Rundgren is well known among his fans as being an electronic music revolutionary. His skilled production techniques, matched by his belief that he has ability to play just about any instrument at a mastery level, has allowed him to release some of the most honest and personal music of his time. Many of his solo albums, including Something/Anything?]' were made completely by himself. That is, he played all the instruments, sang all the vocals, did all of the recording, editing, mixing, and mastering.
Website: http://www.tr-i.com/
Core discography:
With Nazz:
1968 - Nazz
1969 - Nazz Nazz
1970 - Nazz III
Solo:
1970 - Runt
1971 - Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
1972 - Something/Anything?
1973 - A Wizard, a True Star
1974 - Todd
1975 - Initiation
1976 - Faithful
1978 - Hermit of Mink Hollow
1978 - Back to the Bars (live)
1981 - Healing
1983 - The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect
1985 - A Cappella
1989 - Nearly Human
1991 - 2nd Wind
1993 - No World Order
1995 - The Individualist
1997 - With a Twist
1998 - Up Against It
2000 - One Long Year
2003 - Can't Stop Running (live box set)
2004 - Liars
2008 - Arena
2011 - Todd Rundgren's Johnson
2011 - (re)Production
2013 - State
2015 - Global
2015 - Runddans (collaboration with Emil Nikolaisen and Hans-Peter Lindstrøm)
2017 - White Knight
With Utopia:
1974 - Todd Rundgren's Utopia
1975 - Another Live
1976 (released 2001) - Disco Jets
1977 - Ra
1977 - Oops! Wrong Planet
1980 - Adventures in Utopia
1980 - Deface the Music
1982 - Swing to the Right
1982 - Utopia
1984 - Oblivion
1985 - P.O.V.
2003 - Last of the New Wave Riders (live box set)
Zen Archer
Todd Rundgren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pretty as a lady calling
For her pink and midnight lover
As she stares into the water
And a yellow moon is rising
And there can't be no disguising
That the pretty bird is dying
Rivers of blood,
Oceans of tears,
Life without death,
And death without reason
To the whole United Nations,
To your greatest expectations
To the moment that you realize
As a dark figure slips from out of the shadow
Pretty bird closes its eyes, pretty bird dies
Another pretty thing dead on the end of the shaft
Of the Zen Archer
A man in parts forgotten
With an outlook that is rotten
And an attitude to match it
Finds relief inside a hatchet
And he halved someone in Boulder
Justifiability is in the hands of the beholder
And you just don't know what people will do next
Mountains of pain,
Valleys of love,
Death without life,
And life without meaning
To the promise kept and broken
To the love that's never spoken
Just as surely as I'm in your ears
A dark figure slips from out of the shadow
The lyrics in Todd Rundgren's song "Zen Archer" convey a sense of despair, uncertainty, and confusion about the nature of life, death, and human behavior. The song opens with a description of a "pretty bird" that is dying with a silver arrow next to it. The beauty and fragility of the bird's life are contrasted with the violence and cruelty of its death. The rising yellow moon and the lady calling for her lover suggest a sense of longing and sadness, while the rivers of blood and oceans of tears symbolize the horrors of war and suffering.
The second verse introduces a man with a rotten outlook and a violent temper who finds relief in killing. The message seems to be that even people who seem normal on the surface can be capable of heinous acts. The reference to "justifiability is in the hands of the beholder" implies that morality is subjective and can be manipulated to justify any action. The chorus repeats the themes of death, pain, and love, but adds a sense of ambiguity: "death without life, and life without meaning."
The third verse seems to be an appeal to the audience to recognize the value of promises and spoken love, despite the darkness that lurks in human nature. The last line, "a dark figure slips from out of the shadow," suggests that danger is always present, but also that hope and beauty can still be found in the midst of despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Pretty bird with feathers falling
A beautiful bird with feathers falling.
Pretty as a lady calling
The bird is as pretty as a lady calling.
For her pink and midnight lover
The bird is calling for its lover, who is pink and black.
As she stares into the water
The bird is staring into the water.
And a yellow moon is rising
The moon is yellow and is rising.
And there can't be no disguising
There is no disguising the fact that something bad is going to happen.
That the pretty bird is dying
The pretty bird is dying.
With a silver arrow lying at its side
There is a silver arrow lying next to the bird, which killed it.
Rivers of blood,
There are rivers of blood.
Oceans of tears,
There are oceans of tears.
Life without death,
Life without death is unnatural.
And death without reason
Death without a reason is unjust.
To the whole United Nations,
Dedicated to the United Nations.
To your greatest expectations
To your highest expectations.
To the moment that you realize
To the moment of realization.
As a dark figure slips from out of the shadow
A dark figure appears from the shadow.
Pretty bird closes its eyes, pretty bird dies
The bird closes its eyes and dies.
Another pretty thing dead on the end of the shaft
The arrow killed another pretty thing.
Of the Zen Archer
The arrow came from the Zen Archer.
A man in parts forgotten
A man who has been forgotten by some parts of society.
With an outlook that is rotten
He has a bad outlook on life.
And an attitude to match it
His attitude matches his outlook.
Finds relief inside a hatchet
He finds relief in using a hatchet.
And he halved someone in Boulder
He killed someone in Boulder.
Justifiability is in the hands of the beholder
Whether it was justifiable is up to the person observing it.
And you just don't know what people will do next
People are unpredictable.
Mountains of pain,
There are mountains of pain.
Valleys of love,
There are valleys of love.
Death without life,
Death without life is meaningless.
And life without meaning
Life without meaning is purposeless.
To the promise kept and broken
To promises made and broken.
To the love that's never spoken
To the love that is not expressed.
Just as surely as I'm in your ears
As surely as you can hear me.
A dark figure slips from out of the shadow
A dark figure appears from the shadow.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TODD RUNDGREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind