Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In-between the bright lights
And the far, unlit unknown

Growing up, it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass-production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone

Subdivisions
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out

Subdivisions
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths, we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Well some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights

Subdivisions
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out

Subdivisions
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth!!

Recorded: 01982 (01982 – 01966 = 16)
Songwriters: Alex Zivojinovich / Gary Lee Weinrib / Neil Elwood Peart

Neil Peart, the band’s drummer and lyric writer, said of the song:

“Hugely autobiographical of course. It was an important step for us, the first song written that was keyboard-based. The upside of that: people don’t realize is that it made Alex and I the rhythm section. So the first time he and I tuned in to each other’s parts was when Geddy was playing keyboards. It was a great new way for us to relate. It’s also a good example of us learning to go into time signature changes more fluidly, and again, wonderful to play live. Lyrically, Geddy contributed by improvising “Battle Cars” instead of “Backs of cars” during recording and in live performances. It was a nice touch that better emphasized the struggle, or battle, we have with subdividing our lives. It’s challenging and always rewarding to play decently.”

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