The Fountain Of Lamneth Lyrics
To fully appreciate the magnitude and depths of this song it must be listened to many times over...but one day you will get it and when you do you will never dismiss its greatness again..you will never cease to listen to it...it will stay with you forever...I truly love Rush with ever fibre of my being...their music has meant so much to me in some very dark days..and i thank them for it
The Fountain of Lamneth is probably my second favorite Rush song. I still prefer 2112 over it, but this one is a very close second for me.
I agree with byhatchetaxeandsaw on this one. This song is about a man's life, from birth to death.
In The Valley (BIRTH and CHILDHOOD). I am born, I am me, I am new, I am free. As in childhood, the man has curiousities about his future, "Yet my eyes are drawn toward the mountain in the east..."
Didacts And Narpets (ADOLESCENCE), all the way. It is all about rebellion. Your parent says work! And you say no! Your teacher says learn! You say live! And live it to the fullest. Party all night, sleep all day!
No One At The Bridge (College, Young Adulthood, First Job, On Your Own). You're on your own, there's no safety net now. Maybe a bit through college, but then it's out into the real world, and you have to make it on your own. "Why must my crew (your parents or friends) desert me? I need a guiding hand." You get that first job, and you have to be grown up enough to keep it, make a living for yourself, pay the bills, etc. But you sail on, toward that dream you fantasized about In The Valley.
Panacea (FIRST TRUE LOVE, MARRIAGE). Then you find the one that you can steer your boat with. You find that you can forget about your troubles with her body, soft and warm. Still, it may not be all that you need, and it may not last. It might end in divorce, as mentioned above, but for now, you've got that peace of mind, and that's what's important.
Bacchus Plateau (GOLDEN YEARS, RETIREMENT). This is my favorite part of the song, not so much because you've reached this point in life, but it rocks and flows so well! Truthfully, this is about the rewards in life for working so hard and getting this far, "Draw another goblet from the cask of '43." Another endless day, silhouettes of gray. You're just enjoying the fruits of your labors, and of course, it's even better if you still have your Panacea with you!
The Fountain (OLD AGE, THE END, DEATH). Yeah, you're happy at first, you have reached the goal that you longed for In The Valley, but you now realize that, like the fabled Fountain of Youth, it doesn't mean you're going to live forever...death is still a part of life, and you come to that realization. "Now at last I fall before The Fountain Of Lamneth, I thought I would be singing, but I'm tired, out of breath. Many journeys end here, but the secret's told the same. Life is just a candle, and a dream must give it flame." Like a candle, life finally burns out, but your dreams and desires are what keep the candle going. If the candle didn't get lit, you were never born to begin with. "I am crying, I am still." That line is very moving, that is just before death. "I'm forever at the start...still I am." You realize that you're back to the start point In The Valley, and you might think your life has been pointless. "Still I am..." Every life has some purpose and meaning, though we may never fully understand it all.
The point is, live your life to the fullest each and every day, because there's only one candle, and once that flame is extinguished, it's gone forever.
Great, great song! I wish they would do this one live in concert again, the entire 19 minutes and 57 secs of it!
That's rather unfortunate because LSD was first synthesized in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann.
This song doesn't have any drug overtones, it's just another one of Neil Peart's adventures in song form. A darn good one at that.
@BMaloney This song is about taking LSD, written and performed by experienced LSD users. The intended audience were people who were open to experimenting with LSD and the psychedelic journey that they faced. There are so many obvious LSD references, that they probably wanted to call the song \'Fountain of Lysergic\' but their record company made them change the name. Sorry all you Frank Zappa followers, but this song was about dropping acid and also happens to be masterpiece of the prog rock genre. So, with that understanding, you can try to look into the lyrics for all the...
@BMaloney This song is about taking LSD, written and performed by experienced LSD users. The intended audience were people who were open to experimenting with LSD and the psychedelic journey that they faced. There are so many obvious LSD references, that they probably wanted to call the song \'Fountain of Lysergic\' but their record company made them change the name. Sorry all you Frank Zappa followers, but this song was about dropping acid and also happens to be masterpiece of the prog rock genre. So, with that understanding, you can try to look into the lyrics for all the messages, which is great fun, but keep in mind, it is a powerful and multi-polar epic song resembling an acid trip in it\'s structure. Here we go:\r\nI feel the first part is not a baby or a newborn, but rather, a college age Freshman who has a paid-for college tuition and is ready to party and meet girls, etc. In those days, that was a pretty common experience for youths emerging from their parents homes. In that, they are open to experimenting with the \'Eye opening\' drugs that were becoming more common and available at the time. Although still highly illicit and dangerous from a law enforcement standpoint, soon the LSD could not be stopped. The one that soothes and feeds me, on the surface, could be the child\'s mother, but from a psychedelic standpoint, that could be the person\'s \'guide\' on their trip. At the time, and probably still today, it was always recommended that one must have a guide while taking acid or mushrooms. That guide should be an experienced user, with various shamanic roles and the ability to \'talk down\' the new user if things get weird. That makes perfect sense with the lyrics of this song, which was produced to entertain and accompany the people who were becoming Rush fans (and taking LSD and other drugs.). The part that is weird is the \'Panacea\' part. Obviously, on the surface, our college age LSD user has found a girlfriend/wife/ or lost his virginity, etc to this soft handed chick. That makes sense, but I have never ever referred to my wife/girlfriend as a Panacea because that word doesn\'t really apply except to the most cynical of thinkers. A panacea is more of a tonic or potion used to cure ones ill\'s. Not a female at all. So the Panacea liquid grace is not some chick named Grace but more likely a vial of liquid LSD, a potent form, Anyway, that\'s all the time I have for this, Have fun listening to and dissecting this epic prog rock track, all 19 glorious minutes. And have a safe trip!
