"no swimming in the heavy water"
-a pun on heavy water, an altered form of H2O used in plutonium production. Nuclear fallout is thus hinted at.
"no singing in the acid rain"
-an ironic pun on the classic hollywood musical "singin' in the rain." The insertion of "acid" into the phrase turns the happy-go-lucky tone of the film on its head, since acid rain is a dangerous result of pollution.
"take a page from the red book"
-I'm betting this is a rather obscure allusion to Tolkien. We know from "Rivendell" that Peart is a fan, so I think it's fair to assume he is familiar with the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, in which it is claimed that both The Hobbit and LOTR were translated from The Red Book discovered by Tolkien. Many readers of Tolkien noticed parallels between the events in Middle Earth and political events in the '30s and '40s, including the policy of appeasement taken by Britain towards Hitler. Sauron's unchecked rise to power after his defeat by the men and elves mirrors Germany's rise after her defeat in WWI. Since this song addresses the Cold War, to "take a page from the Red Book and keep them in your sights" in this context means to remain vigilant and attempt when possible to check the power of the Soviets.
"Absalom, Absalom, Absalom!"
-Absalom in the Hebrew Bible is one of King David's sons, who incites and leads a rebellion against his father, splitting the Kingdom of Israel and ultimately precipitating his own death in battle. After David's victory, David mourned his son's death against the wishes of his general, who feared demoralizing the troops. This line is likely an indirect allusion to this biblical story, routed as it were through Faulkner's novel "Absalom, Absalom!" which also deals with conflict between father and son. As for how this allusion fits in with the themes in the rest of the song, I'm kind of at a loss.
@tommythecat42 Neil Peart stated that for a father (King David) mourning, CRYING over his son's death (Absalom), THEN saying he wished he had died instead of his son, even son who rebelled against him. Neil said in an interview David saying that last part-that it IS the ultimate expression of compassion.
............I wish I were dead instead of my son who rebelled against me! :(......
@tommythecat42 Neil Peart stated that for a father (King David) mourning, CRYING over his son's death (Absalom), THEN saying he wished he had died instead of his son, even son who rebelled against him. Neil said in an interview David saying that last part-that it IS the ultimate expression of compassion.
............I wish I were dead instead of my son who rebelled against me! :(......
NOTES
"no swimming in the heavy water" -a pun on heavy water, an altered form of H2O used in plutonium production. Nuclear fallout is thus hinted at.
"no singing in the acid rain" -an ironic pun on the classic hollywood musical "singin' in the rain." The insertion of "acid" into the phrase turns the happy-go-lucky tone of the film on its head, since acid rain is a dangerous result of pollution.
"take a page from the red book" -I'm betting this is a rather obscure allusion to Tolkien. We know from "Rivendell" that Peart is a fan, so I think it's fair to assume he is familiar with the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, in which it is claimed that both The Hobbit and LOTR were translated from The Red Book discovered by Tolkien. Many readers of Tolkien noticed parallels between the events in Middle Earth and political events in the '30s and '40s, including the policy of appeasement taken by Britain towards Hitler. Sauron's unchecked rise to power after his defeat by the men and elves mirrors Germany's rise after her defeat in WWI. Since this song addresses the Cold War, to "take a page from the Red Book and keep them in your sights" in this context means to remain vigilant and attempt when possible to check the power of the Soviets.
"Absalom, Absalom, Absalom!" -Absalom in the Hebrew Bible is one of King David's sons, who incites and leads a rebellion against his father, splitting the Kingdom of Israel and ultimately precipitating his own death in battle. After David's victory, David mourned his son's death against the wishes of his general, who feared demoralizing the troops. This line is likely an indirect allusion to this biblical story, routed as it were through Faulkner's novel "Absalom, Absalom!" which also deals with conflict between father and son. As for how this allusion fits in with the themes in the rest of the song, I'm kind of at a loss.
Here is a link with interview quotes with Pert talking about the Absalom reference:
Here is a link with interview quotes with Pert talking about the Absalom reference:
songfacts.com/detail.php
songfacts.com/detail.php
@tommythecat42 Neil Peart stated that for a father (King David) mourning, CRYING over his son's death (Absalom), THEN saying he wished he had died instead of his son, even son who rebelled against him. Neil said in an interview David saying that last part-that it IS the ultimate expression of compassion. ............I wish I were dead instead of my son who rebelled against me! :(......
@tommythecat42 Neil Peart stated that for a father (King David) mourning, CRYING over his son's death (Absalom), THEN saying he wished he had died instead of his son, even son who rebelled against him. Neil said in an interview David saying that last part-that it IS the ultimate expression of compassion. ............I wish I were dead instead of my son who rebelled against me! :(......