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".
Lonely
Tom Rush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you running from the west
Heart and soul abused
Does your mind need a rest
I wouldn't cry, that might make a flood
And I don't know if I can swim that good
I wouldn't cry, that might make a flood
I've been lonely, only
When I stop to think about you
So I don't stop, I just keep on
Trying to keep my head above these blues
Down there in Rome
Longing to go home
The last train has gone
The last bird has flown away
I wouldn't cry, that might make a flood
And I don't know if I can swim that good
I wouldn't cry, that might make a flood
And I don't know if I can swim that good
I've been lonely, only
When I stop to think about you
So I don't stop, I just keep on
Trying to keep my head above these blues
I've been ya fool
I've been ya loser
I play it cool and I won't blow a fuse...ah
I've been ya fool
I've been ya loser
Oh, not this time
I've been lonely, only
When I stop to think about you
So I don't stop, I just keep on,
Trying to keep my head above these blues
I've been lonely, oh only
When I stop to think about you
So I don't stop, I just keep on
Trying to keep my head above these blues
In Tom Rush's "Lonely", the artist is singing to someone who is feeling tired, confused, abused, and in need of a rest for their mind. The person may be running from their problems, perhaps in the west, and are experiencing intense emotions. However, Rush encourages the person not to cry, as it may make a flood, and they might not be able to swim. He urges them to keep their head above their blues and keep moving forward, instead of dwelling on their loneliness.
The song speaks to the human experience of loneliness and heartbreak. It seems the singer has been through tough times and understands what it feels like to be alone. The line "I've been ya fool, I've been ya loser, I play it cool and I won't blow a fuse" suggests that the singer has been in a similar situation before and does not want to fall back into old habits. Despite the sadness and pain of loneliness, the song offers a glimmer of hope - that it is possible to keep moving forward, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Tired and confused
Feeling exhausted and disoriented
Are you running from the west
Are you trying to escape your problems?
Heart and soul abused
Feeling emotionally and spiritually battered
Does your mind need a rest
Do you need a break from your thoughts?
I wouldn't cry, that might make a flood
I don't want to be overwhelmed emotionally
And I don't know if I can swim that good
I don't know if I have the capacity to handle any more stress
I've been lonely, only
When I stop to think about you
I only feel lonely when I think about you
So I don't stop, I just keep on
Trying to keep my head above these blues
I try to distract myself from these negative feelings
Down there in Rome
I feel like I'm stuck in a difficult situation
Longing to go home
I want to escape this situation
The last train has gone
The last bird has flown away
I've missed my chance to get out of this situation
I've been ya fool
I've been ya loser
I've made mistakes and been taken advantage of
I play it cool and I won't blow a fuse...ah
I try to keep calm and not lose my cool
Oh, not this time
But I won't let myself be a fool or a loser again
I've been lonely, oh only
When I stop to think about you
I only feel lonely when I think about you
So I don't stop, I just keep on
Trying to keep my head above these blues
I try to distract myself from these negative feelings
Contributed by Arianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.