Pretty powerful stuff, huh Whimsy. Happy to see that you're doing both the studio then live versions. Great idea! Thanks again for another great reaction. Hope you had a great halloween. 👻
@@donmcewan8807 i had a nice relaxing Halloween, hope yours was nice too. After hearing them play in studio, I just gotta see them perform live to compare and see how the heck they do this lol. And then I'm just left in awe as always lol 🤗🤟
@@jimtatro6550 my grandparents had a drum set, piano and organ in their living room lol. And they would let me mess around with them. I thought I was so cool thinking i knew how to play lol
The sheer GENIUS of RUSH. This live track is from the R30 Tour. I saw 3 shows on this tour and hearing “The Trees” was one of the highlights of the tour for me. Of course every RUSH tour was always sheer pleasure but some of the “older” songs just brought back memories of my teenage years in the 70’s when this stuff was first released. Thanks for doing this one and I really liked you doing both the studio track along side the live version. KEEP RUSHING!! 🤘🎶💜
@@lisaharrison1031 im so glad you enjoyed my reaction. I find it fun to first listen to the studio then watch them perform it. Its fun to see what they do and perform. Fun to hear it sometimes different live. Especially when they add or don't add sound effects. Its a nice comparison. And to prove that either studio or live...they still rock it hard! 🤗🤟
This is a great song in many ways. So many songs for you still to discover. Especially the older ones. Keep up the good work commenting to these pearls 😁
Hi, you are a beautiful soul Whimsey, I know how you feel. That is what Rush can do to you, and I for one appreciate you. Thank you and have a great weekend.
Nice analogy whimsy. love this song when it was first released still do. its great therapy the instrument break, when Alex remains on the arpeggio style picking, before the lead solo, if only for a short time can take u for some restrengthening, on a spiritual level. a lot of rush has that type of feedback for me. And don't worry no trees were harmed in the making of this song. smiles, love and respect. take care
@@WhimsyMeadows it's a good feeling being hooked on rush I'll be out doing rush videos also but waiting to tie them to a greater honor I feel that's under development. Plus just how important rush has been a part of my life for decades, and for all the new listeners like yourself, their music and lyrics has positively affected, and changes come from lessons learned so blessed to have this band in a lot of ways, u well wishes take care till the next compliment lol
What strikes me as really funny is that the maples get their own way at the end, but the funny thing is they're taller than other trees. So the song specifically says all the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, ax, and saw, which means no tree can get any taller than the shortest species of tree. If they do, they're cut down. YAY, They won. Rush's songs are often cautionary tales.
I seldom comment on videos but your expression on the last line compled me to respond. First when asked about the meaning of the song, Neil responded, it's just a song about trees. But... If I may. RUSH has the ability to tell stories in a way that can be felt. I think of them as the Modern Mozarts. They aren't only gifted musicians they are more than that. They are the old story tellers who throughout the ages recorded history through music and rhyme. You actually feel the music through them. And as a bonus. Man is part of nature. There is no equity in nature.
@@geezersonbeer5089 thank you for commenting. Of course with Neil, one can't just listen without taking time o really hear it. He probably said it was just a song about trees with a slight smirk. Was it really just a song about trees as if they could speak, or was it more.
Good day eh Rush Sister ❤ Yes, Alex had his pick in his mouth. He uses it for his electric guitar and he finger picks the acoustic. There is a part in the instrumental section where Alex is plucking I always see squirrels running up and down the trees LOL It sounds so whimsical. Neil discribed this song once as "what if trees acted like people " Have a good one! Cheers
You just reacted to one of my all time favorite songs. Thank you! I love your reactions to Rush perform because I see the moment when you "get it" in their music writing. I get emotional too when I see them perform. Maybe it's be because it's a reminder of when I was there in the audience in awe. 😊
@@robertl4104 thank you for your kind words. I love their music, the lyrics make you think. I love that. And then its like, "OH!" And no I don't think its just you, for I get very emotional too🤗🤟
Thanks for memories... See your on the odd journey of Rush... Lots of songs people don't react too... This is all the stuff I fell in love with... The music and the words are great for a world said to be Drugs, Sex, and Rock & Roll... Epic journey through a group who cares about US or yet r.US.h... Keep letting me know I enjoy your smile as you journey through Rush...
