“After leaving Taos with Carpio, a Native American friend I had met during the filming of Human Highway, sitting in the front seat of his car, I wrote this song, Thrasher. Driving through the magnificent beauty of New Mexico, the words just kept coming to me. I saw the eagles circling, the deep canyons, the road ahead, reflecting on my journey through recent years, and thankful to be where I was.” Neil Young, NYA - Hearse Daily, March 7, 2022
Thrasher” has got to be one of the most beautiful songs that Neil Young has ever recorded. Though it employs a standard folk chording and melody, the delivery on 12-string guitar gives the song an angelic and otherworldly air. Completely unique in Young’s catalog, the lyrics and “story” are an autobiographical meditation on love, friendship, death, memory, and purpose. Recorded on May 26, 1978, at San Francisco’s Boarding House and released on 1979’s Rust Never Sleeps, the song touches on childhood memories, his fractious relationship with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and images of death and redemption.
For all things Neil, Thrasher’s Wheat is a must visit website and which contains lengthy analysis on the meaning behind “Thrasher’s” lyrics: “Although the surface of the simple melody and stark acoustic beauty convey a near sense of tranquility, underneath “Thrasher’s” lyrics paint a darker, more, ominous picture. One of Young’s most imagery laden songs ever, “Thrasher” reveals the maturing of a true musical genius.”
“They were hiding behind hay bales
They were planting in the full moon
They had given all they had for something new
But the light of day was on them
They could see the thrashers coming
And the water shone like diamonds in the dew.”
For this edition of RustWorks, we present the premier live performance which ended up being abandoned (“These songs have so many words!”). A few nights later, Neil turned in a spectacular performance.
Listen to the 1978-10-24 (early show) performance of “Thrasher” here:
Listen to the 1978-10-27 (late show) performance of “Thrasher” here: