I have always thought that this song was about the Metis Rebellion which took place in westen Canada in the last quarter of the 19th Century. Neil Young is Canadian, of course, and has always had strong ties to the native peoples. The wars between the soldiers of the United States and the Native American tribes are well known by most Americans. However, the situation in Canada was even more complicated. When the French colonized eastern Canada in the 1600s, they sent many soldiers and trappers, and very few women. For this reason, many of the early settlers took native wives. A separate culture emerged known as the Metis. These people knew the ways of both the French and the native people. When the English conquered the French in the French and Indian War, they placed oppressive controls over the French, even deporting thousands of Acadian French to Louisiana to make room for English settlerrs. Young French settlers escaped the cities and found themselves in the wilderness known as Madawaska, where they were accepted and assimillated by their Metis half-brothers. Many of the Metis lived a nomadic life, traveling hundreds of miles to the area north and west of Lake Superior, where they could live in peace away from the influence of the English. However, conflict eventually followed, as the railroads opened the west and immigrants flooded into the rich grasslands occupied by the Metis. The Canadian government sent troops to seize control of the region. Canadian soldiers and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Metis "troops" were killed in the battles. Eventually the "rebellion" was ended, and at least on Metis leader, Louis Riel was executed for his part in the rebellion. It was a sad time in Canadian history.
In what is known as the Battle of Batoche, the Canadian soldiers converted a steamboat into a gunboat and sailed up the South Saskatchawan River, where a gun battle ensued between the settlere and the troops.
I believe this song is a fictional account of the death of one of the Metis settlers during the Battle of Batoche
This fits better than any historical examination of this song I've seen. Of course, there's still the fact Neil Young claims he doesn't really know what this song's about and that some of the key verses just came to him in a haze, but Neil Young is perhaps not the most reliable source on the origin of Neil Young's lyrics.
This fits better than any historical examination of this song I've seen. Of course, there's still the fact Neil Young claims he doesn't really know what this song's about and that some of the key verses just came to him in a haze, but Neil Young is perhaps not the most reliable source on the origin of Neil Young's lyrics.
That is one well written description and i am going with it too.
That is one well written description and i am going with it too.
I also have to comment on akagoldfish's statement, i am sure neil had lots of hazey moments in his life when this song was written and it could easily be tied to some canadian history which he flash backed to when he wrote it.
I also have to comment on akagoldfish's statement, i am sure neil had lots of hazey moments in his life when this song was written and it could easily be tied to some canadian history which he flash backed to when he wrote it.
Disagree. I think the lyrics, while they may describe a particular historical event or era, are much more general and encompassing. Neil was using a specific external situation to posit a more universal internal experience. I know what being 22 and not knowing what to do is like. So does everyone else.
Disagree. I think the lyrics, while they may describe a particular historical event or era, are much more general and encompassing. Neil was using a specific external situation to posit a more universal internal experience. I know what being 22 and not knowing what to do is like. So does everyone else.
Except Louis Riel died in 1885. There weren't too many big, white boats with red lights and numbers on the side "making big waves" going up rivers in 1885. It's clearly a relatively modern police boat.
Except Louis Riel died in 1885. There weren't too many big, white boats with red lights and numbers on the side "making big waves" going up rivers in 1885. It's clearly a relatively modern police boat.
@leefroy I do not know if this is the correct interpretation or not. However, I learned about a piece of history I'd never heard before, and so I offer my humble thanks for the commentary.
@leefroy I do not know if this is the correct interpretation or not. However, I learned about a piece of history I'd never heard before, and so I offer my humble thanks for the commentary.
@leefroy Your comment is probably the very finest I've ever seen in response to this type of speculative question. Its scholarly and insightful without being dry. The incident you spoke of is so obscure it would take someone of his intellect and creativity to them write a song like that. I think your comments offer the best explanation of Mr Young's inspiration for the song.
@leefroy Your comment is probably the very finest I've ever seen in response to this type of speculative question. Its scholarly and insightful without being dry. The incident you spoke of is so obscure it would take someone of his intellect and creativity to them write a song like that. I think your comments offer the best explanation of Mr Young's inspiration for the song.