@@jackburton5941 I'm glad I'm on a different route then. I fell in love from my first reaction of Rush, and I need them all lol. Rush every Friday, so stay tuned! 🤗🤟
Whimsey good job you just played 3rd favorite rush song the trees when i saw them on the hemispheres tour alex just blew me away hes a master at his craft keep on rocking cookie
I saw Rush for the 1st time, November 10th '78, Sacramento Memorial auditorium, Hemispheres tour. I could have died and gone to Heaven.. saw them 21x's more. I love Rush! They are IT!!
Neil really made you think while enjoying music at the same time! if you want to see something mind blowing by them watch yyz live r30, the crowd will blow you away,
@@michellecarrier8334 thank you. Its on my list, and I can't wait to react to it. And yes lol Neil always makes me stop and think, "what did he mean by that?" Lol
Actually the best YYZ live recording crowd-wise was from RUSH in Rio. Mind blowing! I saw them live at least 17 times and I never saw anything like that one!
Another top reaction. Thanks, Whimsy. On the bright side, if there was an unrest in the forest, there would be plenty of tasty Tree-Blood, i.e. Maple Syrup, for us! 😂
This song has led to a lot of speculation about it’s lyrical intent. Many feel this is speaking to social inequality and how to keep everyone on an equal footing. I know Neil has stated it really was a reaction to a Saturday cartoon with animated trees carrying on among themselves and what that would look like if people were the trees. The beauty of lyrics is that each of us can come up it’s our own interpretation and be just as right as anyone else. Most importantly the music is fantastic !
I love The Trees, even though the relative lyrical ambiguity has caused headaches for the band, especially around the time of release. The UK music press were the worst, but at the same time it was a very tough period there economically in the mid-late '70s. People can interpret songs how they like but for me the Trees is about the struggle for equality and how we ultimately behave, with catastrophic consequences, based on our relative positions in society. Thematically, it's more relevant today than ever.
It is the threat of the hatchet, axe, and saw that keep the equality among the maples in the Oaks. They didn't get cut down, the threat of getting cut down led to the equality. Like many Rush tunes, it is a comment on society and it's ills.
Comment #2 for me here, sorry. The live version is astounding, I've been more enthused by Rush since 'Spirit of Radio' and 'Moving Pictures', played a few of their songs with a classic rock band in '05-07, nothing this complex; 'Limelight', 'Dreamline', 'In the Mood', 'Summertime Blues à la their 'Feedback' album's Blue Cheer inspired cover, 'Bravado', idk. The bassist also led a Rush tribute band.
Good as this is, I prefer the Exit Stage Left version (1981 Montreal), without the electronic drums; and it seemed more energetic. I saw it live, on that tour, and - along with Freewill and the famous medley - it rocked the joint!
2112 is metaphoric warnings of so many of society's directional fates. this song is right up there with it. timeless in it's message/warning and ultimate solution, which is simply equality. orwelian in a way. metaphoric and timeless. xo
Yes, this song is not very thinly veiled social commentary about all too human politics-- metaphorical. The band says it's just a song about wacky trees, but they just want to avoid the inevitable controversy.
SSSooooooooo much more!!! Love the reaction!!!!! Totally appreciate you!!!!!!! 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Of course there is political imagery to be interpreted from this song but according to Neil he'd watched a cartoon where a tree had spoken & thought 'wouldn't it be fun if trees could speak'. And so this wonderful folksy tune was born x
@@michaelatkinson8291 kinda reminded me of those first black n white cartoons where everything was alive and moved. And leave it to Neil to write about a cartoon he read once lol.
For what it's worth, Neil has replied differently in other interviews. "In his 2007 book Roadshow: Landscape With Drums. A Concert Tour by Motorcycle, Peart clarified that the song (The Trees) was "a parable about collectivism"."
