The Neil Young Lyric That Referenced His Old CSN Pals

Did you ever wonder why Neil Young just couldn’t ever stick it out for very long with Crosby, Stills & Nash? You can certainly read biographies that might give you some pertinent information about it.

Videos by American Songwriter

Or you can check out Neil Young’s “Thrasher”. The 1979 song, found on Young’s classic album Rust Never Sleeps, obliquely explains how Young had other paths to pursue that didn’t include being a member of that ultra-successful, volatile group.

No More Y in CSN

Anybody remember the film Human Highway? No? Well, maybe that’s understandable. Young actually directed it under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey. He also starred in it, along with a cast that included Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell, and Devo. That IMDB page reads like some fever dream.

While the film neither gathered much steam at the box office nor earned much in the way of critical love, it did serve one purpose. While riding out of Taos, New Mexico, where some of the filming took place, Young noticed all the stunning sights in the landscape. Many of those sights made their way into “Thrasher”.

As for the meaning behind the lyrics, Young admitted years down the road that he was referencing his own feelings about leaving Crosby, Stills & Nash. At the time the song was released, Young had only appeared on a single album with the trio. But the pressure was constant for them to reunite and do more.

Some of the lyrics of “Thrasher” come off as less than flattering about the path chosen by his former bandmates. But Young insisted that the song was more about him needing to do his own thing than it was a criticism of the trio.

Examining the Lyrics of “Thrasher”

Young delivers some of the most piercing imagery of his career on “Thrasher”. “Where the eagle glides, descending,” he sings. “There’s an ancient river bending/Through the timeless gorge of changes/Where sleeplessness awaits.” Your mind’s eye can call up those sights immediately, thanks to the vivid descriptions.

Young claims that he followed his heart when making decisions about his career. “With a one-way ticket to the land of truth,” he describes his destination. His old bandmates, he implies, chose safe stagnancy. “They were lost in rock formations,” he sings. In the end, he had no choice but to move on: “So I got bored and left them there/They were just dead weight to me/Better down the road without that load.” He imagines where they’ll end up: “The motel of lost companions/With heated pool and bar.”

The titular device represents change, mowing its way through all that’s come before. Young suggests that staying ahead of it is ultimately futile. “When the thrasher comes, I’ll be stuck in the sun,” he sings. “Like the dinosaurs in shrines.” But he won’t feel cheated when that day arrives. “But I know the time has come to give what’s mine.”

Whatever metaphorical “Thrasher” might be on the horizon, Neil Young has avoided it better than just about any of his rock peers. And, as it turned out, he clearly didn’t harbor too much ill will toward his old CSN buddies. He would rejoin them for two more studio albums after this song was released.

Photo by Legon 108/Shutterstock