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There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the Maples want more sunlight
And the Oaks ignore their pleas
The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade?
There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks, just shake their heads
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet,
Axe,
And saw
There is trouble with the trees
For the Maples want more sunlight
And the Oaks ignore their pleas
The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade?
There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks, just shake their heads
So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet,
Axe,
And saw
Lyrics submitted by crackermcnacca
Track duration: 04:42
"The Trees" as written by Armando Christian Perez, Ronald Ray Bryant, Drazen Kvocic, David Vurdelja, Angel Lafaele Noa
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Duh!
Duh!
Maples (lower class ) are whining because they don't have equal rights. So they pass a law that makes them equal with the Oaks (upper class). Communism sets in and the Communist (possibly socialist) government takes over and kills ("Hatchet, ax, and saw" ) everyone who doesn't follow "Da Rules"
That's the thing about Rush, everything they write is capable of connecting with someone in some way, and there are often people who go away with wider eyes, so to speak.
Equality is a word that is used too loosely. I personally believe that all people and creatures should have the same, equal CHANCE to have the good and healthy life that they desire. Those who work harder or prove that they mean business are the ones who deserve these lives. Blatantly saying that all people have the right to a good life is just ignorant. But we still should understand that there are so many people around the world that don't have the opportunity at all to even try for the kind of life they may deserve, and that is unfair...born into the shade.
Look at this, 2013 and RUSH still has people dwelling into these deep thoughts. What a band.
In the first verse, the song says "There is unrest in the forest/ There is trouble with the trees". This is referring to the time period when women realize that they are not being treated fairly, and would like change. The next lines state "For the maples want more sunlight/ And the oaks ignore their pleas". The maples represent women who would like more sunlight, or rights in this case. The oaks, who are the men, ignore the women, not giving them what they want.
The second verse starts like this- "The trouble with the maples/ (And they are quite convinced they're right)/ They say the oaks are just too lofty/ And they grab up all the light". The women know they are correct about equality and say that the men are just being too selfish and stuck in their ways. Men are taking most rights away from women for the sole reason that they are female. Next comes "But the oaks can't help their feeling/ If they like the way their made" meaning men like the fact that they are who they are and have all the say. The following line "And they wonder why the maples/ Can't be happy in the shade" tells me that men can't see why the women are unhappy with what they have.
The third verse can be explained all together and is goes like this, "There is trouble in the forest/ And the creatures al have fled/ As the maples scream 'Oppression!'/ And the oaks just shake their heads". As the women feel ignored, they fight harder and louder, causing more turmoil in the US or the forest as they put it in the song. The men still do not think that it is right to give women what they want, so they just shake their heads.
As we come to the last verse, women become more powerful and demand their rights by forming a union. The song puts it like this, "So the maples formed a union/ And demanded equal rights/ 'The oaks are just too greedy/ We will make them give us light'". The last lines of the song concludes the women's rights movement by saying "Now there's no more oak oppression/ For they passed a noble law/ And the trees are all kept equal/ By hatchet, axe, and saw". Women finally have their pleas heard and a law is passed for equal rights for both men and women. In the eyes of the law, everyone has equality.
This song may have no meaning to someone who only looks at the word, and does not look beyond to their meaning. Being raised as a child of two parents in the Armed Services, "The Trees" by Rush is a great song about women fighting for equal rights.
Specifically, this could be about how it feels just to be the maple. Maple sounds like male but also has two syllables like female. (this is going with the whole woman oppression theme) but wat really is the powerful clause is that one thinks they are better than the other. The pleas of the smaller are insignificant...the oaks just shake their heads.
It's more of a critique of society and the "generalities" of ignorance. How the smaller can fight to level the grounds when all they are really doing is creating hostility. You can't force ignorance to comply....you can only wish that evolution will eventually create equals (not generally) within the context of a mental mindset.
The oaks think they are better and the maples think they can up-rise against them but if the oaks cannot understand and neither can the maples, they are left to grapple about the heights and none shall ever rise. It's easy to think you are mighty or get mad when you know you are not, but what is rational? What is natural??
It's simply a critique to the modern day world society.
Biologically speaking, oaks and maples in the wild have adapted to their own niches and can happily live without interfering with each other.
In this case however, trees become a metaphor of human society, where individuals always want more, despite they can live peacefully in their current situation.
The end result of this competitiveness for light is that both parties are equally harmed and none of the two actually gains anything from the upheavel.
Just my interpretation.