The first song on the self-titled
first album by the Canadian band
Rush . Also, a live version was released on the album
All the World's A Stage.
Words and music by
Geddy Lee and
Alex Lifeson;
John Rutsey on
drums and backup vocals, Lifeson on
guitars and backup vocals, Lee on
bass and lead vocals.
This song really says "1970's rock" to me, perhaps because of the harsh, shrill screaming of lyrics or the abundance of "ooh", "whoa" and "yeah" fillers. The heavy, repetitive guitar and bass disguise whatever drums Rutsey was trying to play. Unlike the band's later work, the lyrics are not very thoughtful or inspiring. The vague story that may be picked out of the second, sixth, eighth and tenth stanzas seems to describe a man, possibly meant to be the singer ("I sang some sad songs"), who has been traveling for some time ("I've lost count of the years" and "living on the road"), but is now returning to the woman he calls "babe" or "mama". Their previous relationship was rough, apparently ("you've done me some wrong/ left me lonely each night"), but the man is lonely and wants to come back to her anyway. He equates this with coming home ("I'm finding my way back home").
Because of copyright restrictions, only a small sample of the lyrics is given below.
Yeah, oh yeah!
Ooh, said I,
I'm comin' out to get you
Ooh, sit down
I'm comin' out to find you
Ooh, yeah. Ooh yeah
Findin' my way!
I've been gone so long
I've lost count of the years
Well, I sang some sad songs,
Oh yes, and cried some bad tears
Source: My Rush CD collection