In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
We've got nothing to fear but fear itself
Not pain, not failure, not fatal tragedy?
Not the faulty units in this mad machinery?
Not the broken contacts in emotional chemistry?
With an iron fist in a velvet glove
We are sheltered under the gun
In the glory game on the power train
Thy kingdom's will be done
And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us
He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors worse than your Hell
He's a little bit afraid of dying
But he's a lot more afraid of your lying
And the things that he fears are a weapon to be held against him
Can any part of life be larger than life?
Even love must be limited by time
And those who push us down that they might climb
Is any killer worth more than his crime?
Like a steely blade in a silken sheath
We don't see what they're made of
They shout about love, but when push comes to shove
They live for the things they're afraid of
And the knowledge that they fear is a weapon to be used against them
He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors worse than your hell
He's a little bit afraid of dyin'
But he's a lot more afraid of your lyin'
And the things that he fears
Are a weapon to be held against him
He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors, worse than your hell
He's a little bit afraid of dyin'
But he's a lot more afraid of your lyin'
Not pain, not failure, not fatal tragedy?
Not the faulty units in this mad machinery?
Not the broken contacts in emotional chemistry?
With an iron fist in a velvet glove
We are sheltered under the gun
In the glory game on the power train
Thy kingdom's will be done
And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us
He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors worse than your Hell
He's a little bit afraid of dying
But he's a lot more afraid of your lying
And the things that he fears are a weapon to be held against him
Can any part of life be larger than life?
Even love must be limited by time
And those who push us down that they might climb
Is any killer worth more than his crime?
Like a steely blade in a silken sheath
We don't see what they're made of
They shout about love, but when push comes to shove
They live for the things they're afraid of
And the knowledge that they fear is a weapon to be used against them
He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors worse than your hell
He's a little bit afraid of dyin'
But he's a lot more afraid of your lyin'
And the things that he fears
Are a weapon to be held against him
He's not afraid of your judgment
He knows of horrors, worse than your hell
He's a little bit afraid of dyin'
But he's a lot more afraid of your lyin'
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I was listening to it one day, and I think I figured out what it means. The song is actually quite literal for Peart. It's basically saying that something a person fears, whether it be knowledge, weaponry, or something else, is a "Weapon to be held/used against them/him". (Which does include, but not limited to, nuclear weaponry.)