Geddy Lee OC (born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician … Read Full Bio ↴Geddy Lee OC (born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician who is the vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the progressive rock group Rush. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Lee grew up as the son of Polish-Jewish parents who were survivors of Nazi concentration camps Dachau and Bergen-Belsen. Lee's stage name (and later legal name) "Geddy" was inspired by the heavily-accented pronunciation of his given first name "Gary" by his mother. In 2004, Canadian Jewish News would feature Lee's reflections upon her experiences and his own Jewish heritage.

An award-winning musician, Lee's style, technique, and virtuosity on the bass guitar have proven very influential in the rock and heavy metal genres, inspiring such players as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, John Myung of Dream Theater, Les Claypool of Primus, Cliff Burton of Metallica, and countless others. Lee's vocal style, while less influential, is nonetheless distinctive; one Rolling Stone critic opined a negative review in the Rolling Stone Album Guide that Geddy Lee's voice was a cross between Robert Plant's and Donald Duck's voices. Reference to the latter in the brief review upset many die-hard fans of Rush and Lee.

Lee's first solo effort, My Favorite Headache, was released in 2000. In addition to his composing, arranging, and performing duties for Rush, Lee has produced albums for various other bands, including Rocket Science, and recorded a short rendition of "O Canada" with Lifeson included on the "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" soundtrack. Geddy Lee is also heard singing the Top 20 hit "Take Off" on the McKenzie Brothers (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) 1981 comedy album The Great White North: Bob and Doug McKenzie, and on the Max Webster song, "Battle Scar," featured on their Universal Juveniles album, which saw both bands playing together live in the studio. Geddy shares lead vocals on this track.

Geddy is also a devoted baseball fan, and performed "O Canada" at the 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and took batting practice with the then-California Angels (circa 1992).

Along with his colleagues Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, Lee was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 9, 1996. The trio were the first rock musicians so honoured.

Slipping
Geddy Lee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Meant to tell you
Tell you from the start
Meant to show you
What's inside this shallow heart
But I could not find the words
Worthy enough to say

I slipped along the way

I slipped along the way

tried to be there
Be there when you fall
Tried to make you feel big
When life makes you feel small
But I could not find the steps
Quickly enough to take

I slipped along the way
I slipped along the way

want to change things
Want to clear the air
Fix the things around us
So badly in need of repair
But I might not have the sense
Sense enough to change

I slipped along the way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Geddy Lee's song "Slipping" seem to revolve around expressing regret and admitting fault in a situation. The singer in the song appears to be speaking to someone important, someone they were meant to tell something to from the start, and someone they tried to support in difficult times. However, despite their efforts, they admit that they slipped along the way and were unable to find the right words or steps to take.

The first verse in the song begins with the singer saying they were meant to show something to someone from the beginning, but they couldn't find the right words to say. This could suggest that they had feelings for this person but were afraid to express them. The second verse, on the other hand, talks about how the person tried to be there for the other during their difficult times and uplift them, but they were unable to take quick enough steps to help them, hence slipping along the way. In the final verse, the singer expresses their desire to fix things and clear the air between them, but they're unsure if they have the sense required to do that.

The overall message of the song seems to be that, despite the best intentions, humans make mistakes and "slip" along the way, leaving behind unresolved feelings and actions. The song is a reminder that acknowledging one's mistakes can be a step towards making things right and changing for the better.

Line by Line Meaning

Meant to tell you
I wanted to express something to you

Tell you from the start
Speak my mind from the beginning

Meant to show you
I wanted to demonstrate to you

What's inside this shallow heart
How little depth I possess as a person

But I could not find the words
I was unable to articulate what I wanted to say

Worthy enough to say
That seemed valuable and useful enough to convey

I slipped along the way
I made a mistake or faltered in some way

Tried to be there
I attempted to be present for you

Be there when you fall
Support you when things go wrong

Tried to make you feel big
Boost your confidence and sense of self-worth

When life makes you feel small
In the face of situations where you feel insignificant or unworthy