I was running the other day and one of my favorite Rush songs, Dreamline, came on.
Today is the first anniversary of the passing of the great Rush dummer & lyricist Neil Peart, so it seemed like an appropriate day to publish this.
I’m currently listening to Moving Pictures on vinyl and dreaming of better diving conditions here in Southern California.
Dreamline has great imagery about being a nomad and an explorer — sounds a lot like a rebreather diver.
As I was running I started thinking of alternate lyrics that fit my underwater world.
I’ve been working on this on-and-off for a while and a lot of people probably won’t understand most of it, but that is okay. (For those who don’t dive rebreathers, when you are diving, it is referred to a as “being on the loop” and we often face long decompression times waiting to surface to avoid getting the “bends” which is referred to as “being on deco.”)
For anybody who doesn’t know the original song, you can find a live performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G80C9oAJ0E8 and I’ve included the original lyrics in parallel.
And with that (and apologies to Neil Peart), here is my alternate version.
On The Loop by Brett
I’ve got a dive map of the Pacific
A sonar fix on the wrecks
All along the ocean
My rEvo’s got a liquid-crystal computer
A picture book of the wreck sites
Under the Pacific
We dive in the time of the prophets
On an ocean highway straight to the heart of the Pacific
Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone
We’re only at home when we’re on the loop
On the loop
I’ve got a wreck map of Bikini Atoll
A list of cheap motels
All along the ocean
I’ve got a buddy out in Tucson
The promise of a decent dive
Far away from my hometown
We dive on the currents to redemption
A boat out of yesterday, that tomorrow will bring
Like lovers and heroes, sharks in the last days of spring
We’re only at home when we’re on deco
On deco
We are young
Diving the seas of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
We are young
Diving the seas of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
Deco is a gypsy caravan
Drifts away in the current
To leave you stranded in deco land
Decompression is a long-range filter
Memory a flickering light
Left behind in the depths of ocean
We travel in the currents of the Pacific
A starry highway traced on the wrecks of the oceans
Like lovers and heroes, lonely as the whale’s cry
We’re only at home when we’re on deco
On deco
We are young
Diving the seas of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
We are young
Diving the seas of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
When we are young
Diving the seas of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
We dive in the currents to adventure
On an ocean highway straight to the heart of the Pacific
Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone
We’re only at home when we’re on the loop
On the loop
Dreamline by Neil Peart
He’s got a road map of Jupiter
A radar fix on the stars
All along the highway
She’s got a liquid-crystal compass
A picture book of the rivers
Under the Sahara
They travel in the time of the prophets
On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun
Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone
We’re only at home when we’re on the run
On the run
He’s got a star map of Hollywood
A list of cheap motels
All along the freeway
She’s got a sister out in Vegas
The promise of a decent job
Far away from her hometown
They travel on the road to redemption
A highway out of yesterday, that tomorrow will bring
Like lovers and heroes, birds in the last days of spring
We’re only at home when we’re on the wing
On the wing
We are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
We are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
Time is a gypsy caravan
Steals away in the night
To leave you stranded in dreamland
Distance is a long-range filter
Memory a flickering light
Left behind in the heartland
We travel in the dark of the new moon
A starry highway traced on the map of the sky
Like lovers and heroes, lonely as the eagle’s cry
We’re only at home when we’re on the fly
On the fly
We are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
We are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
When we are young
Wandering the face of the earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we’re only immortal
For a limited time
We travel on the road to adventure
On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun
Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone
We’re only at home when we’re on the run
On the run
