In 1978, Tom Cochrane joined up with Rob Baker on drums, Jeff Jones on bass, Peter Boynton on keyboards and Ken Greer to form Red Rider. They were signed to Capitol Records and released their first album Don't Fight It in 1980. With the singles "White Hot" and "Don't Fight It", the album quickly reached gold status. Their second album As Far as Siam was released in 1981 and featured the hit "Lunatic Fringe" which was in the 1982 movie "Vision Quest.". "Lunatic Fringe" and two other tracks, "Cowboys in Hong Kong" and "What Have You Got To Do" were featured in an episode of Miami Vice in addition to which helped push the album to platinum. Boynton was replaced by keyboardist Steve Sexton on Red Rider's third album Neruda, released in 1983. The track "Napoleon Sheds His Skin" would become one of the more popular songs from the album.
For their 1984 album Breaking Curfew, John Webster replaced Sexton on keyboards. The album did not sell as well as Neruda and a dispute with Capitol Records over the future direction of the band resulted in Red Rider being dropped from the record label later in 1984.
The band subsequently signed with RCA. In what became a strong signal regarding the future of the band, they officially became known as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, and released their self-titled fifth album in 1986.
In 1987, Capitol released a compilation CD titled Over 60 Minutes with Red Rider, covering the band's first four albums.
In the fall of 1988, the band released their sixth album Victory Day which contained the track "Big League", about a boy's dream of playing in the National Hockey League. The song was featured in a segment on CBC Television's Hockey Night in Canada.
Red Rider's final album, The Symphony Sessions, was released in 1989 and saw the band performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, as Procol Harum had done seventeen years before. Cochrane's solo career was taking off and the band broke up shortly after the album was released.
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, including material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
Don't Fight It
Red Rider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She waves them like a flag
She'll take all the cards from the Soho League
And stick them in her bag for security
Baby likes her fever
Well, she'll take it all night long
Around the track with the red-eyed Jacks
And nothin' she can do can be that wrong
Don't fight it, don't fight it
You've been on the ropes too long
Don't fight it, don't fight it
Nothing she does can be wrong
She's got her reasons
And she wields them like a knife
But she'll take her stand in the underground band
She doesn't know that she's in there for life
But me, I've got my business
And I struggle to keep life sane
But what does it mean you can't keep your hands clean
Cause baby's caught up in her social machine
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
She said to me
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
You've been on the ropes too long
Nothing she does can be wrong
She likes her fever
She says, 'Take it like a man'
And we fight combat sometimes
But we don't fight it hand to hand
And when my world is crumbling
And I go stumbling blind
If I get thin
She'll be there in a pinch
She's got a way
To make life feel fine
Don't fight it
I won't
Don't fight it
Let you down
You've been on the ropes too long
Don't fight it
I won't
Don't fight it
Let you down
Nothing she does can be wrong
You've been on the ropes too long
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
She said to me
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
You've been on the ropes too long
Don't fight it, don't fight it, don't fight it
I won't let you down
In the song "Don't Fight It," Red Rider talks about a woman who is very confident and fearless. This woman has all the answers at her fingertips, and she waves them around as though they are a flag. She's smart enough to get what she wants, and she doesn't waste any time in getting it. She takes all the cards from the Soho League and sticks them in her bag for security. The singer seems to admire her confidence and the power she possesses. Despite the fact that she is caught up in her social machine, the singer is willing to stand by her side, even if it means that he will have to struggle to maintain his own sanity. He believes that this woman is worth the effort.
The chorus is quite catchy and simply asks the listener to stop fighting and enjoy the moment. The singer believes that the listener has been on the ropes for too long and needs to take a break from fighting. He assures them that whatever this woman does cannot be wrong, and the listener should trust her instincts. The lyrics express a desire for the listener to not lose faith in this woman, who is strong and capable of providing comfort and support when they stumble.
Line by Line Meaning
She's got the answers
She is confident in her decisions and knows what she wants
She waves them like a flag
She boldly expresses her beliefs and opinions
She'll take all the cards from the Soho League
And stick them in her bag for security
She takes everything she can get to ensure her safety and success
Baby likes her fever
Well, she'll take it all night long
She enjoys the rush of excitement and is willing to go to great lengths to experience it
Around the track with the red-eyed Jacks
And nothin' she can do can be that wrong
She's living life on the edge, taking risks, and not worrying about the consequences
Don't fight it, don't fight it
You've been on the ropes too long
Don't fight it, don't fight it
Nothing she does can be wrong
Stop resisting her influence because you've been struggling for too long and she's all you've got
She's got her reasons
And she wields them like a knife
She's strategic and uses her reasons as a weapon to get what she wants
But she'll take her stand in the underground band
She doesn't know that she's in there for life
She's committed to her beliefs and way of life, not realizing it's a permanent situation
But me, I've got my business
And I struggle to keep life sane
But what does it mean you can't keep your hands clean
Cause baby's caught up in her social machine
I have my own problems and am trying to keep things in order, but it's impossible when she's involved in so much drama and chaos
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
She said to me
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
She promises to always be there for me and not disappoint me
She likes her fever
She says, 'Take it like a man'
And we fight combat sometimes
But we don't fight it hand to hand
She enjoys the thrill of danger and expects me to handle it like a strong person, and although we argue, it never gets physical
And when my world is crumbling
And I go stumbling blind
If I get thin
She'll be there in a pinch
She's got a way
To make life feel fine
When I'm going through tough times and feel lost, she'll be there to support me and lift me up. She has a special talent for making things feel better
Don't fight it
I won't
Don't fight it
Let you down
You've been on the ropes too long
Just give in and trust me, I won't disappoint you. You've been struggling for too long
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
She said to me
I won't, I won't
Ever let you down
You've been on the ropes too long
Reassuring again that she will always be there for me, even though I've struggled for a while
Don't fight it, don't fight it, don't fight it
I won't let you down
Just give up the resistance because I will never let you down
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEAN PITCHFORD, KENNY LOGGINS, STEPHEN RAY PERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Lili0000007
Makes me feel , in the 80's , lying on my bed, playing records all day long. So sweet.
@marvinmartian7281
My best Canadian Rock Band of the 80's & more indeed!
@matthewmartin9313
This should be a classic rock radio staple. Overlooked gem.
@mikeyancik5002
still fucking awesome 4 yrs later and ALWAYS will be!!!
@DE72CiMogar
Yes, "still fucking awesome"...but you're missing a ' 0 ' (zero) after your " 4 " (plus another 3 years on top of that) for me. Still have the original vinyl (and a shit-load of memories, including 3 concerts of theirs).
Thanks for appreciating this song and possibly appreciating that "Life is a Highway" (when Tom (Cochrane - lead singer) went solo - Rascal Flats appropriated that classic in the U.S. and hardly anybody knows (in the U.S.) Tom wrote and originally performed it).
"Life is a Highway" (Tom Cochrane original) is also the song playing when I rolled my truck (sliding into a deep ditch - slush on shear ice - on the highway I drove to work on) the year it came out (1991)...fuck!! Still like that song...and this one.
@geoffedwards2802
Great Red Rider song. Many songs I love by these guys. No doubt some great, classic Canadian rock.
@godcountrynotredame1
can these guys write great lyrics or what...whole album still an undiscovered jewel.
@MrFretfever64
don't fight it...classic rock heaven!
@jeffbisscrx
This is one f'ing great song! I'm catapulted back to the time that I first heard it when it was released on Chicago radio a million years ago!
@docmayhew9500
Not to mention one of the best album covers since "Candy-O"