4/26: The Trees
Happy Arbor Day everyone! Go hug a tree.
There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream, "Oppression"
And the oaks just shake their heads.
What can I say about “The Trees” that hasn’t already been said? What can I say that I haven’t already said myself? (I featured this song twice before, here and here.) It’s a popular tune for a reason: It’s got catchy riffs, a great drum line, and tells a complete story in less than five minutes.
It’s also deeply misunderstood, I think. A lot of alt-right, libertarian weirdos point to this song as evidence that Neil was just as much a nutjob as they are, that this song is clear proof their hero hated unions and affirmative action and communism and so on.
I don’t think that’s what the song’s about, though. Yes, the end of the story is that collective bargaining results in dystopian arborial crowd control. Not a great result! But how folks get from there to affirmative action (as they did in the 80s) is a logical leap I can’t cross.
Let’s not overlook that the maples actually had a legitimate greivance, in that trees need sunlight to live. The maples needed more sunlight, and the oaks ignored their neighbors in need. That’s not good neighboring. That’s not how a healthy society or community functions. You take care of your neighbors.
At any step this situation could have been de-escalated, if the maples had tried to make their argument without ad hominem attacks, while the oaks had shown a little more compassion to their have-not neighbors. Instead, these two sets of babies can’t get along, so they have to have the government step in, a last-resort option which rarely solves an interpersonal conflict without creating new ones.
Ah well, now I’m on a soapboax. At least y’all expect it of me by now. Happy Arbor Day. :)
Anyway, here’s the official video for “The Trees,” according to the Rush VEVO account. I love it. Everyone sounds amazing: These are Ged’s peak helium years, but he has complete control over the sound and timbre of his voice, while Alex is mesmerizing as he strums that classical melody. And gosh, that first hit of the cymbals from Neil—all drama, no chill. It’s just everything I love about this band in one five minute video.
(Also, we need to talk about Geddy’s hair. How that man did so many drugs yet had such luscious locks probably indicates some sort of Dorian Gray scenario afoot here, and if so, I need to know where he’s keeping the magic portrait.)