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RUSH LYRICS
"Counterparts" (1993)
1. Animate
2. Stick It Out
3. Cut to the Chase
4. Nobody's Hero
5. Between Sun & Moon
6. Alien Shore
7. The Speed of Love
8. Double Agent
9. Leave That Thing Alone
10. Cold Fire
11. Everyday Glory
1. Animate
Polarize me
Sensitize me
Criticize me
Civilize me
Compensate me
Animate me
Complicate me
Elevate me
Goddess in my garden
Sister in my soul
Angel in my armor
Actress in my role
Daughter of a demon lover
Empress of the hidden face
Priestess of the pagan mother
Ancient queen of inner space
Spirit in my psyche
Double in my role
Alter in my image
Struggle for control
Mistress of the dark unconscious
Mermaid of the lunar sea
Daughter of the great enchantress
Sister to the boy inside of me
My counterpart, my foolish heart
A man must learn to rule his tender part
A warming trend, a gentle friend
A man must build a fortress to defend
A secret face, a touch of grace
A man must learn to give a little space
A peaceful state, a submissive trait
A man must learn to gently dominate
Polarize me
Sensitize me
Criticize me
Civilize me
Compensate me
Animate me
Complicate me
Elevate me
2. Stick It Out
Trust to your instincts
If it's safely restrained
Lightning reactions
Must be carefully trained
Heat of the moment
Curse of the young
Spit out your anger
Don't swallow your tongue
STICK IT OUT
Don't swallow the poison
SPIT IT OUT
Don't swallow your pride
STICK IT OUT
Don't swallow your anger
SPIT IT OUT
Don't swallow the lies
Natural reflex
Pendulum swing
You might be too dizzy
To do the right thing
Trial under fire
Ultimate proof
Moment of crisis
Don't swallow the truth
STICK IT OUT
Don't swallow the poison
SPIT IT OUT
Don't swallow your pride
STICK IT OUT
Don't swallow your anger
SPIT IT OUT
Don't swallow the lies
Each time we bathe our reactions
In artificial light
Each time we alter the focus
To make the wrong moves seem right
You get so used to deception
You make yourself a nervous wreck
You get so used to surrender
Running back to cover your neck
STICK IT OUT
Don't swallow the poison
SPIT IT OUT
Don't swallow your pride
STICK IT OUT
Don't swallow your anger
SPIT IT OUT
Don't swallow the lies
3. Cut to the Chase
It is the fire that lights itself
But it burns with a restless flame
The arrow on a moving target
The archer must be sure of his aim
It is the engine that drives itself
But it chooses the uphill climb
A bearing on magnetic north
Growing farther away all the time
Can't stop moving
Can't stop moving
Can't stop...
You may be right
It's all a waste of time
I guess that's just a chance I'm prepared to take
A danger I'm prepared to face
Cut to the chase
It is the rocket that ignites itself
And launches its way to the stars
A driver on a busy freeway
Racing the oblivious cars
It's the motor of the western world
Spinning off to every extreme
Pure as a lover's desire
Evil as a murderer's dream
Young enough not to care too much
About the way things used to be
I'm young enough to remember the future
The past has no claim on me
I'm old enough not to care too much
About what you think of me
But I'm young enough to remember the future
And the way things ought to be
Cut
Cut...
Cut to the chase
You may be right
It's all a waste of time
I guess that's just a chance I'm prepared to take
A danger I'm prepared to face
Cut to the chase
What kind of difference can one person make?
Cut to the chase
4. Nobody's Hero
I knew he was different in his sexuality
I went to his parties as a straight minority
It never seemed a threat to my masculinity
He only introduced me to a wider reality
As the years went by, we drifted apart
When I heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero -- lands the crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries
Hero -- not the handsome actor
Who plays a hero's role
Hero -- not the glamour girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
If anybody's buying,
Nobody's hero
I didn't know the girl, but I knew her family
All their lives were shattered in a nightmare of brutality
They try to carry on, try to bear the agony
Try to hold some faith in the goodness of humanity
As the years went by, we drifted apart
When I heard that she was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But she's nobody's hero
Is the voice of reason against the howling mob
Hero -- is the pride of purpose
In the unrewarding job
Hero -- not the champion player
Who plays the perfect game
Hero -- not the glamour boy
Who loves to sell his name
Everybody's buying
Nobody's hero
As the years went by, we drifted apart
When I heard that you were gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero -- lands the crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries
Hero -- not the handsome actor
Who plays a hero's role
Hero -- not the glamour girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
If anybody's buying,
Nobody's hero
Hero
5. Between Sun & Moon
There is a lake between sun and moon
Not too many know about
In the silence between whisper and shout
The space between wonder and doubt
This is a fine place
Shining face to face
Those bonfire lights in the mirror of sky
The space between wonder and why
Ahh yes to yes to ahh ahh to yes
Why the sun?... why the sun?
There is a fine line between love and illusion
A fine place to penetrate
The gap between actor and act
The lens between wishes and fact
This is a fine place
To hesitate
Those bonfire lights in the lake of sky
The time between wonder and why
Ahh yes to yes to ahh ahh to yes
Why the sun?... why the sun?
Some need to pray to the sun at high noon
Need to howl at the midwinter moon
Reborn and baptized in a moment of grace
We just need a break
From the headlong race
This is a fine place
Shining face to face
Those bonfire lights in the mirrored sky
The space between wonder and why
Ahh yes to yes to ahh ahh to yes
Why the sun?... why the sun?
