Radio Paradise (mobile)

They were hiding behind hay bales,
They were planting in the full moon
They had given all they had for something new
But the light of day was on them,
They could see the thrashers coming
And the water shone like diamonds in the dew.
And I was just getting up, hit the road before it's light
Trying to catch an hour on the sun
When I saw those thrashers rolling by,
Looking more than two lanes wide
I was feelin' like my day had just begun.
Where the eagle glides descending
There's an ancient river bending
Through the timeless gorge of changes
Where sleeplessness awaits
I searched out my companions,
Who were lost in crystal canyons
When the aimless blade of science
Slashed the pearly gates.
It was then I knew I'd had enough,
Burned my credit card for fuel
Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand
With a one-way ticket to the land of truth
And my suitcase in my hand
How I lost my friends I still don't understand.
They had the best selection,
They were poisoned with protection
There was nothing that they needed,
Nothing left to find
They were lost in rock formations
Or became park bench mutations
On the sidewalks and in the stations
They were waiting, waiting.
So I got bored and left them there,
They were just deadweight to me
Better down the road without that load
Brings back the time when I was eight or nine
I was watchin' my mama's T.V.,
It was that great Grand Canyon rescue episode.
Where the vulture glides descending
On an asphalt highway bending
Thru libraries and museums, galaxies and stars
Down the windy halls of friendship
To the rose clipped by the bullwhip
The motel of lost companions
Waits with heated pool and bar.
But me I'm not stopping there,
Got my own row left to hoe
Just another line in the field of time
When the thrasher comes, I'll be stuck in the sun
Like the dinosaurs in shrines
But I'll know the time has come
To give what's mine.

cmarcan Nov 02, 2012 - 15:23	Sorry bud. I'm pretty sure your gonna have to sit through Neil Young a lot more times before you die. Suck it up. rdo wrote: If I have to hear one more rambling cry-me-a-river dirge from this guy, I swear, it's razor blades for me... [ Reply ]
johnjconn Aug 31, 2012 - 16:57	BKardon wrote: Anyone know what this song is written about? Sure It's about a Thrasher, duh [ Reply ]
rdo Aug 31, 2012 - 16:51	If I have to hear one more rambling cry-me-a-river dirge from this guy, I swear, it's razor blades for me... [ Reply ]
triviagal Jul 31, 2012 - 06:52	I hate Neil Young's voice when he does solos —- but I really like THIS song. [ Reply ]
On_The_Beach May 28, 2012 - 23:00	Cynaera wrote: Here - read the lyrics. And to sort of (not) answer your question: They're gorgeous lyrics, but they could apply to farmers losing their farms, friends losing their hope, people caving in to the rhetoric and babble that means nothing... Could be anything. I'd bet, though, that those thrashers are symbolic of destruction. VERY deep lyrics. Thanks for asking - perhaps others will weigh in on this song... Cynaera, if it's true, what romeo says, that you have left us, I too will miss you and your thoughtful posts. [ Reply ]
bev Mar 26, 2012 - 12:01	ozzie1313 wrote: One of my favorite albums - top 5. I was in the depths of my pathetic, romanticized, misanthropic alcholism and drug addiction when this came out. This album was my anthem. Just like Petty's Wildflowers was about me when I got divorced in 95 and went from MA to OR. Love the personal associations. Cool that you can listen even now and it doesn't necessarily bring you back to those dark places, but hits a familiar sentimental place just the same. I have similar associations/feelings with music, and I totally get that. [ Reply ]
westslope Dec 22, 2011 - 08:59	I doubt the thrashers are symbols of destruction. But otherwise I really don't understand the gist of the lyrics. [ Reply ]
