"They were hiding behind hay bales,
They were planting in the full moon
They had given all they had for something new
But the light of day was on them,
They could see the thrashers coming
And the water shone like diamonds in the dew.
And I was just getting up, hit the road before it's light
Trying to catch an hour on the sun
When I saw those thrashers rolling by,
Looking more than two lanes wide
I was feelin' like my day had just begun.
Where the eagle glides ascending
There's an ancient river bending
Down the timeless gorge of changes
Where sleeplessness awaits
I searched out my companions,
Who were lost in crystal canyons
When the aimless blade of science
Slashed the pearly gates.
It was then I knew I'd had enough,
Burned my credit card for fuel
Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand
With a one-way ticket to the land of truth
And my suitcase in my hand
How I lost my friends I still don't understand.
They had the best selection,
They were poisoned with protection
There was nothing that they needed,
Nothing left to find
They were lost in rock formations
Or became park bench mutations
On the sidewalks and in the stations
They were waiting, waiting.
So I got bored and left them there,
They were just deadweight to me
Better down the road without that load
Brings back the time when I was eight or nine
I was watchin' my mama's T.V.,
It was that great Grand Canyon rescue episode.
Where the vulture glides descending
On an asphalt highway bending
Thru libraries and museums, galaxies and stars
Down the windy halls of friendship
To the rose clipped by the bullwhip
The motel of lost companions
Waits with heated pool and bar.
But me I'm not stopping there,
Got my own row left to hoe
Just another line in the field of time
When the thrashers comes, I'll be stuck in the sun
Like the dinosaurs in shrines
Then I'll know the time has come
To give what's mine."
Neil Young, Thrasher - Harvest, 1972
Neil, Rust Never Sleeps tour, 1979
3 comments:
Great song! Neil Young is one of those artists whose work is timeless. It's fun doing parody songs about the nymwars, but I think we're in great need of the kind of soundtrack the protest movement had in the '60s and eaerly '70s.
@Botgirl:
I love Neil's music and Thrasher seemed very appropriate; the innocence Young evokes of the early, authentic hippie movement, before it became co-opted.
I feel the thrashers myself, having lived in and through the net since it was glowing amber letters on a black monitor. There was hope there, and excitement at the possibilities inherent in this new thing.
There's been a slow-motion suborning of ther net for 15 years by several forces who have the same philosophy and aims. It's time we spoke up for our world or let it be reduced to just another entertainment service.
That would be a very sad loss of potential for everyone.
I've always loved that tune. And to what Botgirl suggested .. the really interesting thing is that today the protest artist has such direct, immediate access to avenues of publication. Sadly, few seem to be using it to full advantage. But this, IMO, is exactly what McLuhan was talking about with "The medium is the message". The medium has evolved, the mic is on and open to all, we need to step up and speak up.
ps, fuck Google/Blogger for not letting me post with my Wordpress account.
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