Likely true, but remember how Neil had been burned by the press and sheep for earlier things he said about independence versus the collective, it taught him to answer questions such as this one in vague generalities
I agree Ms Whimsy, this is one song clearly better live with the added effects and extended ending. IMO, however, live isn't always better. I find their mid 80's into the 90s stuff tended to sound better on the studio versions because Alex was using so many more lighter guitar accents/effects that live just doesn't pick up. He was "floating" above many of those songs on GUP, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto and Roll the Bones and most of that can't be heard on the live versions. But again, everyone listens to different things so it's only my opinion and worth what you paid for it. The argument is always settled in a reaction video like this when both studio and live are done.
I love reading everyone's comments, everyone has their own ideas and interpretation, which is how I believe music was meant to be. Make one think and not just listen. Meaning can be complex or simple. Alex playing leaves me in awe every time
The only thing better is listening to Rush on the bike, at one point I stopped at the lights and natural sciences had its moment and the teenagers in the car next to me were looking around for where the music 🎵 was coming from. Ghost 👻 Rider
@@WhimsyMeadows depends on what I am on the mini triumph scrambler x400 more cute then intimidating, most are confused 😕 about where it’s coming from. 🤣
@@Simon-RucknRideAUD good, keep it blasting. I blasting my music everytime I drive or I have it playing from my phone while shopping, gotta get these younglings a listen to what real music sounds like lol
This song is clearly not about trees. Equality is a much more loaded issue than most people think. The only practical version of social equality, ironically enough, seems to be when it is enforced from above by an autocratic governing power.
For me it screams out allegory for the French Revolution when the common people who were very oppressed rose up and the noble classes were guillotined and the French Republic was formed and its mantra: 'liberty equality and fraternity'. Also Russian revolution which lead to a communist/Marxist state to quote Karl Marx: " “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs” . Rush the thinking man's group as always.
@@compnnburns8831 thats what I love about them and their music. It makes you think and come up with your own interpretation of what the lyrics are really about. 🤗🤟
We love your too, Whimsy. This song can be interpreted on different levels...Be careful what you wish for. Demands can be dangerous, maybe making you more trouble than you think you are worth. Equality isn't always best, since more often than not (politically) social justice becomes socialist communism and everybody is made equal by reducing all to the lowest common denominator and the state take it all... All that said, Neil wasn't being too serious on this one. He said he just came up with it on a whim more or less while enjoying the great outdoors, IIRC. And probably no deeper meaning than the first "be careful what you wish for" if that.
Sounds like the colony of Canada vis à vis the British initially. That last line catches you up short, though. Ayn Rand's potential influence on Peart kept me wary for years, the kinds of simplistic rendering of socialist leanings and their "inevitable" consequences. Bushwah. 😂
It’s rare to be surprised at the stupidity of internet comments. But here we are. There has never been a more transparent and unambiguous song about communism. The main criticism of this song is it is so “on the nose” that it barely qualifies as allegory. It’s one step away from having Geddy just literally sing “hey everyone, communism makes people equal by violently cutting down anyone who excels.”
This is a song that laments the ultimate outcome of socialist policies, where individuality, free expression and achievement based on merit go to die. It has aged well over the years. The first version I heard as a kid was on Exit… Stage Left (a live version from 1981-82) and bought the album, Hemispheres, later and heard the studio version for the first time.
Now theres no more OAK oppression. Be careful of the laws you call to be enacted or you might be kept equal by hatchet axe and saw, everybody equally oppressed
In this song, the hatchet, axe & saw are the equalizers for the trees, while for Mankind, the equalizers are Thermonuclear Weapons of War, or potentially Alien invaders with advanced weaponry (outside forces, similar to how Humans are destroying/cutting down trees). That’s one take on it all of course.
Whimsy, "oppression" is a bad thing. On the other hand, a top-down attempt to "equalize" things, like what Communism tried to do, is also bad. When employees strike, it is usually for a good reason, but it is "bottom up"; it comes from the "grass root"-employees who are experiencing a difficulty that is unreasonable, and the managers or owners of the company are not responding. That is a legitimate wrong that should be addressed and sometimes strikes are the only way to get the attention of the decision-makers. Unions help to keep the relationship between owners and employees equitable, fair and non-exploitative. That way both sides can thrive and achieve more and more success and security.
