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Freak Turbulence Lyrics
You're older, you're haunted
you're ahead of your time.
In corners of acres of blocks of
straight lines.
Blurringly, hourly we cross some
great divides
some heritage moments and some
melodious minds...
a voice above the engine and the
jet stream combined
'it's time..sir...The time sir...
Do you have the time?'
As the moon groomed the airplane in a
benevolent way
Again with the myth that's neither here,
neither there.
Again with the myth from up
up high in the air.
Above it all, I love you all
Oh how could this be the end?
Satan backhands our nose and our chin
the wings tell the tailfins
'It's freak turbulence.'
Just then the Captain assures us
we will land
'I'll have you on the ground
in 25 minutes or less.'
'Or less, did he say 'less? Unless what?
We're not on time?
Or less he said 'or less Jet stream
and engine combine
Unless he said 'Or less' as if a joke might
just keep us flying.
As the moon groomed the airplane in a
benevolent way
As the moon groomed the airplane with it's
benevolent rays.
you're ahead of your time.
In corners of acres of blocks of
straight lines.
Blurringly, hourly we cross some
great divides
some heritage moments and some
melodious minds...
a voice above the engine and the
jet stream combined
'it's time..sir...The time sir...
Do you have the time?'
As the moon groomed the airplane in a
benevolent way
Again with the myth that's neither here,
neither there.
Again with the myth from up
up high in the air.
Above it all, I love you all
Oh how could this be the end?
Satan backhands our nose and our chin
the wings tell the tailfins
'It's freak turbulence.'
we will land
'I'll have you on the ground
in 25 minutes or less.'
'Or less, did he say 'less? Unless what?
We're not on time?
Or less he said 'or less Jet stream
and engine combine
Unless he said 'Or less' as if a joke might
just keep us flying.
As the moon groomed the airplane in a
benevolent way
benevolent rays.
Song Info
Submitted by
black_cow_of_death On Jan 26, 2002
More The Tragically Hip
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Bobcaygeon
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As a bi-weekly flier, this song captures the absolute and absolutely irrational terror of flying. It always in the back of my mind that one of these days... I'm going down. Yet I do the math, and as with motorcycles but more so there's hardly a crash story I've not heard of so - with the absurd number of flights having success day after day, year after year, I calm my center cynic. Gord's sense of humor really comes through here: the pilot says "25 minutes or less" but Gord hears "unless..." and silently in his seat, 7E goes neurotic and freaks out. That's me. This man is ME. Mixed with this he's dogging the airlines for being accountable to NO ONE (as if a joke might just keep us flying). With our lives in their hands, who's courageous enough to bitch about timeliness? All the negativity is juxtaposed with the benevolent moonlight on the wings. Lyrically he captures the misplaced cockpit calm of flying so perfectly, while musically this song is tense and grating; also just like flying. This is a ditty, a quip, a sardonic joke, yet it is still a masterpiece of songwriting.
Hello Rozrox. i'm annoyance. I can't say i'm scared of flying because i have never been on a plane in my life but i like this song. you have a lot of good inhancement words in there. But you pinpoint it perfectly. have a great day!
Totally agree with Rozrox’s analysis: this has got to be the FUNNIEST Tragically Hip song ever written!! And it all comes down to that line in the second stanza (because, hey, it makes MUCH more sense that Gord’s lyrics are divided into “stanzas” rather than “verses” - far from being a simple songwriter, he’ll always be Canada’s unofficial Poet Laureate.)
I just love how you can hear the desperation and the frantic nature in Gord’s voice when he tries to make sense of the pilot’s announcement. I’m not sure if he simply misheard the phrase “ 'I'll have you on the ground/In 25 minutes or less,” as “ 'I'll have you on the ground/In 25 minutes, unless…”, because he certainly plays around with that word “unless”. However, I always read the lyrics as meaning: “25 minutes…OR LESS???” - i.e., the only way we could be on the ground in LESS than 25 minutes is if we DROP OUT OF THE SKY!!!
You can see I’ve got a bit of hangup about flying myself…????!!!
However you interpret it, it’s a hysterical little ditty! And yes, the sheer terror infecting the INSIDE of the plane is totally juxtaposed with the moonlight literally caressing the outside shell of the aircraft. What a brilliant use of both lyrics AND his staccato vocals.
Incidentally, when I was a lot younger, I used to mix up this song with both “Silver Jet” (from “In Violet Light”) and “Vapour Trails” (from “Phantom Power”). I guess Gord just likes singing about airplanes!