@leefroy I appreciate your interpretation (from 12 years ago!) of Powderfinger, which was released again on Neil Young's latest album, Hitchhiker. My local station just played the song and I was crying, it's so sad. Guess I was looking for some meaning or greater explanation of this heart breaking song when I came across your post on the song's meaning. Who knows if Neil Young was tapping this rebellion you describe or if it's an amalgam of so many tragic rebellions and lost young lives, but as someone else said, I just learned about an obscure piece of Canadian history...
@leefroy I appreciate your interpretation (from 12 years ago!) of Powderfinger, which was released again on Neil Young's latest album, Hitchhiker. My local station just played the song and I was crying, it's so sad. Guess I was looking for some meaning or greater explanation of this heart breaking song when I came across your post on the song's meaning. Who knows if Neil Young was tapping this rebellion you describe or if it's an amalgam of so many tragic rebellions and lost young lives, but as someone else said, I just learned about an obscure piece of Canadian history and I'm grateful that you shared it.
@leefroy Your explanation of the historical events that may have provided the inspiration for Powder Finger makes a lot of sense. Because the boat opened fire on the narrator first, it was likely a military boat in a war setting, not a police boat in a crime setting. Also, because Neil Young grew up in Canada, the events are likely part of Canadian history, not U.S. history.
@leefroy Your explanation of the historical events that may have provided the inspiration for Powder Finger makes a lot of sense. Because the boat opened fire on the narrator first, it was likely a military boat in a war setting, not a police boat in a crime setting. Also, because Neil Young grew up in Canada, the events are likely part of Canadian history, not U.S. history.
Although the events in the song may have been literally based on the Battle of Batoche, the emotional basis of what is clearly an anti-war song was likely the Vietnam War.
Although the events in the song may have been literally based on the Battle of Batoche, the emotional basis of what is clearly an anti-war song was likely the Vietnam War.
In...
In particular, it’s about the folly of young men who don’t heed the warnings of their elders and enlist in the military to fight in a war. After all, Big John knew about the boat and warned his son about it. “Red means run son” — the red beacon described by the son — “numbers add up to nothin’” — the numbers on the side of the boat also described by the son.
Instead of heeding his father’s advice and running, the son felt falsely reassured by his father’s gun he was holding. He decided to stand his ground and take a shot at the boat. The results of his decision were fatal and tragic.
@leefroy Hello. I love your opinion about the possibility that an incident like this could have happened during the northwest rebellion. I back you up!
@leefroy Hello. I love your opinion about the possibility that an incident like this could have happened during the northwest rebellion. I back you up!
@leefroy I really liked the idea that this type of incident could have taken place during the northwest rebellion. I have pasted a web address with photos of that era. There is a big white steam boat off the port bow of the ship closest to the viewer, I've never seen one in operation myself, but I'm guessing by the size of it, It would put out a good sized wake. Also, prior to modern lights, beacons were lit by candles, or some other flame source.
I was a bit bothered though by the ideas that...
@leefroy I really liked the idea that this type of incident could have taken place during the northwest rebellion. I have pasted a web address with photos of that era. There is a big white steam boat off the port bow of the ship closest to the viewer, I've never seen one in operation myself, but I'm guessing by the size of it, It would put out a good sized wake. Also, prior to modern lights, beacons were lit by candles, or some other flame source.
I was a bit bothered though by the ideas that the 22 year old was hasty in his attempt to shoot at the boat. According to the lyrics, the first shot hit the dock before he raised his rifle to his eye. He is defending his mother, and who knows how many other younger siblings.
No matter what else, he was, left there to do the thinking. It's quite possible that he thought running from the red would leave his mother unprotected. (I know, I know, she ended up being unprotected by him any way) Hopefully she does what her son told her to do, and call John, maybe he is still sober enough to get the surviving family members away to safety.....
Ok, I have rambled on enough, take care.