@@michaelbriefs9764 i agree. Like at my work recently. We are part of a union and the union fought hard for a better few years for us. More sick days, better income, and more give away of shifts without getting written up or fired.
I think we could effectively eliminate the need for unions by voting into power lawmakers who are SERIOUS about wealth redistribution. Sadly, the Dems only PRETEND to be in favor of that. At least the Republicans are honest about their intentions. We need a NEW party that will shift the federal tax burden to the super-rich. The top 10% has $100 TRILLION in wealth. That's enough to pay EVERYONE'S federal taxes for the next 40 years! We also need a party that will stop wasting dollars on war and welfare. Those are the WORST kind of dollars to put into circulation. They allow the people who receive those dollars to diminish the supply of things we buy, without contributing to that supply. That runs up prices. We need bank reform too. Like the kind suggested in the documentary "The Money Masters".
![Rush ~ The Trees ~ R30 Tour ~ [HD 1080p] ~ September 24, 2004 at the Festhalle Frankfurt, Germany](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eIKOoyyTBzs/mqdefault.jpg)
Each song from them is like a gift to the world and i thank them for
@@garya7893 and all the world's a stage, and we are merely players... 🤗🤟
Pretty powerful stuff, huh Whimsy.
Happy to see that you're doing both the studio then live versions. Great idea!
Thanks again for another great reaction. Hope you had a great halloween. 👻
@@donmcewan8807 i had a nice relaxing Halloween, hope yours was nice too. After hearing them play in studio, I just gotta see them perform live to compare and see how the heck they do this lol. And then I'm just left in awe as always lol 🤗🤟
Amen
As a band drummer geek in high school, I loved playing the temple block section of this song 😂
@@jimtatro6550 my grandparents had a drum set, piano and organ in their living room lol. And they would let me mess around with them. I thought I was so cool thinking i knew how to play lol
The sheer GENIUS of RUSH.
This live track is from the R30 Tour. I saw 3 shows on this tour and hearing “The Trees” was one of the highlights of the tour for me.
Of course every RUSH tour was always sheer pleasure but some of the “older” songs just brought back memories of my teenage years in the 70’s when this stuff was first released.
Thanks for doing this one and I really liked you doing both the studio track along side the live version.
KEEP RUSHING!! 🤘🎶💜
@@lisaharrison1031 im so glad you enjoyed my reaction. I find it fun to first listen to the studio then watch them perform it. Its fun to see what they do and perform. Fun to hear it sometimes different live. Especially when they add or don't add sound effects. Its a nice comparison. And to prove that either studio or live...they still rock it hard! 🤗🤟
Anagogical, metaphorical, allegorical, subtle nuance, complexity, hermeneutical, lyrically, compositionally, musically, simply the best band...ever. 😁
A new rock group trio from Mexico, the warning. Everyone must listen to me there are modern day. Rush.
The trees is an allegory. It’s about us. Beautifully genius, both in the music and the lyrics.
@@fredermac7468 only Neil could write about something like trees and make it incredible 👏 😍
The trees is one of my favorite songs.
@@shannonherb2048 i think its one of my favorites now too 🤗🤟
This is a great song in many ways.
So many songs for you still to discover. Especially the older ones. Keep up the good work commenting to these pearls 😁
im having a great time reacting to these pearls, i look forward to it every week :)🤗
Amazing 1978 live version of this song on video worth checking out.
Incredible
"Natural Science" is another phenomenal tune.
I'll add it to the list
I often argue with myself, "What's my favorite Rush song?" And, without question.. Natural Science is always my go to... (most of the time) 😁
Hi, you are a beautiful soul Whimsey, I know how you feel. That is what Rush can do to you, and I for one appreciate you. Thank you and have a great weekend.
🌳🌳🌳An amazing song!
@@theG-man-p2h I love how they use different sound effects when doing studio vs live 🤗🤟
Nice analogy whimsy. love this song when it was first released still do. its great therapy the instrument break, when Alex remains on the arpeggio style picking, before the lead solo, if only for a short time can take u for some restrengthening, on a spiritual level. a lot of rush has that type of feedback for me. And don't worry no trees were harmed in the making of this song. smiles, love and respect. take care
Lol well I'm glad no trees were actually hurt 😁
Rush has me hooked, can't get enough and I won't be done reacting till I hear them all lmao
@@WhimsyMeadows it's a good feeling being hooked on rush I'll be out doing rush videos also but waiting to tie them to a greater honor I feel that's under development. Plus just how important rush has been a part of my life for decades, and for all the new listeners like yourself, their music and lyrics has positively affected, and changes come from lessons learned so blessed to have this band in a lot of ways, u well wishes take care till the next compliment lol
What strikes me as really funny is that the maples get their own way at the end, but the funny thing is they're taller than other trees.
So the song specifically says all the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, ax, and saw, which means no tree can get any taller than the shortest species of tree. If they do, they're cut down. YAY, They won.
Rush's songs are often cautionary tales.
@@Silica_Packer i love how his lyrics really make you think. Not a boring song in the batch 🤗🤟
Thanks for sharing! Guess I’ll rake some leaves!
I seldom comment on videos but your expression on the last line compled me to respond.
First when asked about the meaning of the song, Neil responded, it's just a song about trees. But...
If I may. RUSH has the ability to tell stories in a way that can be felt. I think of them as the Modern Mozarts. They aren't only gifted musicians they are more than that. They are the old story tellers who throughout the ages recorded history through music and rhyme. You actually feel the music through them.
And as a bonus.
Man is part of nature.
There is no equity in nature.
@@geezersonbeer5089 thank you for commenting. Of course with Neil, one can't just listen without taking time o really hear it. He probably said it was just a song about trees with a slight smirk. Was it really just a song about trees as if they could speak, or was it more.
Yes its his pick, at the end of the classical part he takes it out of his mouth for the final strums before switching to the electric.
@@leemiracle6840 lol thats awesome, such talent
Good day eh Rush Sister ❤
Yes, Alex had his pick in his mouth. He uses it for his electric guitar and he finger picks the acoustic.
There is a part in the instrumental section where Alex is plucking I always see squirrels running up and down
the trees LOL It sounds so whimsical.
Neil discribed this song once as "what if trees acted like people "
Have a good one!
Cheers
@@debbieplato5107 leave it to Neil to write an amazing song about trees lol
@@WhimsyMeadows Yes, he could write a song about anything and it would sound fantastic.
You just reacted to one of my all time favorite songs. Thank you! I love your reactions to Rush perform because I see the moment when you "get it" in their music writing. I get emotional too when I see them perform. Maybe it's be because it's a reminder of when I was there in the audience in awe. 😊
@@robertl4104 thank you for your kind words. I love their music, the lyrics make you think. I love that. And then its like, "OH!"
And no I don't think its just you, for I get very emotional too🤗🤟
Thanks for memories... See your on the odd journey of Rush... Lots of songs people don't react too... This is all the stuff I fell in love with... The music and the words are great for a world said to be Drugs, Sex, and Rock & Roll... Epic journey through a group who cares about US or yet r.US.h... Keep letting me know I enjoy your smile as you journey through Rush...
@@jackburton5941 I'm glad I'm on a different route then. I fell in love from my first reaction of Rush, and I need them all lol. Rush every Friday, so stay tuned! 🤗🤟
Whimsey good job you just played 3rd favorite rush song the trees when i saw them on the hemispheres tour alex just blew me away hes a master at his craft keep on rocking cookie
@@SteveTurpin-g6j and he always looks like he's having so much fun. Such a big personality 😌 so humble too
I saw Rush for the 1st time, November 10th '78, Sacramento Memorial auditorium, Hemispheres tour. I could have died and gone to Heaven.. saw them 21x's more. I love Rush! They are IT!!
This Live version was different.....I to loved the extra sounds
@@utubberize right? It just made me feel like they were actually in a forest
Get you thinking, don't they? That's why Rush has to be listened to several times because there is so much going on.
@@ashleygraham8781 why I always replay their songs after my reactions
Neil really made you think while enjoying music at the same time! if you want to see something mind blowing by them watch yyz live r30, the crowd will blow you away,
@@michellecarrier8334 thank you. Its on my list, and I can't wait to react to it.
And yes lol Neil always makes me stop and think, "what did he mean by that?" Lol
Actually the best YYZ live recording crowd-wise was from RUSH in Rio. Mind blowing! I saw them live at least 17 times and I never saw anything like that one!
Very dramatic song, I love the imagery it invokes
@@BrendaHughes-e6s yes me too. His lyrics always makes one think
Another top reaction. Thanks, Whimsy. On the bright side, if there was an unrest in the forest, there would be plenty of tasty Tree-Blood, i.e. Maple Syrup, for us! 😂
@@atpat480 maple syrup....yummmm.... 😋
This song has led to a lot of speculation about it’s lyrical intent. Many feel this is speaking to social inequality and how to keep everyone on an equal footing. I know Neil has stated it really was a reaction to a Saturday cartoon with animated trees carrying on among themselves and what that would look like if people were the trees. The beauty of lyrics is that each of us can come up it’s our own interpretation and be just as right as anyone else. Most importantly the music is fantastic !
@@gregcormier2379 I think that was Neils intention all along. To write lyrics that aren't completely understood
Epic perfection!
@@offroadhusky i agree completely 🤗🤟
Alex makes that telecaster sing in the live version.
@@trevalarose8155 Ikr..Alex is so amazing, his personality just shines on stage 🤗🤟
@WhimsyMeadows phenomenal guitarist and his speech at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is hilarious.
I love The Trees, even though the relative lyrical ambiguity has caused headaches for the band, especially around the time of release. The UK music press were the worst, but at the same time it was a very tough period there economically in the mid-late '70s.
People can interpret songs how they like but for me the Trees is about the struggle for equality and how we ultimately behave, with catastrophic consequences, based on our relative positions in society. Thematically, it's more relevant today than ever.
@@auntcleo1997 however the meaning may be, i think its perfectly clear how truly talented they all are
Your reaction is delightful! I guess we all die in the end but not murdered! 😂
It is the threat of the hatchet, axe, and saw that keep the equality among the maples in the Oaks. They didn't get cut down, the threat of getting cut down led to the equality. Like many Rush tunes, it is a comment on society and it's ills.
@@kenbourne8011 ohhhhh.... thats brilliant 👏 lol
I thought it was more the oaks got themselves pruned. Like, tax the billionaires type stuff.
We will MAKE them give us light! Those Maples ain't effin' around yo!
Comment #2 for me here, sorry.
The live version is astounding, I've been more enthused by Rush since 'Spirit of Radio' and 'Moving Pictures', played a few of their songs with a classic rock band in '05-07, nothing this complex; 'Limelight', 'Dreamline', 'In the Mood', 'Summertime Blues à la their 'Feedback' album's Blue Cheer inspired cover, 'Bravado', idk. The bassist also led a Rush tribute band.
@@damonhines8187 thats awesome. What instrument did you play? I'm gona guess guitar?
@WhimsyMeadows yep.
Good as this is, I prefer the Exit Stage Left version (1981 Montreal), without the electronic drums; and it seemed more energetic. I saw it live, on that tour, and - along with Freewill and the famous medley - it rocked the joint!
I believe that version was remastered??
@@joesixpack8305- I think Stickhits did a decent remaster of the video.
@@AnthonyKellettStick Hits is worthy of being considered the fourth member of Rush, at this point. Whoever they are, they are doing God's work 👍
According to Neil Peart, the Rush song “The Trees” is a parable about collectivism and the tensions between liberty and equality.
Metaphorically the best song ever written! Interpret the song as you wish!
2112 is metaphoric warnings of so many of society's directional fates. this song is right up there with it. timeless in it's message/warning and ultimate solution, which is simply equality. orwelian in a way. metaphoric and timeless. xo
Yes, this song is not very thinly veiled social commentary about all too human politics-- metaphorical. The band says it's just a song about wacky trees, but they just want to avoid the inevitable controversy.
