this is Neils first person perspective of visiting China and how it moved him. I'm not sure where he went, but it seems that he describes whatever he was feeling in those moments.

This song is about a spiritual experience. I guess even agnostics can have them. (I think Peart is an agnostic, anyway.) But anyone who has ever had his or her breath taken away by the stars on a dark night, or being in the presence of some natural wonder (like the red rock mountains of Sedona, AZ for example), can relate to the feelings expressed here.

And I disagree totally with the "no feeling" comment. This is one of the most heartfelt Rush songs I've ever heard.

I said it before, I'll say it again...Hold Your Fire is the best Rush album ever. The guys were at their peak when they did this one. Especially Geddy. His development and maturity as a singer reeally shined on this album. His bass playing was nothing to sneeze at, either.

Breathtaking, epic and yet concise, a masterpiece, no two ways about it.

shed27 - this song doesn't have any feeling? Are you sure we're even listening to the same song here? This song is amazingly powerful and evocative.

how can you say this song doesnt have feeling? i think it's one of rush's most emotional songs. i love this song. it makes me smile everytime i hear it.

While every fan has a favorite band - and knows every song of that band - everyone of them will have a song that is thier "least favorite". that's fair enough. But to say this song doesn't have "any feeling" - well now... if this is coming form a true-blue Rush fan, well I'm simply astounded.

This song is tremendously beautiful in it's simplicity and elegance.

Every track on Hold Your Fire was an excellent, and, in my opinion - underrated - peice of work.

A Legendary Rock Band can be described as one whose "junk songs" STILL stand head and shoulders above most of the best songs of other non-Legendary Rock Bands.

some examples: (no particular order) Rush, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc.

Geddy and Alex have both said that repeatedly that this was their least favorite Rush song. I haven't read any of the explanations why except that Geddy said it was "a Neil song" that "just didn't work for him in hindsight".

A cinematic representation of the groups' visit to the mountain when in china. This song relates in structure to "cygnus" and "countdown".

This song does not lack emotion, it lacks conviction. The lyrics - which I like - were all too much Peart. It didn't work out for Lee to sing them and make them his own.

The middle part (If you raise your hands to heaven) sounds too artificial, but otherwise a lovely song.

If you raise your hands to Heaven, you will live a hundred years. This line may refer to a Qigong exercise.