Grace to Grace
Background and Commentary
Lyrically, Geddy takes an approach to telling the story of the Holocaust in a way very much like Neil Peart would, stepping outside himself and commenting on the incomprehensible: “A hundred thousand tears / Hundred thousand souls / You can’t give back.” Yet the piece is ultimately uplifting, with its spirited, driving rhythm and it’s theme that evil can’t conquer the grace and truth of human dignity.—Rob Freedman, Rush Vault
“Kind of inspired by my mom’s life. She’s a Holocaust survivor who, along with most members of my family, came over after the war and they went through their own private hell. She’s conducted her life in a completely elegant and heroic way. She had most of her dreams stolen from her as a child and there are so many people like her that have gone through tragedies or wars or whatever and they pick up and just carry on.”—Geddy on Rockline, reproduced in Merely Players
“A moderate radio hit when the album came out, ‘Grace to Grace’ is a phenomenal way to end the record. It’s inspired by Lee’s mother, who was a victim of [the Holocaust during] World War II. Rather than come out of those horrific experiences bitter and cynical, she has created ‘wonderful possibilities’ with ‘grace and dignity,’ as Lee [has said]. The music during the verses suggests the abrasive and harsh events people often go through, while the amazingly beautiful music during the choruses conjures up the gracefulness of people who endure.”—Epignosis on Prog Archives
“Not letting up in the tradition of Rush’s coda tracks being some of the best off every one of their albums, ‘Grace to Grace’ is an excellent, powerful rocker in the same style as the opener. Though it slows down considerably at each chorus section, this one is still a driving track that incorporates the emotion portrayed in the previous tracks to make for a very exciting song.”—King By-Tor on Prog Archives
“Album closer ‘Grace to Grace’ could have been lifted from Rush’s Vapor Trails, only with much better production.”—Raff on Prog Archives
Lyrics
A hundred thousand years
A hundred thousand miles of track
A hundred thousand tears
Hundred thousand souls
You can’t give back
When the dark subsides
An eternity goes by
On the fault line
Between then and now
When the truth hides
An eternity goes by
On the fault line
Between then and now
Grace to grace
Immaculate vision
Of what should have been
Face to face
Eloquent stories
Of what could have been
A hundred thousand dreams
A hundred thousand beams of light
A hundred thousand schemes
Gods in the heavens can’t get it right
When the dark subsides
An eternity goes by
On the fault line
Between then and now
When the truth hides
Integrity falls shy
On the fault line
Between then and now
Grace to grace
Immaculate vision
Of what should have been
Place to place
Elegant story
Of what could have been
When the truth hides
Integrity falls shy
On the fault line
Between then and now
When the truth hides
An eternity goes by
On the fault line
Between then and now
Grace to grace
Immaculate vision
Of what should have been
Face to face
Elegant stories
Of what could have been
Grace to grace
Immaculate vision
Of what should have been
Grace to grace
Tablature
by Dan Miers and Sean Jones (seanj2112@ameritech.net)
Excerpted from Ultimate Guitar.
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————-|-2-2—2-2-2-2-2-|—–t————-|-2-2—2-2-t-2-|—|
For complete tab, go to Ultimate Guitar.
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