Shannon’s Perspective:

“All I know is that memory can be too much to carry
Striking down like a bolt from the blue
All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
Everything in life you thought you knew”

I absolutely love this song.  The imagery created by the story is right up my alley and the pessimism in the chorus is as well.  Mostly though, it’s the above lyrics that get me EVERY SINGLE TIME.

As with most people I have had my share of memories striking down like a bolt from the blue, sometimes they bring sadness and sometimes they bring happiness but almost always they bring tears.  For me it’s music and the sense of smell that brings things back so fast it makes your head spin.  To this day I cannot smell the original green Palmolive dishwashing liquid without smiling and thinking of my grandma Rhodes.  Or hear the song Tequila without thinking of my baby brother Jock, not because we drank Tequila but because of the dance sequence in the movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.  Memories are so weird sometimes.

Larry’s Pick: The Wreckers

We've arrived at the point where my reference to this song as mentioned in The Dark of the Sun comes to life.

There's nothing like a little true history lesson woven into a Rush song, and a shocking one at that! Apparently back in the day (of lighthouse usage) there was a group of people off the coast of Cornwall in Britain that would actually put up FAKE LIGHTHOUSES to lure ships to their doom so they could plunder all the goods for themselves.

Honestly, I never really thought a lot about lighthouses over the course of my life. And when I did, there was zero negative connotations about them - I mean, they are literally designed to save lives. So when I learned about this, I was shocked; I mean, really shocked. Call me naïve, I suppose.

And therein lies the danger; my or anyone else's naivety about life that I think is captured perfectly in these lyrics:

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
Of a miracle too good to be true

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
Everything in life you thought you knew

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
'Cause sometimes the target is you

This is such a great song and the lyrics tell that history so vividly. But there is always so much more in a Rush song. Slipped in at the end is this little ditty.

All I know is that memory can be too much to carry
Striking down like a bolt from the blue

It sucks when that happens; because depending on what it is, it can be devastating. For someone who lost his only daughter and then his wife right after that - I can't imagine writing this lyric.

But sometimes, those bolts can be comforting. Let me give you a personal example.

In 2014 I took my first major solo motorcycle trip (heading from Ohio to Saint Francis for Shannon's 25th HS reunion). I actually created Ride Reports on Facebook everyday during that ride. On that journey I had a few key "must see" things - one being Greensburg, KS. Not only because of the F5 Tornado, but the Big Well as well. Here is part of the actual writeup I did (full Facebook posts below):

#2: I find it fascinating how a particular smell can transport you immediately to another place and time. ATTRACTION SPOILER ALERT! As I was descending into the Big Well, that damp, musty smell immediately transported me to the basement of my grandmother's house in downtown Sidney, OH. Emotionally it was a "bolt from the blue" and gave me pause from what I was doing. Although you are supposed to focus while you are riding, sometimes you just spend time thinking and remembering. I did a lot of that today...
 
The Wreckers
Music by Lee and Lifeson, lyrics by Peart

The breakers roar on an unseen shore
In the teeth of a hurricane
Oh, We struggle in vain
A hellish night - a ghostly light
Appears through the drivin' rain
Salvation in human chain

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
Of a miracle too good to be true

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
Everything in life you thought you knew

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
'Cause sometimes the target is you

Driven aground, with that awful sound
Drowned by the cheer from ashore
Oh, We wonder what for
The people swarm through the darking storm
Gather everything they can score
'Til their backs won't bear any more

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
Of a miracle too good to be true

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
Everything in life you thought you knew

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
Of a miracle too good to be true

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
'Cause sometimes the target is you

The breakers roar on an unseen shore
In the teeth of an icy grave; In the teeth of an icy grave
Oh, the human chain (Chain)
Leaves a bloody stain
Washed away in the pounding waves; Washed away in the pounding waves

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
Of a miracle too good to be true

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
All the things in life you thought you knew

All I know is that sometimes you have to be wary
'Cause sometimes the target is you

All I know is that memory can be too much to carry
Striking down like a bolt from the blue

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
Everything in life you thought you knew

All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary
'Cause sometimes the target is you

Rest In Peace, Neil Peart - 09/12/1952 - 01/07/2020

P.S. Whether you choose to believe it or not, Shannon and I usually don't collaborate on our write-ups. Today I cobbled mine together throughout the entire day (read at work) while Shannon did hers at home. I got home, had dinner (breakfast, really), we danced to our songs and then I read her my entry - and she read me hers. It's incredible to me that we both referenced something involving our grandmothers and more incredible that we both kept the interpretation as "glass half full"...

30th Anniversary

Our Story - Shannon's Perspective

Our Story - Larry's Perspective

Ghost of a Chance (Rush) and why?