Rush - The Trees - Lyrics Meaning

'The Trees' is a song by the popular band, Rush - from their 1978 album, Hemispheres. The song is a mock styled storyline that attributes trees as people. The lyrics describe maple trees as being oppressed by oak trees.

"There is trouble in the forest. And the creatures all have fled, as the maples scream oppression, and the oaks just shake their heads." - You can see the obvious problems between the maple and oak trees. If you were to compare maple and oak trees with people, maples would be like workers that want equal treatment comparative to the oaks (corporate workers).

At the end of the song, the writer (Neil Peart) adds that a law is passed to basically say, all the trees will be kept equal by being cut down. Neil Peart has stated that there really is no moral of the story. He was just looking at an interesting cartoon/print at the time and wrote something that popped in mind.

The song has strong significance towards trees. Not because of a fight between two species of trees, but because the lyrics demonstrate the actual importance of equal rights amongst every living thing. The song will keep you to bear this in mind.