The Garden Lyrics
In this one of many possible worlds
All for the best, or some bizarre test
It is what it is, and whatever
Time is still the infinite jest
[Pre-Chorus]
The arrow flies when you dream;
The hours tick away
The cells tick away
The Watchmaker keeps to his schemes
The hours tick away
They tick away
[Chorus]
The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect;
So hard to earn, so easily burned
The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect;
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
[Verse 2]
In the rise and the set of the sun
Until the stars go spinning, spinning round the night
Oh, it is what is it is, and forever;
Each moment, a memory in flight
The arrow flies while you dream;
The hours tick away
The cells tick away
The Watchmaker has time up his sleeves
The hours tick away
They tick away
[Chorus]
The measure of a life is a measure of love and respect;
So hard to earn, so easily burned
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
(It's a measure of a life)
The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect:
The way you live, the gifts that you give
In the fullness of time
Is the only return that you expect
[Bridge]
The future disappears into memory
With only a moment between
Forever dwells in that moment;
Hope is what remains to be seen
Forever dwells in that moment;
Hope is what remains to be seen
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
(It's a measure of a life)
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
(It's a measure of a life)
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
(It's a measure of a life)
In the fullness of time
A garden to nurture and protect
[Outro]
It's a measure of a life
It's a measure of a life
It's a measure of a life
It's a measure of a life
About
The title of this track echos the conclusion of Voltaire’s “Candide” where the protagonist decides that the ultimate duty of life is simply to “cultivate our garden.”
The entire album roughly mirrors Voltaire’s famous work as it follows a naive young man’s path from a sheltered life where he had been indoctrinated with the idea that everything that happens is for the best, through fortune and failure, and eventually to the conclusion, outlined in this song, that whether the world turns out for the best or not doesn’t really matter and that he must instead simply take care of his own garden.
From the liner notes:
LONG AGO I READ A STORY FROM ANOTHER TIMELINE about a character named Candide. He also survived a harrowing series of misadventures and tragedies, then settled on a farm near Constantinople. Listening to a philosophical rant, Candide replied, “That is all very well, but now we must tend our garden.”
I have now arrived at that point in my own story. There is a metaphorical garden in the acts and attitudes of a person’s life, and the treasures of that garden are love and respect. I have come to realize that the gathering of love and respect – from others and for myself – has been the real quest of my life.
“Now we must tend our garden.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Geddy Lee:
Again this is one of the original six and it changed almost not a hair from the original demo to its final version with the exception of a few more sophisticated performance embellishments and the additional strings. The original plan, we really stuck to it as there was something about the way we wrote that song that just worked from day one. It sounded authentic, relaxed and beautiful and really sweet. And that comes from having great lyrics too, the lyrics are beautiful, original in form and the song wrote itself.
—via MusicRadar.com
- 1.Caravan
- 2.BU2B
- 5.Carnies
- 6.Halo Effect
- 8.The Wreckers
- 10.BU2B2
- 11.Wish Them Well
- 12.The Garden