I was driving in the car on Thanksgiving and Tom Sawyer came on the radio. I’ve heard the song 100 times but my cousin raised a point that had never occurred to me – what in the hell is that song about? It’s such a bunch of nonsense. Sandy, I assume if anyone can answer the question it’s either you or Mike Winstead who I used to work with at Little Caesars, and since I share blogspace with you, the podium is yours. Is what separates great songwriters from the rest of us the ability to feel no shame at writing nonsense?
A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride,
Todays tom sawyer
Mean mean pride.
Though his mind is not for rent,
Dont put him down as arrogant.
His reserve, a quiet defense,
Riding out the days events.
The river
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his eyes are wide.
Todays tom sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the space he invades
He gets by on you.
No, his mind is not for rent
To any God or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent,
He knows changes arent permanent,
But change is.
And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society.
Catch the witness, catch the wit,
Catch the spirit, catch the spit.
The world is, the world is,
Love and life are deep,
Maybe as his skies are wide.
Exit the warrior,
Todays tom sawyer,
He gets high on you,
And the energy you trade,
He gets right on to the friction of the day.
Formed in 1997, Schad began performing sketch comedy on Chicago’s north side. The troupe has since performed at countless venues around the world including The Goodman Theatre, The Second City, Steppenwolf, Lollapalooza, ImprovOlympic, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (LA), HERE (NYC) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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It’s capitalism, baby. Capitalism at its most capitalistic — the rich getting rich on the blood of the exploited working class.
It’s obvious. Its about a circus carnie who likes to catch his own spit. Wouldn’t that make YOU seem arrogant?!!
Seriously though, interpreting rock lyrics is a slippery slope. Almost none make complete sense, especially without musical accompaniment (Pete Townsend’s lyrics are insanely odd, but the music stills works). My recommendation it to live in the moment and lip-synch this gibberish like you believe it 100%.
I thought it was about risk-taking individuals who were being rewarded via profit by meeting people’s demands for goods and services while doing it as efficiently as possible, leading to lower prices over time and bringing access to more and new goods and services to the masses.
Seriously though – this is perfect for Sandy.
Hello and welcome, I am the Mike Winstead Mr. Witt talked about in his question. While I am truly honored and humbled by Mr. Witt’s trust in me as a true scholar on the subject of Rush, I will be very modest in my analysis of the masterpiece known as “Tom Sawyer” as performed by Rush. I agree that interpretation of Rock and Roll lyrics is a slippery slope to travel, so I will make no attempt on my part to offer a solid belief as to what the lyrics could actually mean. I have taken the opportunity to look on wikipedia’s website to see what they had to offer on this subject and I think that if you’re actually interested in the true lyrical meaning behind this brilliant song, then I suggest reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Sawyer_(song)
The song is one of many off the absolutely marvelous 1981 album “Moving Pictures”, an album that launched Rush into the stratosphere and solidified them as the single greatest export from Canada since Gordon Lightfoot. It’s truly gratifying to a Rush fan to meet someone who actually knows ANY other song other than “Tom Sawyer”…however those days are few and far between as us Rush fans are fewer as the years go by. I guess less of us are willing to show the receding hairline in public.
This is a fantastic song and a brilliant album. I highly recommend either this album or Rush’s 1976 masterpiece 2112. That album I must say, is an epic journey through sound, space, and time. Neil Peart is a true lyrical genius.
Many interpretations could be explained while analyzing “Tom Sawyer” but I simply say…just turn it up and enjoy!
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Thanks Stead, now quit fucking around and deliver this pizza to the trailer court.
Thanks for the opportunity, Witt. Beware, the following will be highly geeky.
Having read numerous Rush books, including Neil Peart’s travel books, here’s what I can say — I too am no Rush scholar, and honestly rarely memorize lyrics in songs, but I’ve heard Rush so many times that it’s hard not to.
Tom Sawyer is often referenced as a metaphor for a singular rock star, something that the members of the band Rush always wanted to avoid. If you think they suck or that they’re douches, they probably don’t care because they’ve always enjoyed their “under the radar” definition in progressive rock music. They have garnered a great position with record companies, where the companies let them do whatever the hell they want to do every single time.
They can do this because they’ve busted their asses for 30 years getting a loyal following, playing amazing live shows, keeping that following, and constantly changing and refreshing their game and experimenting with their sound while retaining the true soul of what the band means to people. In a way, they’re a very selfish band — they really only want to please themselves, which is why I think a lot of musicians always reference them as influences, and why the masses think they suck. They’re rarely radio-ready.
Their albums debut Gold or Platinum then drop off right away, making big returns to the studios to please the man. The only people who usually buy Rush albums are Rush fans on the day of the CD release.
Rush got a unique rap in the 70′s as the go-to Canadian Zeppelin-esque band. Then they changed their sound in the 80′s and math professors and NASA geeks got on board. The 90′s offered a return to their roots sans synth, so Rush fans tend to be a big hodgepodge of Harley guys, math professors, and dorks like me — and their unhappily obliging girlfriends / wives. Kate says that the shortest line in the world is for the women’s bathroom at a Rush concert.
Back at the topic — one of (I think) two songs co-written by Peter “Pye” Dubois (the other being “Force Ten” — track 1 on 1987′s “Hold Your Fire,”), Tom Sawyer is a great Rush song and what Peart says is by far the hardest in their vault to play live. Listen to just the drums sometime and — even for you drummers out there — pick-out the changes in time signatures. It’s amazingly complex.
I’m gonna get ripped for being such a Rush geek with this post, but they’re such an awesome band that I don’t really give a shit.
Look at Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and The Spirit of Radio — all huge radio hits which were subversively making fun of being rock stars, being famous, and being radio legends.
“No his mind is not for rent
To any god or government…”
Right out of Atlas Shrugged, Fountainhead, etc. In the song, you’re invited to live Tom Sawyer’s life — “and what you say about his company” (i.e. what you say about a rock star’s company, i.e. his fans or big crowd at a concert) “is what you say about society” — i.e. a mob best represents the worst of society (a thread continued in the song “Witch Hunt” later on the same album.
The end of the song says “Exit the warrior, today’s Tom Sawyer he gets high on you with the energy you trade . . . ” i.e. the singer is only as good as the audience that builds him up, a tongue in cheek reference to rock stars who “live off the audience” and don’t play for their own pure enjoyment.
Same with Spirit of Radio — all about selling out to get a radio hit. Same with Limelight, all about being ill-prepared for celebrity — “one must put up barriers to keep oneself intact…” — all under the umbrella that Rush has wanted to avoid fame, that they’ve wanted to retain their own selfish artistic integrity. You know 2112? They wrote that huge long song because the studio said come on guys, we need a short radio-ready hit. So they turned-in an 18-minute song about a futuristic planet with these Priests who’ve outlawed music. And they couldn’t afford the studio time so they rehearsed enough to record the track in a single take. How’s that for being stubborn.
I will close with another great excerpt from their Wikipedia page, and will thank Mike Hanson from Mankato for getting me into Rush in high school.
“The members of Rush have themselves noted that people “either love Rush or hate Rush”, resulting in strong detractors and an intensely loyal fan base. To the chagrin of fans, the band has not been nominated for entry into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since their year of eligibility in 1998. The Hall’s refusal to induct Rush may be a consequence of the band’s insistence on remaining outside the mainstream of rock when it comes to self-promotion, in favor of maintaining a high degree of independence.[61] To this day fans earnestly clamor for the band’s inclusion into the Hall by citing noteworthy accomplishments including longevity, proficiency, and influence, as well as commercial sales figures and RIAA certifications. However, Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying “I couldn’t care less, look who’s up for induction, it’s a joke”.[62] Rush has gained a degree of recognition in popular culture despite any official recognition from the Hall.[63]“
I am truly in awe that a person looks at Rush with the same eyes that I do. The thing that makes Moving Pictures such a remarkable album is the fact that so many of the songs speak of the alienation from the industry for which they became enslaved in. For people to simply disregard “Tom Sawyer” and just another classic rock song on the radio need pay attention the next time they come across it on the dial.
And here I thought I would be totally ousted by revealing my inner thoughts about this fine Canadian export we know as Rush. Not only did Rush deliver us fans another remarkable album with Moving Pictures, they introduced the world to a force greater than the waters on Lake Superior that Gordon Lightfoot sang about in his legendary juggernaut in 1976, known as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Yet another example of just how wonderful Canadian exports can be.
Anyway, being a loyal Rush fan, having seen them almost a couple of dozen times in concert, I am glad that at least Mr. Witt’s question has brought up this remarkable band in probably the least likely of forums.
The music that Rush has provided during the years has consumed countless hours of my careful listening and analyizing and I’m not ashamed to post my thoughts on the subject.
So hat’s off to you Sandy Marshall, here I was thinking that I’d be lashed for speaking the praises of Rush. The masterful and epic 2112 has always been my favorite and think it can stand as one of the greatest records ever recorded. If I only had a nickle for every time I’ve listened to that album, man…I’d be able to buy Mr. Witt some clothes that didn’t make him look like a homeless trailer park throwaway.
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Oh yeah…Witt…
The trailer park sent me back to the pizza shop.
They ordered Mango on that pizza you dumbass.
You forgot to write that on the order!
Like you can deliver a pizza to the trailer park WITHOUT Mangos…
as if!
Oh Yeah…Sandy Marshall…
Since I seemed to have found someone who is just about as crazy about this band as I am, I need to ask…just to see if you happen to know.
Do you happen to know the meaning behind “brought to you by the letter R” or whatever letter that happens to appear in most of the liner notes included in Rush albums.
Is this a secret code? Can we finally figure out the riddle of the sphinx? Or is this just the coordinates to some trailer park in Canada?
Just wondering…one Rush geek to another…
Mr. Winstead,
I look forward to sitting next to you at Neil Peart’s next drum solo, wherever that may be. Thanks for posting all of your thoughts and I hope we can turn Schad.net into an unofficial Rush fan blog.
I know it’ll please Kate.
Yes to your thoughts on 2112 — personally I think “Signals” is one of the most underrated albums of ALL time, and really would be happy to debate the merits of any Rush album in front of the global court of public opinion. Moving Pictures, though, wow.
When my brother-in-law Brian got a big Broadway musical a while ago, I sent him Moving Pictures so he could jam out in his dressing room before the shows. Not sure if he ever did.
The Brought to you by the Letter R, etc. is an inside joke (or so I’ve read) that just resets itself with each album. I hear they pick a letter and then that’s the letter that the album is brought to you by and they have a laugh.
Sidenote: Rush is hilarious guys. They are closet comedians and have a longstnading history with the Canadian cast of SCTV — members of the original cast have appeared in concert videos between songs and they even have a song called “Take Off” featuring those classic brothers from the Great White North.
They have a song called “I think I’m going bald” which is obviously a joke and they even squeezed in plugging their unofficial fan newsletter “The National Midnight Star” in the song “Red Lenses” on Grace Under Pressure.
Sidenote: I’ve always hoped that I would be on Jeopardy with the following categories:
Rush
The Original 7 Astronauts
Supporting Actors from 80′s Action Movies
Downhill Skiing
Missouri Old Time Fiddle Tunes
The Rebel Alliance
Phew! Ok, let’s clear the palate. Let’s discuss the meaning of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown”.
Best part of this post: Kate’s zinger about women’s restrooms at Rush concerts.
Wow. Sorry I apologize to everyone for starting this. Okay, what’s Ray Stevens “Guitarzan” about?