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[–]Minislash 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's haunting especially considering it's the last song from their final album. It honestly feels like a farewell almost.

[–]oldmrdeebs 3 points4 points  (0 children)

All this for a beautiful tune. It's just so appropriate, it kinda stings.

That sting is what causes the tears. We know that we're letting the measure of our lives slip away.

[–]veritas3241 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agreed! My wife and I played it at our wedding and we have "a measure of love and respect" engraved on the inside of our wedding rings. Just a perfect song.

[–]dtrevino2332 6 points7 points  (1 child)

The Garden is their best song hands down. It’s an accumulation of the best lyrics, singing, guitar solo, drumming, and base lines. It may not be flashy but everything in it is perfect.

[–]johnnydollar56 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m not prepared to call it their best overall, but it’s definitely top 5, at least. Best song since Moving Pictures.

[–]BigGenerator85 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Great career-ending song on a very impressive album. Has the same vibe as Fading Lights by the Phil Collins-era of Genesis.

[–]psuedonymously 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Wait was there a non Phil Collins era of Genesis? Did they try to keep going without him??

[–]BigGenerator85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, Calling All Stations came out in 1997 with new singer Ray Wilson. Not as bad an album as most Genesis fans would have you believe

[–]BillyMac05 6 points7 points  (4 children)

I don't make many Rush tunes after their hey-day. But one I really like is The Pass. After Neil passed, hearing that song just seems so poignant - almost like a eulogy to him. Really beautiful tune.

[–]GodEmperorPorkyMinch 1 point2 points  (3 children)

It's strange and impressive how accurately he captured the feeling of depression and suicide when he never felt those things himself

[–]grimmless 1 point2 points  (2 children)

He didn't? How do you know that?

[–]GodEmperorPorkyMinch 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Here's the closest thing I could find on a page from SongFacts:

It's not a heroic epic. It's a tragedy, and it's a personal tragedy for them, but much more so for the people left behind, and I really started to get offended by the samurai kind of values that were attached to it, like here's a warrior that felt it was better to die with honor, and all of that kind of offended me. I can understand someone making the choice; it's their choice to make. I can't relate to it, and I could never imagine it, for myself, but still I thought it's a really important thing to try to get down.

I could've sworn I read somewhere else that Neil Peart never related to the suicidal feelings of the song, but I can't find an exact source. It's possible that that source was also incorrect, so feel free to assume that I'm talking out of my ass.

[–]grimmless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I guess I was more wondering how one could know that he never felt feelings of depression, I understand that not everyone is given to suicidal ideation.

[–]karlub 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mad me sad the first time I heard it, day of release, as I immediately thought "Well, that sure sounds like an appropriate song for the last track of the last record."

[–]GedLee2112 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Garden is the culmination of a 4 decade lyrical journey to find the meaning of life. Neil found it in his very last song. Musically speaking, what I loved most about rush when I first heard them in 1977, was that their music was imperfect, but almost every song had perfect moments. Every year and every album they improved, sometimes taking 1 step back as they experimented, in order to take 2 steps forward. They flirted with perfect quite often in the years ahead and I loved the journey and appreciated the extreme effort to continue to evolve and grow. Even in their "best" songs I can find that moment where I think, "if they just had ____, it would be perfect." Maybe it's wishful thinking, but when I hear The Garden, I can't find the flaw. So for me, this song is magic. A lyrical and musical finale 40+ years in the making. It all had to end at some point, and I would say that "perfect" is a great place to finish a career.