Unrest in the Forest

It would seem that I am not done with RUSH Hemispheres yet. My oldest daughter was doing a poetry project for her freshman English class and she needed a lyrical poem to add to her collection. She had chosen something from the Backstreet Boys, I think but did not have access to the words because our internet had been disconnected. We moved our computer across the living room and had to have Buckeye come out and move the cable.

Well, being musically inclined, I thought of RUSH “The Trees” from Hemispheres. I gave her the lyrics and played her the song. Her first thought was that it was about the struggle between black and white. I told her that it definitely fit the profile but you had to look at the bigger picture. It is any struggle between two groups. Here are the lyrics to help with that line of discussion.

"The Trees"

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

The song is about any two groups that cannot find some common ground on which to build a relationship. Sooner or later, one of them takes drastic action and a higher authority comes in with rules that neither want but are forced to accept. In this case, it is rule by hatchet, axe or saw.

So the next time there is unrest in the forest, it may be loftier to stick to your guns and assume the higher ground but in the end, looking for some common ground on which to build a relationship is always the best approach. Saddam Hussein is a classic example of not playing nicely. There is still unrest in the forest, but he is no longer one of the trees.

Icool

Cobb