Rudy Lyrics
He don't want to get there, but he needs time
He ain't sophisticated, or well-educated
After all the hours he wasted, still he needs time
He needs time
He needs time for livin'
He needs time
For someone just to see him
He ain't had no lovin'
For no reason or rhyme
And the whole world's above him
Well it's not as though he's fat
No there's more to it than that
See, he tries to play it cool
Wouldn't be nobody's fool
But recently he could see that it may come but too late, too late, too late
Nobody loved, nobody cared
So dim the light, dark are your fears
Try as I might, I can't hold back the tears
How can you live without love, it's not fair?
Someone said give but I just didn't dare
I didn't dare, I didn't dare
Hearing's alright for them that's all there
Hearing's alright
You'd better
You'd better gain control now
You'd better show 'em all now
You'd better make or break now
You'd better give and take now
You'll have to push and shove now
You'll have to find some love now
You'd better gain control now
Numb of all the pain,
Sad but in a while he'll soon be
Back on his train
OK, so I haven't read the other other comments, but here's the TRUTH:
The song is from one of Supertramps earlier albums called "Crime of the Century." It's the album where they got another few of their hits, including "Dreamer," and "Bloody Well Right."
IMPORTANT Basically, the entire album is a story. The first song, "School", talks about a kid named Rudy who hates the education system because it discourages free-thinking and creativity. The album then goes on to talk about how Rudy protests this in many different forms and to many people, including his friends, his parents, and his teachers. He becomes dissillusioned from society.
In "Rudy", Rudy has been put into a psychiatric hospital because he had a mental breakdown. The song itself talks about how Rudy has been let out and is able to co-exist in society, but is in a constant state of self-crisis. He tries to fit in, but really can't, and the line "He'll soon be back on his train," talks about how he eventually will accept that he will never fit in.
One of my fav Supertramp songs, so sad, so true. (Remember, this is based in Britain in the '70's.)
@BNLFTW If you chance upon this reply, do you have an official source for all that "TRUTH"? I don't see any references in the song about a hospital, though the album theme makes some sense. To me, it's just a guy who never seized the moment.
@BNLFTW If you chance upon this reply, do you have an official source for all that "TRUTH"? I don't see any references in the song about a hospital, though the album theme makes some sense. To me, it's just a guy who never seized the moment.
I'd pair it with "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" by Alan Parsons, with a similar theme of too much time wasted and not enough left. Both aren't easy to listen to when you see elements of your own life!
I'd pair it with "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" by Alan Parsons, with a similar theme of too much time wasted and not enough left. Both aren't easy to listen to when you see elements of your own life!
@Nick_C Haha, I haven't even looked at this comment since I wrote it when I was...15? I can't believe I wrote "TRUTH".
@Nick_C Haha, I haven't even looked at this comment since I wrote it when I was...15? I can't believe I wrote "TRUTH".
The TRUTH is, I was 15 and just loved this song. Also, the reference to the hospital is in the song "Asylum" on the same album; however both Davies and Hodgson have said that "Crime of the Century" isn't really a concept album (even though the songs all have unifying themes).
The TRUTH is, I was 15 and just loved this song. Also, the reference to the hospital is in the song "Asylum" on the same album; however both Davies and Hodgson have said that "Crime of the Century" isn't really a concept album (even though the songs all have unifying themes).
You know, I'd never heard "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" until you mentioned it, so thank you! Also,...
You know, I'd never heard "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" until you mentioned it, so thank you! Also, damn that's a sad song to hear, especially as I'm graduating Uni haha. But as the song goes, "the show must go on."
Thanks for the reply, I still love this site (even if Genius.com kind of surpassed it), and it was a nice reminder :)
@Nick_C Haha, I haven't even looked at this comment since I wrote it when I was...15? I can't believe I wrote "TRUTH".
@Nick_C Haha, I haven't even looked at this comment since I wrote it when I was...15? I can't believe I wrote "TRUTH".
The TRUTH is, I was 15 and just loved this song. Also, the reference to the hospital is in the song "Asylum" on the same album; however both Davies and Hodgson have said that "Crime of the Century" isn't really a concept album (even though the songs all have unifying themes).