SSSooooooooo much more!!! Love the reaction!!!!! Totally appreciate you!!!!!!! 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
@@Buds1own thank you my friend 🤗🤟
Of course there is political imagery to be interpreted from this song but according to Neil he'd watched a cartoon where a tree had spoken & thought 'wouldn't it be fun if trees could speak'. And so this wonderful folksy tune was born x
@@michaelatkinson8291 kinda reminded me of those first black n white cartoons where everything was alive and moved. And leave it to Neil to write about a cartoon he read once lol.
For what it's worth, Neil has replied differently in other interviews. "In his 2007 book Roadshow: Landscape With Drums. A Concert Tour by Motorcycle, Peart clarified that the song (The Trees) was "a parable about collectivism"."
Likely true, but remember how Neil had been burned by the press and sheep for earlier things he said about independence versus the collective, it taught him to answer questions such as this one in vague generalities
@@scott4482 I can't blame him.
If Oak dont give up more light they get the axe...lol
Did you know Alex INVENTED that acoustic guitar stand you see him using at the start of the live version....
@@Roddrummer gasp, he did? Wow...I did not know that. Can any three be more brilliant than these?
@ yep, such brilliant creative minds.
I've lost the poll 😂 Waiting for Red Barchetta❤
@@edgarpacifico3421 keep watching. Its on my list 🤗🤟🚗
@WhimsyMeadows absolutely ☺️
I agree Ms Whimsy, this is one song clearly better live with the added effects and extended ending. IMO, however, live isn't always better. I find their mid 80's into the 90s stuff tended to sound better on the studio versions because Alex was using so many more lighter guitar accents/effects that live just doesn't pick up. He was "floating" above many of those songs on GUP, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto and Roll the Bones and most of that can't be heard on the live versions. But again, everyone listens to different things so it's only my opinion and worth what you paid for it. The argument is always settled in a reaction video like this when both studio and live are done.
I love reading everyone's comments, everyone has their own ideas and interpretation, which is how I believe music was meant to be. Make one think and not just listen. Meaning can be complex or simple.
Alex playing leaves me in awe every time
The only thing better is listening to Rush on the bike, at one point I stopped at the lights and natural sciences had its moment and the teenagers in the car next to me were looking around for where the music 🎵 was coming from. Ghost 👻 Rider
@@Simon-RucknRideAUD they were probably wondering who that awesome music was. Lol
@@WhimsyMeadows depends on what I am on the mini triumph scrambler x400 more cute then intimidating, most are confused 😕 about where it’s coming from. 🤣
@@Simon-RucknRideAUD 😆
@@Simon-RucknRideAUD good, keep it blasting. I blasting my music everytime I drive or I have it playing from my phone while shopping, gotta get these younglings a listen to what real music sounds like lol
This song is clearly not about trees. Equality is a much more loaded issue than most people think. The only practical version of social equality, ironically enough, seems to be when it is enforced from above by an autocratic governing power.
For me it screams out allegory for the French Revolution when the common people who were very oppressed rose up and the noble classes were guillotined and the French Republic was formed and its mantra: 'liberty equality and fraternity'. Also Russian revolution which lead to a communist/Marxist state to quote Karl Marx: " “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs” . Rush the thinking man's group as always.
@@compnnburns8831 thats what I love about them and their music. It makes you think and come up with your own interpretation of what the lyrics are really about. 🤗🤟
We love your too, Whimsy.
This song can be interpreted on different levels...Be careful what you wish for. Demands can be dangerous, maybe making you more trouble than you think you are worth. Equality isn't always best, since more often than not (politically) social justice becomes socialist communism and everybody is made equal by reducing all to the lowest common denominator and the state take it all...
All that said, Neil wasn't being too serious on this one. He said he just came up with it on a whim more or less while enjoying the great outdoors, IIRC. And probably no deeper meaning than the first "be careful what you wish for" if that.
I think that's terrific. I love how Neil could write about anything and make it sound incredible 😍
When they play live it. Sounds like they wanted it to before the editing
@@RickManning-s1f i bet you thats what it is. Seems like a great way to play it the way you want live
rush the garden live!
its amust please
@@zerglilngvet5428 amazing
@@zerglilngvet5428 its def on the list my friend
Neil Peart had three drum techs.
