Very powerful song, with strong meaning behind it.
The obvious quote that's best though from it...
"You can surrender without a prayer
But never really pray, pray without surrender
You can fight, fight without ever winning
But never ever win, win without a fight "
Noticed part of that was cut off in the presented lyrics but whotever.
Point is something which's been stated in several of Rush's songs before. The first half basically stating that yeu can give up when there's no hope, or yeu can make yeur own hope, prayer being a common method of doing so. To truly find the inner strength needed for that hope though requires humility, that or something reaaaaally nasty to happen. Either way, yeu can't have hope without earning it in one way or another. Which leads into the second part...
"You don't get something for nothing; you can't have freedom for free" yeu don't win without putting in effort; a fight doesn't neccesarily mean COMBAT, but it does mean yeu are going to have to struggle to make it, whotever it may be. Be it a job, a task, a war, or love, wherever it is yeu go, anything worth having is worth fighting for. And yeu can't just expect to have it all handed to yeu on a silver platter (personally I prefer platinum, silver's too cheap for my tastes ^.~ ), it has to be earned.
The remainder of the song is basically just stating that there's alot of things that tug and pull at us, temptations abound, our vices, our desires, things we want and can't have, things we shouldn't want but know we do anyway. Yeu can train yeurself to block some of these things out, others, by human nature, are not feasably possible. If yeu see an atrocity occur before yeu, can yeu stand by and watch it happen? Some can, but we shouldn't. Can yeu compromise on yeur hopes and dreams, willing to settle for less if it's less trouble? Once again, yeu CAN, but really, SHOULD yeu?
Some of these things can be suffered by some individuals, others can't neccesarily cope with the same things. Stating that they can 'resist anything but temptation' implies a human weakness, yet "I can learn to close my eyes to anything but injustice" shows great strength as well. We're a mix of strengths and weaknesses, often tied togeather inextricably. One's strength is another's weakness. To rely on others can be yeur greatest strength, and it can be yeur greatest weakness, as is often shown in movies and such, though... those tend to be weighted in certain ways to the social norm at the time. Different cultures have different values on them as well, which people have difficulties grasping since the concept of 'good' and 'evil' can be so forgien at times when hidden behind different masks.
But we are the sum of our parts; we have our flaws and our strengths, make of them as yeu will. Try to cover yeur flaws, or try to counterbalance them with enhancing yeur strengths, everyone has their own individual way to face their own self.
And as far as I'm concerned, this song shows a single perspective, and it doesn't claim it's right or wrong, but it does state that, in the end, yeu are left with having to have faith, hope, and be willing to fight for whot yeu want, regardless of yeur personal character.
Very powerful song, with strong meaning behind it.
The obvious quote that's best though from it...
"You can surrender without a prayer But never really pray, pray without surrender
You can fight, fight without ever winning But never ever win, win without a fight "
Noticed part of that was cut off in the presented lyrics but whotever.
Point is something which's been stated in several of Rush's songs before. The first half basically stating that yeu can give up when there's no hope, or yeu can make yeur own hope, prayer being a common method of doing so. To truly find the inner strength needed for that hope though requires humility, that or something reaaaaally nasty to happen. Either way, yeu can't have hope without earning it in one way or another. Which leads into the second part...
"You don't get something for nothing; you can't have freedom for free" yeu don't win without putting in effort; a fight doesn't neccesarily mean COMBAT, but it does mean yeu are going to have to struggle to make it, whotever it may be. Be it a job, a task, a war, or love, wherever it is yeu go, anything worth having is worth fighting for. And yeu can't just expect to have it all handed to yeu on a silver platter (personally I prefer platinum, silver's too cheap for my tastes ^.~ ), it has to be earned.
The remainder of the song is basically just stating that there's alot of things that tug and pull at us, temptations abound, our vices, our desires, things we want and can't have, things we shouldn't want but know we do anyway. Yeu can train yeurself to block some of these things out, others, by human nature, are not feasably possible. If yeu see an atrocity occur before yeu, can yeu stand by and watch it happen? Some can, but we shouldn't. Can yeu compromise on yeur hopes and dreams, willing to settle for less if it's less trouble? Once again, yeu CAN, but really, SHOULD yeu?
Some of these things can be suffered by some individuals, others can't neccesarily cope with the same things. Stating that they can 'resist anything but temptation' implies a human weakness, yet "I can learn to close my eyes to anything but injustice" shows great strength as well. We're a mix of strengths and weaknesses, often tied togeather inextricably. One's strength is another's weakness. To rely on others can be yeur greatest strength, and it can be yeur greatest weakness, as is often shown in movies and such, though... those tend to be weighted in certain ways to the social norm at the time. Different cultures have different values on them as well, which people have difficulties grasping since the concept of 'good' and 'evil' can be so forgien at times when hidden behind different masks.
But we are the sum of our parts; we have our flaws and our strengths, make of them as yeu will. Try to cover yeur flaws, or try to counterbalance them with enhancing yeur strengths, everyone has their own individual way to face their own self.
And as far as I'm concerned, this song shows a single perspective, and it doesn't claim it's right or wrong, but it does state that, in the end, yeu are left with having to have faith, hope, and be willing to fight for whot yeu want, regardless of yeur personal character.