The Stars Look Down
by Rush

Album: Vapor Trails (2002)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is based on a 1935 novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, which was also made into a film in 1939. The book tells of an English mining town pre-WWI following families and their trials and triumphs, particularly a young man who is a miner and tries to change the conditions for which miners work, but in the end looses his battle for change in parliament and also his wife. He gained nothing and returned to be a miner.
  • Neil Peart (who wrote this) lost his wife to cancer. In the Vapor Trails tour book, he wrote: "This seemed to express a fitting view of an uncaring universe." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington, for above 2

Comments: 4

  • Chris C from VaAnother reason Neil doesn’t believe in god.
  • Chris from Swoyersville, PaThe fact that the universe is not directed by anyone is the explicit definition of "uncaring".
  • Ben from Henrietta, TxI think he means "uncaring universe" in the sense that, in the absence of a director, there is no higher entity that cares or creates care throughout the universe.
  • Duane from Seattle, MiNeil: How can a universe be uncaring when it's not directed by anyone, as you affirm?
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