The TRUTH is, I was 15 and just loved this song. Also, the reference to the hospital is in the song "Asylum" on the same album; however both Davies and Hodgson have said that "Crime of the Century" isn't really a concept album (even though the songs all have unifying themes).
You know, I'd never heard "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" until you mentioned it, so thank you! Also,...
You know, I'd never heard "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" until you mentioned it, so thank you! Also, damn that's a sad song to hear, especially as I'm graduating Uni haha. But as the song goes, "the show must go on."
Thanks for the reply, I still love this site (even if Genius.com kind of surpassed it), and it was a nice reminder :)
Rudy, the chubby procrastinator who never does anything with his life, as he is under the shadow (world's above him) an unfair life. His passed the stage of being able to redirect his life with good advice. He is only happy under the temporary escapes, movies, and perhaps alcohol/drugs (back on his train).
@MattBianco The lyrics say "it's not as though he's fat..." and I don't see a chubby reference elsewhere. The song is about a guy who just isn't with the herd.
@MattBianco The lyrics say "it's not as though he's fat..." and I don't see a chubby reference elsewhere. The song is about a guy who just isn't with the herd.
I can't help but think that part of the song might relate to insanity/mental illness in someway.
Particularly the closing lyrics: "Now he's just come out the movie Numb of all the pain Sad but in a while he'll soon be Back on his train..."
For some reason it just makes me think of some of my chronic psych patients I see in the ER.
I definitely agree with that. I've always connected it to my late grandfather with Alzheimer's. It's just as though Rudy is struggling to connect with the reality that was so simple before.
I definitely agree with that. I've always connected it to my late grandfather with Alzheimer's. It's just as though Rudy is struggling to connect with the reality that was so simple before.
@mobileinfantry Not to mention the possible links to "Asylum" from earlier in the album.
@mobileinfantry Not to mention the possible links to "Asylum" from earlier in the album.
@mobileinfantry To me it's just that the movie took him temporarily away from his standard slog aka train to nowhere. No need for mental illness there. People read too much into things.
@mobileinfantry To me it's just that the movie took him temporarily away from his standard slog aka train to nowhere. No need for mental illness there. People read too much into things.
I may be only 15, but even i know Supertramp is a classic that everyone should at least give a chance...(sadly many don't) I looked on cdnow at the cd that this song is on and one of the persons that reviewed had a pretty good interpretation of what it might mean...they somehow related it back to pink floyd and syd barrett. So if you're curious check it out. Anyhoo it was interesting and better than nothing, but if you have a better interpretation let me know pleez!
Rudy needs to get his shit together, he's scared of life and he's going to run out of time.
Ok, the main line here - that the original lyric poster got wrong is:
See he tries to play it cool But he'll be nobody's fool
It's an unfortunate flub there because that line probably sums up the whole song. Rudy has been too preoccupied with the planning for life and not the LIVING of it. All he can do it watch the movie and everything unfold around him. He's like a ghost - not here, not anywhere.
He's too afraid to make a decision and commit because of all the things he's been told to do by everyone else. He's got to 'show em all', 'gain control', etc.
The 'movie' he comes out of is a representation of the world around him. He knows he's not a part of it and that the distance between him and real life is the same as the distance between real life and a film.
Isn't there a movie called Rudy? If there is, there might be a connection of some sort, expecially if the movie was based on a real person. I'm not sure what its about, but if someone has seen the movie could you please tell me if there is a connection? :)
@FreddieIsMyIdol Rudy based on a real life Notre Dame student / athlete was an early 90s movie. Crime of the Century came out almost 20 years earlier.
@FreddieIsMyIdol Rudy based on a real life Notre Dame student / athlete was an early 90s movie. Crime of the Century came out almost 20 years earlier.
Meanwhile, lets dicuss it here. I haven't interpreted the lyrics yet, but I really love this song all the same. I especially like the cool section towards the end ("you better...).
I believe Rudy is the symbol of everything that is not wanted, a renegade but more than ordinary individual who is not given a chance to explore himself and become someone else, someone better, someone special and therefore my opinion is that this is a recurring character, present in " The four albums "; Crime of the century, Crisis, Quietest and Breakfast.
I love these kind of songs. They start out slow and simply, and gets faster as it progresses, and then slows down again at the very end. A masterpiece. I absolutely love it.