Rush is considered a gifted musician and performer whose shows offer a musical celebration. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.
Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, "Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences." Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.
Rush began his musical career in the early '60s playing the Boston-area clubs while a Harvard student. The Club 47 was the flagship of the coffee house fleet, and he was soon holding down a weekly spot there, learning from the legendary artists who came to play, honing his skills and growing into his talent. He had released two albums by the time he graduated.
Rush displayed then, as he does today, an uncanny knack for finding wonderful songs, and writing his own - many of which have become classics re-interpreted by new generations. (It is testimony to the universality of his appeal that his songs have been folk hits, country hits, heavy metal and rap hits.) Signed by Elektra in 1965, Rush made three albums for them, culminating in The Circle Game, which, according to Rolling Stone, ushered in the singer/songwriter era.
In the early '70s, folk turned to folk-rock, and Rush, ever adaptable, saw more room to stretch out. Recording now for Columbia, he toured tirelessly with a five man band, playing concerts across the country. Endless promotional tours, interviews, television appearances, and recording sessions added up to five very successful but exhausting years, after which Tom decided to take a break and "recharge" his creative side at his New Hampshire farm.
Rush returned with a splash in 1981, selling out Boston's prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. Time off had not only rekindled Rush's love of music, it had re-ignited music audiences' love of Rush's music.
He instinctively knew that his listeners were interested in both the old and the new, and set out to create a musical forum - like the Club 47 of the early '60s - to allow established artists and newcomers to share the same stage. In 1982, he tried it out at Symphony Hall. The show was such a hit it became an annual event, growing to fill two, then three nights, and the Club 47 series was born. Crafting concerts that combined well known artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris with (then) unknowns like Alison Krauss or Mark O' Connor, Rush took the show on the road. From the '80s to the present day, Club 47 events have filled the nation's finest halls to rave reviews, and have been broadcast as national specials on PBS and NPR.
In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released a Tom Rush retrospective album that covered his recorded musical history from 1962 to the present, including tracks recorded for Columbia, Elektra, Prestige and his independent years. Entitled "The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets", the 17-track compilation includes as a bonus a brand new Tom Rush composition, "River Song," which features vocal contributions from Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn.
A live CD, "Trolling for Owls" released in 2003 and published by Tom's NIGHTLIGHT RECORDINGS, captures a complete performance and includes, for the first time, some of the spoken stories that have endeared him to audiences.
In 2018, at age 79, he released the album "Voices".
Kids These Days
Tom Rush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kids these days they don't value a dollar
Don't like chewing but they sure can swallow
Wasn't that way in my younger days
There's something wrong with kids these days
Times ain't now buddy like they used to be
I'd have more fun but the women are so hard to please
Let it burn
Let it burn, burn, burn
Let it burn
Let it burn, burn, burn
Well, old folks they sure are crazy
You're stopping to talk
And they callin' you lazy
When I get grown there'll be some changes made
There's just something wrong with folks These days
There'll be better times but I'm getting by with these
There'll be better times but I'm getting by with these
I'd have more fun but the women are so hard to please
Oh, you let it burn
Let it burn, burn, burn
Let it burn.
The lyrics of Tom Rush's song "Kids These Days" speak to the frustrations of his generation with the younger generation. Rush observes that younger people don't appreciate the value of money in the same way that his generation did. They don't like to chew their food, they just swallow everything whole. Rush is saying that this lack of appreciation and contentment in the younger generation is problematic. He argues that things were not this way when he was younger and that there is something wrong with "kids these days."
Rush then shifts his attention to the difficulties of his own life. Times have changed, and it's harder to find pleasure now. He jokes that "the women are so hard to please." When he was younger, life was different, and he could have more fun. But now things have changed, and it's not as easy to find happiness. Despite all that, Rush says, "let it burn." He's resigned to the difficulties of life and is not going to let them get him down.
In the second verse, he turns his attention back to the older generation, saying that they are "crazy." They criticize younger people for being lazy when they try to connect with them. Rush, however, is determined to make changes when he gets older, so that he won't be "crazy" like them. He sees something wrong with older people as well as younger people, suggesting that the problems of society are not limited to only one generation.
Line by Line Meaning
Kids these days they don't value a dollar
The youth of today do not understand the importance of money and how to handle it properly.
Don't like chewing but they sure can swallow
They have no patience and are always in a hurry to achieve things without taking the necessary time to enjoy the process.
Wasn't that way in my younger days
When I was younger, people were more patient and respectful towards each other unlike now.
There's something wrong with kids these days
The current generation has lost certain values that were once upheld and respected by their predecessors.
Times ain't now buddy like they used to be
The times have changed significantly and things are not the same as they were in the past.
I'd have more fun but the women are so hard to please
I would enjoy life more, but it has become difficult to keep up with the expectations of women.
Let it burn
Allow things to happen and take their course instead of trying to control everything.
Well, old folks they sure are crazy
The elderly tend to be more eccentric and unpredictable than young people.
You're stopping to talk
People are becoming less patient and tolerant of others' variances.
And they callin' you lazy
The older generation sees the younger ones as being less hardworking and more idle due to their differences in work styles.
When I get grown there'll be some changes made
I plan to make some significant changes in my life when I gain maturity and financial independence.
There's just something wrong with folks these days
The current generation has also affected the attitudes and behaviours of the older generation, leading to a problem of values erosion among all ages.
There'll be better times but I'm getting by with these
Although it seems like things won't improve, I am making do with what is available and surviving however possible.
Oh, you let it burn
Just let things be, without interference or control, and let them happen as they will.
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.