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As the waves crash in
on the western shore
the wind blows fierce from the east.
Wavetops torn into flying spindrift.
As the waves crash in
on the western shore
it makes me feel uneasy.
The spray that's torn away
is an image of the way I feel.
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
when you talk that way?
As the sun goes down
on the western shore
the wind blows hard from the east.
It whips the sand intoa flying spindrift.
As the sun goes down
on the western shore
it makes me feel uneasy.
In the hot, dry rasp of the devil winds
who cares what a fool believes?
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
when you talk that way?
Words that fly against the wind and waves.
(A little closer to you.)
Where is the wave that will carry me
a little closer to you?
What am I suuposed to do?
Where are the words that will make you see
what I believe is true?
on the western shore
the wind blows fierce from the east.
Wavetops torn into flying spindrift.
As the waves crash in
on the western shore
it makes me feel uneasy.
The spray that's torn away
is an image of the way I feel.
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
when you talk that way?
As the sun goes down
on the western shore
the wind blows hard from the east.
It whips the sand intoa flying spindrift.
As the sun goes down
on the western shore
it makes me feel uneasy.
In the hot, dry rasp of the devil winds
who cares what a fool believes?
What am I supposed to say?
Where are the words to answer you
when you talk that way?
Words that fly against the wind and waves.
(A little closer to you.)
Where is the wave that will carry me
a little closer to you?
What am I suuposed to do?
Where are the words that will make you see
what I believe is true?
Lyrics submitted by stephanierush07
Track duration: 05:24
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"Spindrift usually refers to spray, particularly to the spray blown from cresting waves during a gale. This spray, which "drifts" in the direction of the gale, is one of the characteristics of a wind speed of 8 Beaufort and higher at sea.
lymingtonharbour.co.uk/tide%20weather/…"
If you drive anything at a Spindrift( a ship or a plane, most likely a ship )..., your view is hardly damaged. It´s difficult to do maneuvres and a lot of accidents have happened because of Spindrift( youtube it ).
So, the natural phenomena affects people´s view. Hmmm.
As usual, Peart´s lyrics may have double meaning. It could be understood in a political and enviromentalist way. When something or somebody does something in the east, it reflects on the west side of the planet. And vice-versa. It could be related to the way we are treating the planet( when we polute the environment, we are poluting not only our country, but the whole planet ). The way politicians and countries "talk that away" with one another, may reflect how disconnected we are from a global point of view of catastrophes and human strives, generically speaking.
And, of course, it could be understood in a personal way: When a person shocks with some other person, it may create a Spindrift, MEANING: The shock between these two may "blind" them and make them speechless ( "Where are the words to answer you?" "Where is the wave that will carry me?" - a clear reference to the phenomena here ).
However, seeing how other songs on the album are very critical of current conflicts (i.e The Way The Wind Blows), I can see how this could be more of a broader statement about the east and west.
Ultimately, this song is about the clash between values of Western liberal tolerance and extreme religious intolerance. As someone said, "one can tolerate anything other than the intolerant".
"The addressee, though, is not a 'significant other', but a significant proportion of the whole, wide world."
I believe that the narrator of the song is lamenting a lost person, someone who "talks that way" and he is wondering why he's so distant and the person is being so cold to him, and he has mixed feelings of love, confusion and anger.
Neil Peart is a lyrical genius. I admire him as both a godly percussionist, and a poet. He is a truly ethereal man.