West gained fame the world over during his long career as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is most noted for his role as leader of the explosive hard rock trio, Mountain, which was named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard Rock Groups of all time. With Mountain, he climbed the heights of rock stardom on the strength of a unique, signature guitar sound and classic songs such as “Mississippi Queen”, “Never In My Life” and “Theme From An Imaginary Western”,and Nantucket Sleighride which are still staples of rock radio to this day. West earned the admiration of a long list of famous peers. During his career, he recorded or played with a litany of rock icons including Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. In fact, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Richie Sambora have all cited West as an important influence on their own music.
West's bold, expressive and unique guitar style is really a mirror of his own personality. Spend a little time talking with this larger-than-life figure, and you’ll realize that he is as charismatic without a guitar in his hands as he is with one. Possessing a sharp sense of humor, he was at once gregarious and gruff while recounting stories from his legendary past. When discussing his music projects, he exuded an infectious enthusiasm and excitement. Such projects could take him outside his traditional roles of guitarist, singer and songwriter.
In 1986, he acted alongside Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the hit comedy film, The Money Pit and has lent his distinctive voice to the popular animated series, Beast Wars Transformers which ran for three seasons on the WB network beginning in 1996 before going into syndication. He has also contributed the theme music to the new WB show, Mutant X.
West was a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show and was Musical Director for the shock jock’s FOX series, as well as for the late comedian Sam Kinison. Most recently, he lent his production and songwriting skills to an album by Atlantic Records’ modern rock group, Clutch, and has just released his own instructional guitar DVD, Big Phat Ass Guitar.
Look To The Wind
Leslie West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You watch the tears of rain
Thunder from a weeping sky
And nothing seems the same
The trembling hand beside you
You dream a life of pure
Looking to the things you brought
Look to the wind, then turn away
I told you once child on a summer's day
Walk to the wind, no need to run
You're made to shine as bright as the sun
Your childhood is behind you
It won't come back no more
Today you are tomorrow's child
Just open up the door
Look to the wind and then turn away
I saw you once child on a summer's day
Walk to the wind, no need to run
You're made to shine as bright as the sun
Your childhood is behind you
It won't come back no more
But today you are tomorrow's child
Just open up the door
Look to the wind and then turn away
I saw you once child on a summer's day
Walk to the wind, no need to run
You were made to shine as bright as the sun
The song Look To The Wind by Leslie West is a reflective and inspirational song that encourages the listener to keep moving forward and not dwell on the past. The first stanza describes the sadness and mundanity that the singer is experiencing as they watch the tears of rain and the thunder from the weeping sky. The line "And nothing seems the same" implies a yearning for something different, a desire for change. The trembling hand beside the singer perhaps indicates a level of apprehension or nervousness, a sense of unknown and uncertainty that the singer is trying to make sense of. They then urge the listener to look to the things they brought and question their security, "How can you be so sure?".
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting by the window
You are sitting by the window.
You watch the tears of rain
You are watching the raindrops coming down the windowpane.
Thunder from a weeping sky
You hear the sound of thunder coming from the rain-filled sky.
And nothing seems the same
Everything around you seems different in this moment.
The trembling hand beside you
The person beside you has a shaking hand.
You dream a life of pure
You imagine living a life of purity and goodness.
Looking to the things you brought
You are reflecting on the things in your life that you have brought with you.
How can you be so sure?
You question your own certainty.
Look to the wind, then turn away
You are advised to look at the wind but then turn away.
I told you once child on a summer's day
The artist is reminding you of something they once told you on a summer day when you were a child.
Walk to the wind, no need to run
You are encouraged to walk towards the wind without rushing.
You're made to shine as bright as the sun
You are meant to shine as brightly as the sun.
Your childhood is behind you
Your childhood is over and in the past.
It won't come back no more
You cannot relive your childhood anymore.
Today you are tomorrow's child
Although you are no longer a child, you still have a future ahead of you.
Just open up the door
You are told to open up your mind and explore your potential.
I saw you once child on a summer's day
The artist recalls seeing you as a child on a summer day.
You were made to shine as bright as the sun
You were born with the potential to be as radiant as the sun.
Contributed by Isabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@WarHawk81A2
Sitting by the window
You watch the tears of rain
Thunder from a weeping sky
And nothing seems the same
The trembling hand beside you
You dream a life of pure
Looking to the things you brought
How can you be so sure?
Look to the wind, then turn away
I told you once child on a summer's day
Walk to the wind, no need to run
You're made to shine as bright as the sun
Your childhood is behind you
It won't come back no more
Today you are tomorrow's child
Just open up the door
Look to the wind and then turn away
I saw you once child on a summer's day
Walk to the wind, no need to run
You're made to shine as bright as the sun
@gratefuldead3750
Brillant. One of my favourite mountains
@lpgodin2
I am ashamed I just discovered this song... IMO the best on this incredible debut album, wow
@KKTR
A powerful yet sad song that reminds us that our best days are behind us. My absolute favorite Leslie West song.
@Ledprostate
Thank God for Leslie West and the early '70's!
@jeffdigeronimo9938
R.I.P Leslie
@jackjc1447
my favorite song from leslie west's mountain,drums and mellotron are just perfect here.
@bobterwilliger1310
Leslie was one of my guitar heroes in HS. I suppose this really isn’t a Mountain album/songbut, I consider it that way. Threw the football around outside the Capital Theatre, Passaic NJ with Felix, Corky and Leslie before their performance (‘74, ‘75?). I forget the year but not that good memory. Love this wonderful tune and continue as a tired old fart, listening to a classic R&R band.✌️always.
@peterlamborn
Beautiful song. Gives me goosebumbs. As well as tears in my eyes, I don't know why.
@daveepelone6221
Days gone by .....
@jacks91Nissan300z
Love that Mellotron, and Leslie's debut record.