Faithless
Music by Lee and Lifeson / Lyrics by Peart
I've got my own moral compass to steer by
A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky
And all the preaching voices -
Empty vessels ring so loud
As they move among the crowd
Fools and thieves are well disguised
In the temple and market place, In the temple and market place
Like a stone in the river
Against the floods of spring
I will quietly resist, I will quietly resist
Like the willows in the wind
Or the cliffs along the ocean
I will quietly resist, I will quietly resist
I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless, You can call me faithless
But I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me, And that's faith enough for me
I've got my own spirit level for balance
To tell if my choice is leaning up or down
And all the shouting voices
Try to throw me off my course
Some by sermons, some by force
Fools and thieves are dangerous
In the temple and marketplace, In the temple and marketplace
Like a forest bows to winter
Beneath the deep white silence
I will quietly resist
I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless, You can call me faithless
But I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me, And that's faith enough for me
Like a flower in the desert
That only blooms at night
I will quietly resist
I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless, You can call me faithless
But I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me, And that's faith enough for me
And that's faith enough for me...
Shannon’s Perspective:
I can't pick a favorite verse for this one. I've tried but each one is just so powerful to me. Religion and specifically organized religion has always been, as the young people would say, a trigger for me. Not hard to believe when you realize from the age of 6 until the age of 16 I was brought up with the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We went to church 3 times a week and a week long convention once a year. It left a bad taste in my mouth, that coupled with my natural curiosity made me very leery of any organized religion. Later in life I did try other churches, turns out none were for me and eventually I realized they weren't ever going to be for me.
During the time in my life when this song came out I worked with a lady named Diane. Diane was a nice enough person and a decent co-worker and we got along pretty well except for the fact that she was really religious and I was not. Most of the time I just let her be and ignored her comments.
Sometimes I would engage in conversations with her about her beliefs and would share my journey as well. But one day she said the wrong thing at the wrong time....something about being a sinner and praying for me. Well that was it for me. I sent her an email with the lyrics to this song politely explaining I did not want or need her prayers and she should either pray for someone else or keep it to herself if she felt the need to pray for me.
I spent my childhood having someone else force their religious beliefs on me I was not going to spend my adulthood feeling the same way.
The best way to sum up my feelings on organized religion is with this quote:
"My dear, religion is like a penis. It's a perfectly fine thing for one to have and take pride in, but when one takes it out and waves it in my face we have a problem."
P.S. In my Entre Nous writeup I talk about my tattoo and trying to decide what I wanted, for a while at the top of the list was my own Moral Compass. I'd still like to have one, maybe someday.
On May 1st, 2007, I heard not only the Rush song, but the song period I had been waiting my whole life to hear. For quite a while after the release of Snakes & Arrows, I would tell anyone I could this fact.
Nobody gave a shit. And that's ok.
But if someone in the future wants to know what I really thought about organized religion, religious beliefs in general or how I went about resisting fools, thieves, snake oil salesman, Leroy Jenkins (of Delaware, Ohio fame - 12 miles from my hometown of Sunbury) or Leeroy Jenkins (of WOW fame - no, I never played but the internet meme has gone down in history as one of the funniest things ever - to me) all you need to do is listen to this song.
So here's to you, Rush, for writing a song that could not have nailed me more personally.
Oh - and here's to you, "F" religion! and all its zealots...
Rest In Peace, Neil Peart - 09/12/1952 - 01/07/2020
30th Anniversary
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