Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: hard-rock
Song Meaning of “The Garden” by Rush
The Garden is a song by Rush off their album Moving Pictures, which came out in 1981. It is a song about the contrast between the perfection of a man-made utopia and the chaotic, unpredictable world of nature.
The song opens with the narrator describing the perfect, ordered society created by man. The narrator speaks of a kingdom of people living in harmony, with “endless ways of pleasure, days of joy unsurpassed”. It is a utopia that is far removed from the realities of the world.
The second verse plunges the narrator into the depths of a garden, a place of natural beauty and chaos. This world is much different from the one he came from, with its ever-changing sky, its “birds in multicolored chorus”, and its “fields of endless view”. It is a world of freedom and unpredictability, and the narrator is captivated by it.
The chorus introduces an interesting dichotomy between the two worlds. The chorus speaks of “the battle between the concrete jungle and the ancient one”. It is a fight between the world of man-made order and the world of wild nature. The narrator muses that the “garden whispers to him” inviting him to explore its secrets.
The song’s finale finds the narrator feeling a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty of the garden. He is entranced by the untamed power and beauty of nature, and he struggles with the tension he feels between the two separate worlds.
The Garden is a song that celebrates the beauty of the natural world and the potential joy and freedom that it can bring. It is both a cautionary tale about the potential pitfalls of perfection and a reminder of the stories and secrets that can be found in the wilds of nature.