From: ott@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (DOOZER)
Newsgroups: alt.music.rush
Subject: The Fountain of Lamneth
Date: 16 Apr 92 15:49:17 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Pennsylvania


	As faras the Fountain of Lamneth goes, here's what I thought it meant,
but I did like the points brought up.  I never thought of it quite that way...

	
	Obviously, he is born.  He has no idea what he's doing or what anything
is, except for that 'one blur...that soothes and feeds.'

	Yet he knows that he must climb the mountain.  I think the Fountain is
just symbolic of any goal one might have for your life.

	I had no idea what the lyrics were to Didacts and Narpets, so I just
listened to the drums and didn't worry about it.  (I like air drumming to this,
and am kind of surprised that no one else mentioned it in the air-drumming
list.  And I can't even play drums!)

	I think No One at the Bridge is about how he has to face his life
and strive for his goal by himself, and that no matter how many screams of
desparation, etc., he puts forth, he's still on his own.

	I also like the part about "Remembering when first I held...I took the
helm so eagerly...but now the sea's to heavy."  I think it's about how when 
you first set a goal, you go at it with a lot of vigor, but then as you realize
it's shitloads of work, you bitch and moan, if only to yourself.

	Panacea I thought of as him coming into contact with romantic love, but
of giving it up in order to attain his goal.  Yet he doesn't forget it, as his
'heart will lie beside you' and his 'wandering body grieve.'

	Bacchus Plateau is I think another distraction from his quest just as
romantic love was in Panacea.  The distraction here is drinking and living for
the moment in general.

	Finally (almost), he reaches the fountain.  I never thought that he 
died, but I can now see how one could see that.  I thought that he finally
realized that reaching his goal wasn't so important.  The important thing was
that he tried, that he did make a journey.  I like this philosophy, so maybe
it's just my projection on the song.  I think "Life is just a candle and the
dream must give it flame" reflects this idea, the dream/struggle being the
essence of life.

	Once he realizes this, he says 'Like ol' Sol behind the mountain I'll
be coming up again.'  I think this means that he will now find himself another
goal, again symbolized by the mountain, and settle into a new struggle to
give his candle a flame.

	I think this can also be realted to being 'Forever at the start.'  As
for the rest of the lyrics to the acoustic part at the end, I think they're
pretrty deep, but don't really know how to apply them.

	I don't believe I just wrote this long of an article.  Forgive me if
I've bored you, but I used to listen to this song at LEAST once a day for about
3 months.

	I'd love to hear any other comments, even ones longer than mine.

	Bear in mind though, that if high school English counts for anything,
I could never (to the teacher, at least) correctly decipher what a poem or
story really meant, or what the author really wanted us to think.

	Anyone out there able to hook Neil up on the network?

	Thanks for listening.

	ott@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: alt.music.rush