This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
He's a rebel and a runner
He's a signal turning green
He's a restless young romantic
Wants to run the big machine
He's got a problem with his poisons
But you know he'll find a cure
He's cleaning up the systems
To keep his nature pure
Learning to match the beat of the old-world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third-world man
He's got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend the mess he makes
He's old enough to know what's right
And young enough not to choose it
He's noble enough to win the world
But weak enough to lose it
He's a new-world man
He's a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He's a writer and ranger and a young boy bearing arms
He's got a problem with his powers
His weapons on patrol
He's got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control
Trying to save the day for the old-world man
Trying to pave the way for the third-world man
He's not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today
He's noble enough to know what's right
But weak enough not to choose it
He's wise enough to win the world
But fool enough to lose it
He's a new-world man
Learning to match the beat of the old-world man
He's learning to catch the heat of the third-world man
He's a new world man
He's a new world man
He's a signal turning green
He's a restless young romantic
Wants to run the big machine
He's got a problem with his poisons
But you know he'll find a cure
He's cleaning up the systems
To keep his nature pure
Learning to match the beat of the old-world man
Learning to catch the heat of the third-world man
He's got to make his own mistakes
And learn to mend the mess he makes
He's old enough to know what's right
And young enough not to choose it
He's noble enough to win the world
But weak enough to lose it
He's a new-world man
He's a radio receiver
Tuned to factories and farms
He's a writer and ranger and a young boy bearing arms
He's got a problem with his powers
His weapons on patrol
He's got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control
Trying to save the day for the old-world man
Trying to pave the way for the third-world man
He's not concerned with yesterday
He knows constant change is here today
He's noble enough to know what's right
But weak enough not to choose it
He's wise enough to win the world
But fool enough to lose it
He's a new-world man
Learning to match the beat of the old-world man
He's learning to catch the heat of the third-world man
He's a new world man
He's a new world man
Lyrics submitted by crackermcnacca
New World Man Lyrics as written by Gary Lee Weinrib Neil Elwood Peart
Lyrics © Anthem Entertainment
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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To me, this song speaks of the challenges of being the USA. "He" is America, born of rebellion and just running/pushing into the future with no red light to stop him and full of romantic idealism married with ambition to become the pre-eminent power. Understanding he'll have problems, he also knows/believes he can overcome anything.
The "old world man" are the old European powers of yesteryear that resent the new kid on the block but expect that new kid to behave with deference and be their saviour when needed. Obviously, the "third world man" are emerging countries - their resentment of what America possesses underlying the need and expectation that America will assist them too.
Peart sees the good and bad in America - wisdom and foolishness, nobility and weakness, intellecualism and bellicosity, the desire to do the right thing but the reality of sometimes just not choosing the right path. The lyric "a radio receiver tuned to factories and farms, he's a writer" refers to a nation of great diversity and broad understanding capable of scripting its future but the line "ranger and a young boy bearing arms" infers an impulsive and inexperienced nation that sometimes just charges ahead without thought. This nation is great enough to win the world but just might lose it all through foolish decisions.
Speaking as a Canadian observing, appreciating and sometimes deriding America from north of the 49th parallel, I thing Neil pretty much nailed this one straight on. America is great and full of promise, worthy of admiration ... but somehow, it just never seems to realize all it could be.
I'm not sure if the rest of the world sees America with the same affection and concern for where it might end up in the long run, so my interpretation might be coloured by my nationality. Then again, this IS a Canadian band ...
@GWNMusing, you're thinking so much deeper than most of us do. And I say: more power to you. I'm American, but not typical, due to being globally-travelled and fluent in three languages. So I've gained a rather "outside" perspective of my country, and everything you said above is, IMO, spot on. And thanks for giving such an extensive, in-depth analysis of a fantastic song...whose lyrics were written by one of the deepest thinkers in recent times.
@GWNMusing Yes, that is exactly how I always interpreted the lyrics. A young nation that has accumulated an enormous amount of power in a relatively short period. What will this "young boy" do with all this power? The verses and chorus refer to positive and negative signs.
This is a song about America. (America = the new world man). It's about how we are perceived by other nations (third world and old world), and how a nation so young can handle being a world power.
I especially like the line "He's old enough to know what's right and young enough not to choose it."
-Dhaval
@dhaval sorry to break it to you but not everything is about america<br />
@declan1000 But THIS song undeniably is....
One of the best sets of lyrics ever!
It's about America as a rising world leader the events surrounding a rise to power.
This song is just about America in general. How we have emerged so quickly as a world leader, while only being three hundred years old. America sometimes doesn't seem readt for that postion, other times it shines. It has its ups and down, just as the song suggests.
@DasBear017 <br /> <br /> True. And now its collapsing.
@DasBear017 - As Benjamin Franklin said long ago: "Ignorance and arrogance is never a good combination, but seldom in short supply." How asinine of people on here to suggest that a Canadian band wrote a song about the USA being a so-called world leader. Simply ridiculous. It's about the type of person who struggles with societal advances, especially in technology. Speaks about most of us.
To me, "New World Man" is a metaphor for the United States, particularly in 1982, when the song was written. In the 1980s, with its revived Cold War tensions, the USA was trying to save the day for the Old World Men (Western Europe), and trying to pave the way (other than the Soviet Way) for developing nations.
This song is clearly about the USA. Consider the time it was written, 1982, when the Cold War was still raging.
Terms like "Old World" and "Third World" definitely refer to other countries. "Third World" had an especially potent meaning in 1982. It was the developing and often unstable part of the world that the USA and the USSR were fighting over.
America as the "New World Man", full of power "with weapons on patrol", admired and yet resented by other nations, trying to save the day (from Soviet aggression) for the Old World (Western European) Man, and trying to pave the way (a way other than, and away from, Communism) for the Third World Man. Culturally he (it?) often was (and still is) seen as primitive by the Old World Man, and imperious by the Third World Man.
Is the song pro-USA? In the sense that it is upbeat, yes. However, the lyrics also contain admonitions and warnings of how the USA, with all its power, could blunder terribly, and even do evil. The New World Man, for all his nobility, still has problems with his power and poisons. Neil Peart, a Canadian, viewed the USA quite positively, while still acknowledging its flaws.
He is the one pushing forward into the future... the one who rides the wake and feels the ebb and flow. Lost in his fractal boundary, neither here nor there and torn between the push from the old and the pull towards the new, and trying to find himself amidst those tidal forces which surround him.
He is independent and free thinking, but keeps an open ear and mind to the noise which is around him. He is the artist and the philosopher. He is the one who deals with the present as it shows itself, and gives his insight back to those around him. The New World Man is the most important in any society because he is the one who pushes everyone else forward, even if begrudgingly or unwittingly.
I think this entire album is about the individual, the intellectual and the new world man coming to grips with himself and his wold in the middle of this seemingly chaotic maelstrom of progress.
more great lyrics from Neil. one of the more mellow rush songs
this song is actually not written by neil. the style of the lyrics is very different than that of neil's which rely heavily on allusions and a much more emotionally deep subject while this song has no literary allusions and is not as deep. Compare this to trees another of rush's more political songs and you can see what i mean. nevertheless this is a fantastic song that can touch the hearts of the new generation coming into power (me) and or politicians who can see the path america is taking and fix her problems<br />
the best song that rush ever did.
This is my mother's favorite Rush song, and with good reason: It is a wonderful song. I could care less aobut wha it means (well not really, songs with a deeper meaning rule all) just because it sounds so beautiful.