Cynaera Nov 20, 2011 - 15:13	BKardon wrote: Anyone know what this song is written about? Here - read the lyrics. And to sort of (not) answer your question: They're gorgeous lyrics, but they could apply to farmers losing their farms, friends losing their hope, people caving in to the rhetoric and babble that means nothing... Could be anything. I'd bet, though, that those thrashers are symbolic of destruction. VERY deep lyrics. Thanks for asking - perhaps others will weigh in on this song... THRASHER by Neil Young ———— They were hiding behind hay bales, They were planting in the full moon They had given all they had for something new But the light of day was on them, They could see the thrashers coming And the water shone like diamonds in the dew. And I was just getting up, hit the road before it's light Trying to catch an hour on the sun When I saw those thrashers rolling by, Looking more than two lanes wide I was feelin' like my day had just begun. Where the eagle glides ascending There's an ancient river bending Down the timeless gorge of changes Where sleeplessness awaits I searched out my companions, Who were lost in crystal canyons When the aimless blade of science Slashed the pearly gates. It was then I knew I'd had enough, Burned my credit card for fuel Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand With a one-way ticket to the land of truth And my suitcase in my hand How I lost my friends I still don't understand. They had the best selection, They were poisoned with protection There was nothing that they needed, Nothing left to find They were lost in rock formations Or became park bench mutations On the sidewalks and in the stations They were waiting, waiting. So I got bored and left them there, They were just deadweight to me Better down the road without that load Brings back the time when I was eight or nine I was watchin' my mama's T.V., It was that great Grand Canyon rescue episode. Where the vulture glides descending On an asphalt highway bending Thru libraries and museums, galaxies and stars Down the windy halls of friendship To the rose clipped by the bullwhip The motel of lost companions Waits with heated pool and bar. But me I'm not stopping there, Got my own row left to hoe Just another line in the field of time When the thrasher comes, I'll be stuck in the sun Like the dinosaurs in shrines But I'll know the time has come To give what's mine. [ Reply ]
ozzie1313 Nov 20, 2011 - 15:02	One of my favorite albums - top 5. I was in the depths of my pathetic, romanticized, misanthropic alcholism and drug addiction when this came out. This album was my anthem. Just like Petty's Wildflowers was about me when I got divorced in 95 and went from MA to OR. [ Reply ]
jersey_birdman Jul 17, 2011 - 15:28	YES! [ Reply ]
BKardon Jun 15, 2011 - 23:22	Anyone know what this song is written about? [ Reply ]
helgigermany Jun 15, 2011 - 23:16	Stranglersfan wrote: one of my fav NY tracks Yes, very nice tune! [ Reply ]
Stranglersfan May 15, 2011 - 08:38	one of my fav NY tracks [ Reply ]
a_genuine_find Jan 09, 2011 - 15:39	rcurrier wrote: Neil would never stoop so low as to have Ewoks as roadies. They were Jawas. Pardon me, you will? [ Reply ]
Cynaera Jan 09, 2011 - 15:35	rcurrier wrote: Neil would never stoop so low as to have Ewoks as roadies. They were Jawas. He referred to them as "road-eyes." [ Reply ]
ABPainter Nov 07, 2010 - 06:31	Perfect song but I'm a sucker for prairie imagery. [ Reply ]
lazylemming Oct 06, 2010 - 18:00	never before realized that john hiatt's "buffalo river home" has virtually the same chord progression. [ Reply ]
rcurrier Sep 04, 2010 - 17:48	a_genuine_find wrote: I believe it was on this tour that the Ewok's accompanied Mr. Young, no? Neil would never stoop so low as to have Ewoks as roadies. They were Jawas. [ Reply ]
JGM Aug 03, 2010 - 17:44	Bobby! Cindy! Cindy! Bobby! [ Reply ]
agkagk Jul 02, 2010 - 21:14	There's something magically magnetic about Neil Young. My eleven year old son, whose taste in music includes Kesha, Usher and Lady Ga Ga, watched Neil during the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZAkHajPZU&feature=related ) and thought he was "awesome". He was still bringing it up a few days later. Neil is now attracting a third generation of fans. (BTW, "Long May You Run" is an ode to a car.) [ Reply ]