I have always thought that this song was about the Metis Rebellion which took place in westen Canada in the last quarter of the 19th Century. Neil Young is Canadian, of course, and has always had strong ties to the native peoples. The wars between the soldiers of the United States and the Native American tribes are well known by most Americans. However, the situation in Canada was even more complicated. When the French colonized eastern Canada in the 1600s, they sent many soldiers and trappers, and very few women. For this reason, many of the early settlers took native wives. A separate culture emerged known as the Metis. These people knew the ways of both the French and the native people. When the English conquered the French in the French and Indian War, they placed oppressive controls over the French, even deporting thousands of Acadian French to Louisiana to make room for English settlerrs. Young French settlers escaped the cities and found themselves in the wilderness known as Madawaska, where they were accepted and assimillated by their Metis half-brothers. Many of the Metis lived a nomadic life, traveling hundreds of miles to the area north and west of Lake Superior, where they could live in peace away from the influence of the English. However, conflict eventually followed, as the railroads opened the west and immigrants flooded into the rich grasslands occupied by the Metis. The Canadian government sent troops to seize control of the region. Canadian soldiers and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Metis "troops" were killed in the battles. Eventually the "rebellion" was ended, and at least on Metis leader, Louis Riel was executed for his part in the rebellion. It was a sad time in Canadian history.
In what is known as the Battle of Batoche, the Canadian soldiers converted a steamboat into a gunboat and sailed up the South Saskatchawan River, where a gun battle ensued between the settlere and the troops.
I believe this song is a fictional account of the death of one of the Metis settlers during the Battle of Batoche
I believe this is correct. Good call.
I believe this is correct. Good call.
This fits better than any historical examination of this song I've seen. Of course, there's still the fact Neil Young claims he doesn't really know what this song's about and that some of the key verses just came to him in a haze, but Neil Young is perhaps not the most reliable source on the origin of Neil Young's lyrics.
This fits better than any historical examination of this song I've seen. Of course, there's still the fact Neil Young claims he doesn't really know what this song's about and that some of the key verses just came to him in a haze, but Neil Young is perhaps not the most reliable source on the origin of Neil Young's lyrics.
That is one well written description and i am going with it too.
That is one well written description and i am going with it too.
I also have to comment on akagoldfish's statement, i am sure neil had lots of hazey moments in his life when this song was written and it could easily be tied to some canadian history which he flash backed to when he wrote it.
I also have to comment on akagoldfish's statement, i am sure neil had lots of hazey moments in his life when this song was written and it could easily be tied to some canadian history which he flash backed to when he wrote it.
This is about one of the BEST interpretations of any Neil Young song that I've ever seen, and it all makes sense. :)
This is about one of the BEST interpretations of any Neil Young song that I've ever seen, and it all makes sense. :)
Nice thought - but it doesn't fit with the description of the boat, which to me sounds more like a motorised Police Patrol Boat.
Nice thought - but it doesn't fit with the description of the boat, which to me sounds more like a motorised Police Patrol Boat.
Disagree. I think the lyrics, while they may describe a particular historical event or era, are much more general and encompassing. Neil was using a specific external situation to posit a more universal internal experience. I know what being 22 and not knowing what to do is like. So does everyone else.
Disagree. I think the lyrics, while they may describe a particular historical event or era, are much more general and encompassing. Neil was using a specific external situation to posit a more universal internal experience. I know what being 22 and not knowing what to do is like. So does everyone else.
Except Louis Riel died in 1885. There weren't too many big, white boats with red lights and numbers on the side "making big waves" going up rivers in 1885. It's clearly a relatively modern police boat.
Except Louis Riel died in 1885. There weren't too many big, white boats with red lights and numbers on the side "making big waves" going up rivers in 1885. It's clearly a relatively modern police boat.
@leefroy I do not know if this is the correct interpretation or not. However, I learned about a piece of history I'd never heard before, and so I offer my humble thanks for the commentary.
@leefroy I do not know if this is the correct interpretation or not. However, I learned about a piece of history I'd never heard before, and so I offer my humble thanks for the commentary.
@leefroy
@leefroy
@leefroy Your comment is probably the very finest I've ever seen in response to this type of speculative question. Its scholarly and insightful without being dry. The incident you spoke of is so obscure it would take someone of his intellect and creativity to them write a song like that. I think your comments offer the best explanation of Mr Young's inspiration for the song.