It's a metaphor
@@timdeck Neil seems to love metaphors
It's his pick in his mouth! He is finger picking on the acoustic!
@@winstonhewett6679 thank you so much, thats what I figured 🤗🤟
and the acoustic is on a stand so when Alex is done, he simply moves away, takes the pick out of his mouth and makes that Telecaster scream!
@@kentgreer1079 wow thats so amazing, so well thought out!
@@WhimsyMeadowsThey only had six hands between them. And so many instruments to play.... Best band ever!
Alex also does this during The Garden, when he plays the keyboards towards the end of the song!
The perfect anti-equity song.
Sounds like the colony of Canada vis à vis the British initially. That last line catches you up short, though. Ayn Rand's potential influence on Peart kept me wary for years, the kinds of simplistic rendering of socialist leanings and their "inevitable" consequences. Bushwah. 😂
@@damonhines8187 it def caught me off guard lol
its his pick hun in his mouth....plays acoustic with fingers only
@@utubberize thank you, that's what I thought but wasn't sure 🤗🤟
It’s rare to be surprised at the stupidity of internet comments. But here we are. There has never been a more transparent and unambiguous song about communism. The main criticism of this song is it is so “on the nose” that it barely qualifies as allegory. It’s one step away from having Geddy just literally sing “hey everyone, communism makes people equal by violently cutting down anyone who excels.”
This is a song that laments the ultimate outcome of socialist policies, where individuality, free expression and achievement based on merit go to die. It has aged well over the years. The first version I heard as a kid was on Exit… Stage Left (a live version from 1981-82) and bought the album, Hemispheres, later and heard the studio version for the first time.
. Witch Hunt shows what happens when MAGA 🤡 🤡 run the show.
You Seem intelligent. Socialistic societies are the ONLY type that allow free expression. Try again.
@@kevinkeenan6078 Oh, Brother!
Yep. Equally Miserable.
Nah. It's just a silly song about trees.
Now theres no more OAK oppression.
Be careful of the laws you call to be enacted or you might be kept equal by hatchet axe and saw, everybody equally oppressed
@@scott4482 agree totally 🤗🤟
In this song, the hatchet, axe & saw are the equalizers for the trees, while for Mankind, the equalizers are Thermonuclear Weapons of War, or potentially Alien invaders with advanced weaponry (outside forces, similar to how Humans are destroying/cutting down trees). That’s one take on it all of course.
Not cutting down trees.....just a trim
A comentary on Socialism? i wonder if Neil was inspired Ayn Rand with this one. Does anyone have any info on this thought?
Read Ayn Rand
Whimsy, "oppression" is a bad thing. On the other hand, a top-down attempt to "equalize" things, like what Communism tried to do, is also bad. When employees strike, it is usually for a good reason, but it is "bottom up"; it comes from the "grass root"-employees who are experiencing a difficulty that is unreasonable, and the managers or owners of the company are not responding. That is a legitimate wrong that should be addressed and sometimes strikes are the only way to get the attention of the decision-makers. Unions help to keep the relationship between owners and employees equitable, fair and non-exploitative. That way both sides can thrive and achieve more and more success and security.
@@michaelbriefs9764 i agree. Like at my work recently. We are part of a union and the union fought hard for a better few years for us. More sick days, better income, and more give away of shifts without getting written up or fired.
I think we could effectively eliminate the need for unions by voting into power lawmakers who are SERIOUS about wealth redistribution. Sadly, the Dems only PRETEND to be in favor of that. At least the Republicans are honest about their intentions. We need a NEW party that will shift the federal tax burden to the super-rich. The top 10% has $100 TRILLION in wealth. That's enough to pay EVERYONE'S federal taxes for the next 40 years! We also need a party that will stop wasting dollars on war and welfare. Those are the WORST kind of dollars to put into circulation. They allow the people who receive those dollars to diminish the supply of things we buy, without contributing to that supply. That runs up prices. We need bank reform too. Like the kind suggested in the documentary "The Money Masters".