6. Alien Shore
You and I, we are strangers by one chromosome
Slave to the hormone, body and soul
In a struggle to be happy and free
Swimming in a primitive sea
You and I, we must dive below the surface
A world of red neon and ultramarine
Shining bridges on the ocean floor
Reaching to the alien shore
For you and me, sex is not a competition
For you and me, sex is not a job description
For you and me
We agree
You and I, we are pressed into these solitudes
Colour and culture, language and race
Just variations on a theme
Islands in a much larger stream
For you and me, race is not a competition
For you and me, race is not a definition
For you and me
We agree
But that's just us...
Reaching for the alien shore
You and I, we reject these narrow attitudes
We add to each other, like a coral reef
Building bridges on the ocean floor
Reaching for the alien shore
For you and me, race is not a competition
For you and me, sex is not a definition
For you and me, we hold these truths to be self-evident
For you and me, we'd elect each other president
For you and me
We might agree
But that's just us...
Reaching for the alien shore
7. The Speed of Love
Love is born with lightning bolts
Electro-magnetic force
Burning skin and fireworks
A storm on a raging course
Like a force of nature,
Love can fade with the stars at dawn
Sometimes it takes all your strength
Just to keep holding on
At the speed of love
A radiance that travels
At the speed of love
My heart goes out to you.
Love is born with solar flares
From two magnetic poles
It moves towards a higher plane
Where two halves make two wholes
Like a force of nature,
Love shines in many forms
One night we are bathed in light
One day carried away in the storms
At the speed of love
Nothing changes faster
Than the speed of love
My heart goes out to you.
We don't have to talk
We don't even have to touch
I can feel your prescence
In the silence that we share
Got to keep moving
At the speed of love
Nothing changes faster
Than the speed of love
Got to keep on shining
At the speed of love
Nothing changes faster
Than the speed of love
At the speed of love
A radiance that travels
At the speed of love
My heart goes out to you.
8. Double Agent
Where would you rather be?
Anywhere but here
When will the time be right?
Anytime but now
"On the edge of sleep, I was driting for half the night
Anxious and restless, pressed down by the darkness
Bound up and wound up so tight."
So tight...
"So many decisions, a million revisions
Caught between darkness and light..."
Wilderness of mirrors
World of polished steel
Gears and iron chains
Turn the grinding wheel
I run between the shadows
Some are phantoms, some are real
Where would you rather be?
Anywhere but here
When will the time be right?
Anytime but now
Where would you rather be?
The doubt and the fear
I know would all disappear
Anywhere but here
Anywhere but here...
"On the edge of sleep, I heard voices behind the door
The known and the nameless, familiar and faceless
My angels and my demons at wa"r
At war...
"Which one will lose depends on what I choose
Or maybe which voice I ignore..."
Wilderness of mirrors
Streets of cold desire
My precious sense of honour
Just a shield of rusty wire
I hold against the chaos
And the cross of holy fire
Wilderness of mirrors
So easy to deceive
My precious sense of rightness
Is sometimes so naive
So that which I imagine
Is that which I believe
"On the edge of sleep, I awoke to a sun so bright
Rested and fearless, cheered by "your nearness
I knew which direction was right
Was right...
"The case had been tried by the jury inside
The choice between darkness and light...
The choice between darkness and light."
9. Leave That Thing Alone
10. Cold Fire
It was long after midnight
When we got to unconditional love
She said "Sure, my heart is boundless
But don't push my limits too far."
I said "If love was so transcendant
I don't understand these boundaries."
She said "Just don't disappoint me,
You know how complex women are."
I'll be around
If you don't let me down too far
I'll be around
If you don't let me down
It was just before sunrise
When we started on traditional roles
She said "Sure, I'll be your partner
But don't make too many demands."
I said "If love has these conditions,
I don't understand those songs you love."
She said "This is not a love song
This isn't fantasyland."
Don't go too far
A phosphorescent wave on a tropical sea is a cold fire
Don't cross the line
The pattern of moonlight on the bedroom floor is a cold fire
Don't let me down
The flame at the heart of a pawnbroker's diamond is a cold fire
Don't break the spell
The look in your eyes as you head for the door is a cold fire
I'll be around
If you don't push me down too far
I'll be around
If you don't push me down
Love is blind if you are gentle
Love can turn to a long, cold burn...
11. Everyday Glory
In the house where nobody laughs
And nobody sleeps
In the house where love lies dying
And the shadows creep
A little girl hides shaking,
With her hands on her ears
Pushing back the tears,
'Til the pain disappears
Mama says some ugly words
Daddy pounds the wall
They can fight about their little girl later
Right now they don't care at all
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
Everyday people
Everyday shame
Everyday promise shot down in flames
Everyday sunrise
Another everyday story
Rise from the ashes and blaze
In everyday glory
In the city where nobody smiles
And nobody dreams
In the city where desperation
Drives the bored to extremes
Just one spark of decency
Against a starless night
One glow of hope and dignity
A child can follow the light
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
Everyday people
Everyday shame
Everyday promise shot down in flames
Everyday sunrise
Another everyday story
Rise from the ashes and blaze
In everyday glory
If the future's looking dark
We're the ones who have to shine
If there's no one in control
We're the ones who draw the line
Though we live in trying times
We're the ones who have to try
Though we know that time has wings
We're the ones who have to fly...
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