@leefroy Your comment is probably the very finest I've ever seen in response to this type of speculative question. Its scholarly and insightful without being dry. The incident you spoke of is so obscure it would take someone of his intellect and creativity to them write a song like that. I think your comments offer the best explanation of Mr Young's inspiration for the song.
@leefroy I appreciate your interpretation (from 12 years ago!) of Powderfinger, which was released again on Neil Young's latest album, Hitchhiker. My local station just played the song and I was crying, it's so sad. Guess I was looking for some meaning or greater explanation of this heart breaking song when I came across your post on the song's meaning. Who knows if Neil Young was tapping this rebellion you describe or if it's an amalgam of so many tragic rebellions and lost young lives, but as someone else said, I just learned about an obscure piece of Canadian history...
@leefroy I appreciate your interpretation (from 12 years ago!) of Powderfinger, which was released again on Neil Young's latest album, Hitchhiker. My local station just played the song and I was crying, it's so sad. Guess I was looking for some meaning or greater explanation of this heart breaking song when I came across your post on the song's meaning. Who knows if Neil Young was tapping this rebellion you describe or if it's an amalgam of so many tragic rebellions and lost young lives, but as someone else said, I just learned about an obscure piece of Canadian history and I'm grateful that you shared it.
@leefroy Your explanation of the historical events that may have provided the inspiration for Powder Finger makes a lot of sense. Because the boat opened fire on the narrator first, it was likely a military boat in a war setting, not a police boat in a crime setting. Also, because Neil Young grew up in Canada, the events are likely part of Canadian history, not U.S. history.
@leefroy Your explanation of the historical events that may have provided the inspiration for Powder Finger makes a lot of sense. Because the boat opened fire on the narrator first, it was likely a military boat in a war setting, not a police boat in a crime setting. Also, because Neil Young grew up in Canada, the events are likely part of Canadian history, not U.S. history.
Although the events in the song may have been literally based on the Battle of Batoche, the emotional basis of what is clearly an anti-war song was likely the Vietnam War.
Although the events in the song may have been literally based on the Battle of Batoche, the emotional basis of what is clearly an anti-war song was likely the Vietnam War.
In...
In particular, it’s about the folly of young men who don’t heed the warnings of their elders and enlist in the military to fight in a war. After all, Big John knew about the boat and warned his son about it. “Red means run son” — the red beacon described by the son — “numbers add up to nothin’” — the numbers on the side of the boat also described by the son.
Instead of heeding his father’s advice and running, the son felt falsely reassured by his father’s gun he was holding. He decided to stand his ground and take a shot at the boat. The results of his decision were fatal and tragic.
@leefroy Hello. I love your opinion about the possibility that an incident like this could have happened during the northwest rebellion. I back you up!
@leefroy Hello. I love your opinion about the possibility that an incident like this could have happened during the northwest rebellion. I back you up!
@leefroy I really liked the idea that this type of incident could have taken place during the northwest rebellion. I have pasted a web address with photos of that era. There is a big white steam boat off the port bow of the ship closest to the viewer, I've never seen one in operation myself, but I'm guessing by the size of it, It would put out a good sized wake. Also, prior to modern lights, beacons were lit by candles, or some other flame source. I was a bit bothered though by the ideas that...
@leefroy I really liked the idea that this type of incident could have taken place during the northwest rebellion. I have pasted a web address with photos of that era. There is a big white steam boat off the port bow of the ship closest to the viewer, I've never seen one in operation myself, but I'm guessing by the size of it, It would put out a good sized wake. Also, prior to modern lights, beacons were lit by candles, or some other flame source.
I was a bit bothered though by the ideas that the 22 year old was hasty in his attempt to shoot at the boat. According to the lyrics, the first shot hit the dock before he raised his rifle to his eye. He is defending his mother, and who knows how many other younger siblings. No matter what else, he was, left there to do the thinking. It's quite possible that he thought running from the red would leave his mother unprotected. (I know, I know, she ended up being unprotected by him any way) Hopefully she does what her son told her to do, and call John, maybe he is still sober enough to get the surviving family members away to safety..... Ok, I have rambled on enough, take care.
https://dragoons.ca/history-of-the-dragoons/north-west-rebellion/