@BMaloney This song is about taking LSD, written and performed by experienced LSD users. The intended audience were people who were open to experimenting with LSD and the psychedelic journey that they faced. There are so many obvious LSD references, that they probably wanted to call the song \'Fountain of Lysergic\' but their record company made them change the name. Sorry all you Frank Zappa followers, but this song was about dropping acid and also happens to be masterpiece of the prog rock genre. So, with that understanding, you can try to look into the lyrics for all the...
@BMaloney This song is about taking LSD, written and performed by experienced LSD users. The intended audience were people who were open to experimenting with LSD and the psychedelic journey that they faced. There are so many obvious LSD references, that they probably wanted to call the song \'Fountain of Lysergic\' but their record company made them change the name. Sorry all you Frank Zappa followers, but this song was about dropping acid and also happens to be masterpiece of the prog rock genre. So, with that understanding, you can try to look into the lyrics for all the messages, which is great fun, but keep in mind, it is a powerful and multi-polar epic song resembling an acid trip in it\'s structure. Here we go:\r\nI feel the first part is not a baby or a newborn, but rather, a college age Freshman who has a paid-for college tuition and is ready to party and meet girls, etc. In those days, that was a pretty common experience for youths emerging from their parents homes. In that, they are open to experimenting with the \'Eye opening\' drugs that were becoming more common and available at the time. Although still highly illicit and dangerous from a law enforcement standpoint, soon the LSD could not be stopped. The one that soothes and feeds me, on the surface, could be the child\'s mother, but from a psychedelic standpoint, that could be the person\'s \'guide\' on their trip. At the time, and probably still today, it was always recommended that one must have a guide while taking acid or mushrooms. That guide should be an experienced user, with various shamanic roles and the ability to \'talk down\' the new user if things get weird. That makes perfect sense with the lyrics of this song, which was produced to entertain and accompany the people who were becoming Rush fans (and taking LSD and other drugs.). The part that is weird is the \'Panacea\' part. Obviously, on the surface, our college age LSD user has found a girlfriend/wife/ or lost his virginity, etc to this soft handed chick. That makes sense, but I have never ever referred to my wife/girlfriend as a Panacea because that word doesn\'t really apply except to the most cynical of thinkers. A panacea is more of a tonic or potion used to cure ones ill\'s. Not a female at all. So the Panacea liquid grace is not some chick named Grace but more likely a vial of liquid LSD, a potent form, Anyway, that\'s all the time I have for this, Have fun listening to and dissecting this epic prog rock track, all 19 glorious minutes. And have a safe trip!
@sandman71 it absolutely is not, ya dumbass.
@sandman71 it absolutely is not, ya dumbass.
To me this song is about life in general."I am born" gives a hint. And that "life is a candle"and that dreams need to fuel it. The first Rush that made me realize how special Rush is
[II. Didacts and Narpets]
Stay! Go! Work! No! Learn! Live! Earn! Give! Stay or fight? What's right? Listen!
there were some lyrics missing, there they are
i can't belive nobody has said anything about this song, some new rush fans might be intimidated by the length, but if you havn't listened to it yet, just give it a try, it is, in my oppinion, the best rush song, and if you don't agree with that, at least agree that its one of their best
the song's pretty straight forward, it says the meaning near the end: "Life is just the candle, and a dream must give it flame."
Totally agree with you. Definitely one of Rush's best songs!
Amazing piece of music. Unlike other "epic" songs by the likes of Opeth, this one actually manages to hold your attention, until its conclusion. Bacchus Plateau is just fantastic, what a melody! Further evidence, if it were ever needed, that Rush are the best band ever.
I think that the song is more so about how we all try so hard in life to reach a goal, only to not be satisfied with it when we get it, hence the lines "Now at last I fall before The Fountain of Lamneth. I thought I would be singing, but I'm tired, out of breath." and "I'm forever at the start"
The opening and closing lines are some of my favourite lyrics from any song ever.
Thing is that no matter what song you're listening to, if you're using lsd all songs are about it. This forum only proves that a lot of people who listen to RUSH are also using lsd lol
Anyhow, I don't think RUSH advocates the use of drugs and that they can create amazing music without it as well.
@Zerstoren 100% - the same way that thieves don't trust anyone or that pervs think everyone is pervy, these acid dropping fools think everyone is on acid.
@Zerstoren 100% - the same way that thieves don't trust anyone or that pervs think everyone is pervy, these acid dropping fools think everyone is on acid.
The boys freely admit to smoking (or having smoked) the hippie cabbage. Geddy makes mention of Lifeson's continued enjoyment when they shared the stage for his My Effing Life book tour.
The boys freely admit to smoking (or having smoked) the hippie cabbage. Geddy makes mention of Lifeson's continued enjoyment when they shared the stage for his My Effing Life book tour.
Stop dropping acid, kids. It makes you seriously stupid.
Stop dropping acid, kids. It makes you seriously stupid.