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.
Walking The Fine Line
Red Rider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going to get back up
I'm gonna clean my face
And take that longest ride
I talked to the man with the busy pen
I'm tired of being on the losing end
I'm going to walk with pride
Between the sun and the sky
The smoke and the steel you and me
Taking the longest ride
Crack the sky
But get out alive this time
Me and my friend we been up all night
Had a drink on John, had a drink on the mine
Now we'll leave this ghost town
She said, 'Show me a good man
I'll show you a slave
Show me a free man
I'll show you the brave'
Hold your head up high
Never had the guts to turn it around
Never had the guts to tear it down
Now we got the chance to
We're walking that fine line
Between a free man and a slave
The wind and the sea you and me
Taking that longest ride
Crack the sky
Get out alive this time
Walking that fine line
The lyrics to Red Rider's song "Walking The Fine Line" paint a picture of a person who has hit rock bottom after losing their job in a dark place. The singer, however, refuses to stay down and decides to get back up and clean their face. They take the longest ride and talk to the man with the busy pen, indicating their efforts to turn their life around. The person is tired of being on the losing end and chooses to walk with pride.
The chorus of the song highlights the motif of walking the fine line between different things - between the sun and the sky, the smoke and the steel, a free man and a slave. There is an emphasis on taking the longest ride and cracking the sky, but also getting out alive this time. The second verse mentions the singer’s friend and their wild night out where they had a drink on John and a drink on the mine. The hook about a good man being a slave and a free man being brave is shown in the singer's decision to hold their head up high and take the chance to turn their life around. In the end, they are both walking that fine line, between the wind and the sea, taking the longest ride and determined to get out alive this time.
Line by Line Meaning
I lost my job in the darkest place
I experienced job loss in a difficult and unpleasant situation.
I'm going to get back up
I'm determined to recover from these circumstances.
I'm gonna clean my face
I will get rid of all the mess and turmoil from my life.
And take that longest ride
I'm ready to embark on a journey that may be challenging and lengthy.
I talked to the man with the busy pen
I sought help from a person who can make things right for me.
I'm tired of being on the losing end
I'm fed up with always being the one who loses or suffers.
I'm going to walk with pride
I'm going to hold my head up and move forward fearlessly.
Walking that fine line
I'm navigating a precarious path that requires a lot of caution and determination.
Between the sun and the sky
Between hope and despair.
The smoke and the steel you and me
The challenges of life that we face together.
Taking the longest ride
We're on a journey that may take a long time to complete.
Crack the sky
Overcoming tremendous obstacles to achieve our goals.
But get out alive this time
We're not going to give up, even when it feels like we won't survive.
Me and my friend we been up all night
I spent the entire night with my friend.
Had a drink on John, had a drink on the mine
We had a drink to honor someone named John and to acknowledge the hard work of miners.
Now we'll leave this ghost town
We'll move on from a place that seems like it has no life or hope.
She said, 'Show me a good man
Someone said, 'If you show me a good man...'
I'll show you a slave
...I'll show you someone who is held captive by his own morality.
Show me a free man
If you show me a person who is truly free...
I'll show you the brave'
...then you'll see what true courage looks like.
Hold your head up high
Keep your self-respect and pride intact no matter what.
Never had the guts to turn it around
I've never been brave enough to make a big change in my life.
Never had the guts to tear it down
I've never been brave enough to start over completely.
Now we got the chance to
But now is the time to take that chance and make that change.
We're walking that fine line
We're still navigating a challenging path.
Between a free man and a slave
Between being held captive by our own morality and being truly free.
The wind and the sea you and me
We face the unpredictable forces of the universe together.
Taking that longest ride
We're still embarking on a journey that is neither easy nor quick.
Crack the sky
We're still overcoming huge obstacles.
Get out alive this time
But we won't give up, no matter what.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS WILLIAM COCHRANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind