Rush - Natural Science Lyrics

When the ebbing tide retreats
Along the rocky shoreline
It leaves a trail of tidal pools
In a short lived galaxy
Each microcosmic planet
A complete society

A simple kind of mirror
To reflect upon our own
All the busy little creatures
Chasing out their destinies
Living in their pools
They soon forget about the sea

Wheels within wheels in a spiral array
A pattern so grand and complex
Time after time we lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see their effects

A quantum leap forward in time and in space
The universe learned to expand
The mess and the magic, triumphant and tragic
A mechanized world out of hand

Computerized clinic for superior cynics
Who dance to a synthetic band
In their own image, their world is fashioned
No wonder they don't understand

Wheels within wheels in a spiral array
A pattern so grand and complex
Time after time we lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see their effects

Science, like nature must also be tamed
With a view towards its preservation
Given the same state of integrity
It will surely serve us well

Art as expression not as market campaigns
Will still capture our imaginations
Given the same state of integrity
It will surely help us along

The most endangered species, the honest man
Will still survive annihilation
Forming a world, state of integrity
Sensitive, open and strong

Wave after wave will flow with the tide
And bury the world as it does
Tide after tide will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on as it was

• Anonymous

  As one of the hugest Rush fans on the planet, I've gotta say that this is the perfect song that defines Rush. It's progressive, the musicality is way up there, great melody throughout, and time changes up the wazoo. Maybe not a favorite for the radio but if there was one song that had to sum up Rush, this is it!