Crazy Horse is best known for its long association with Young, despite having released five albums of its own over a 19-year span. It has been co-credited with Young as Neil Young and Crazy Horse on 15 albums, "Americana" and "Psychedelic Pill" from 2012 being the latest.
The band recorded a concept album entitled "Greendale" (2003) that told the story using metaphors of murder and crime to represent the destruction of a small town community. The final song "Be The Rain" is one of Neil's classic epics, pleading for the world to be like the rain -- recycle and conserve to save our planet.
Discography: the studio albums "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (1969), "Zuma" (1975), "Rust Never Sleeps" (1979), "Re-ac-tor" (1981), "Life" (1987), "Ragged Glory" (1990), "Sleeps With Angels" (1994), "Broken Arrow" (1996), Greendale (2003), "Americana" (2012), Psychedelic Pill (2012) and live albums "Live Rust" (1979), "Weld" (1991), "Year of the Horse" (1997), "Live at the Fillmore East" (2006)
Walk Like a Giant
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I feel like a leaf floating in a stream
I wanna walk like a giant
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
Me and some of my friends
we were gonna save the world
we were trying to make it better
but then the weather changed
and the white got stained
and it fell apart
and it breaks my heart
To think about how close we came,
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
Tried to have for long and strain
We were riding on the desert wind
We were pulling in the spiritual
Riding on the desert wind
We could see it in the distance
Getting closer every minute
We saw the lights and spiritual shining
Getting closer every minute
Then we skipped the rails, and we started to fail
And we folded up, and it’s not enough
Think about how close we came
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
Whenever I see the big fire coming,
Coming to burn down all my ideas
I try to hold down to my thinking, and remember how it feels
When I’m looking right in your eyes
And hearing your happy laughter
When I’m seeing your blue eyes shining
And hear your happy laughing
So the moment came, and the big sky rained and a ṗool of fire
Served in my desire
When I think about how good it feels
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
I used to walk like a giant on the land
Now I feel like a leaf floating in a stream
I wanna walk like a giant
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
In the lyrics to "Walk Like a Giant," Neil Young reflects on his youth and the idealism he shared with his friends. He describes their desire to save the world and make it a better place. They were ready to take on the world, but something changed — the "weather" and the "white" became stained and the dream began to fall apart. The feeling of disappointment and heartbreak is palpable in the lyrics as Young laments how close they came to their goal, but ultimately fell short. He longs to recapture that feeling of power and possibility, to "walk like a giant on the land" once again.
As the song continues, Young reflects on his more recent experiences and how they have affected him. He speaks of a big fire coming to burn down his ideas and how he tries to hold onto his thinking amidst the chaos. He returns to the theme of wanting to walk like a giant and regain the sense of power and purpose he felt before. The song ends on a wistful note as Young reflects on the past and the present, longing to recapture the energy and optimism of his youth.
Overall, "Walk Like a Giant" is a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the loss of idealism that often comes with age. It speaks to the universal experience of growing older and the longing we all feel to recapture those moments of power and possibility that we felt when we were young.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to walk like a giant on the land
I used to feel powerful and in control
Now I feel like a leaf floating in a stream
Now I feel small and insignificant, carried by the forces around me
I wanna walk like a giant
I want to regain that feeling of power and control
Me and some of my friends we were gonna save the world
I and some of my friends had grand ambitions of making positive changes in the world
we were trying to make it better
We were striving to improve the state of things
we were ready to save the world
We were prepared to take on the tremendous task of making the world a better place
but then the weather changed
Unforeseeable circumstances arose that altered the course of events
and the white got stained
The purity of our vision was tainted
and it fell apart
Our grand plans unraveled
and it breaks my heart
The failure of our ambitions is a source of great sadness
To think about how close we came
Reflecting on how close we were to achieving our goals is bittersweet
Tried to have for long and strain
We made sustained efforts over a long period of time
We were riding on the desert wind
We felt the freedom of boundless possibility
We were pulling in the spiritual
We were seeking deeper meaning and purpose
We could see it in the distance
We had a clear vision of our goal
Getting closer every minute
We were making steady progress
Then we skipped the rails, and we started to fail
We veered off course and began to stumble
And we folded up, and it’s not enough
Our efforts were not sufficient to achieve our ambitions
Whenever I see the big fire coming, Coming to burn down all my ideas
A sense of impending disaster threatens to destroy my creative inspirations
I try to hold down to my thinking, and remember how it feels
I cling to my ideas and try to recapture the feeling of inspiration and purpose
When I’m looking right in your eyes
When I am in the presence of someone I care about deeply
And hearing your happy laughter
And hearing them express joy and contentment
When I’m seeing your blue eyes shining
Looking into their bright blue eyes
So the moment came, and the big sky rained and a pool of fire served in my desire
A powerful and transformative moment occurred, fueled by my ambition and passion
When I think about how good it feels
Reflecting on the positive emotions and sensations I experienced
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
I yearn to once again feel powerful and in control
I wanna walk like a giant on the land
Repeating the desire to regain control and influence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NEIL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
neilyoungchannel
Hi, this is Neil. Link to the NYA info-card for this song with press, documents, manuscripts, photos, videos. Look around NYA for fun and listening! ALL my music in high resolution at https://neilyoungarchives.com/info-card?track=t2012_0206_02
Daniel McDonald
Thanks Mr. Young. I appreciate all you have given us. I've seen many of your shows and always walked away questioning. Peace.
Plein Air Art Studio
Rider on the desert winds AHH!!!!😳😯😬🙄🙄🙄🧐🧐🤔🤔🤔🤯🤯🤯😂😂😅😆😆😁😁🙈🙉🙊🙈😎😎😎😎😎🤠
Robert Slover
the "secret" sauce in guitar tone germanium fuzz!
Aaron Spicer
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Chris Booth
To me psychedelic pill is Neil's most underrated album. As much as I love Neil this one far outshines the few albums that came before or after it.
Gaétan LE LU
Totally agree.
gregory lapointe
Agreed. For me this is the last great Crazy Horse album, not putting down what they are putting out now but they are a different band without Poncho. I miss him.
John M.
Yes. I agree.
Margaret Morrison
WALK LIKE A GIANT IS ONE OF NEIL YOUNG'S BEST SONGS EVER! I AM IN A HOSPITAL, AND LISTENING TO IT MAKES ME FEEL AWESOME!! I LOVE THIS GREAT MAN!!!