This is one post in a series. Each post will focus on one song by The Tragically Hip, a Canadian rock n’ roll band. I am a fan, not an expert. The thoughts expressed in these posts are my own, with the following two exceptions: I have drawn inspiration and knowledge from a book entitled, The Never Ending Present by Michael Barclay. I have, also, learned much from a website dedicated to Hip fans, entitled The Hip Museum. I will give credit to either source when applicable.
I have been to a few Hip shows in person. Whenever “Courage” starts up, the crowd always goes wild and there is lots of singing along and dancing in the aisles to accompany the song’s lyrics. However, this song is one of those examples of audiences not really understanding what the song is all about and not really caring anyway.
(#HM) Hugh MacLennan was one of the most respected authors that Canada has ever produced. He is best known for his books, Two Solitudes and Barometer Rising. Initially, his desire to write stories about Canada was mocked and ridiculed as being overly provincial. Who would ever want to hear stories about this place? Well, evidently, many people did and, as a result, MacLennan is rightfully credited as being one of the authors who helped to establish our literary culture in Canada. But, like many writers, MacLennan suffered through periods of self-doubt and depression. He wondered if his life’s work had any meaning. It was only later on in his life that he began to appreciate what, in fact, he had managed to accomplish.
The Tragically Hip were much the same as MacLennan. They believed in the stories our country had to share and set out to give meaning to them through song. But, being a rock n’ roll group, at their core, The Hip, often found themselves lost in a whirlwind of hotel rooms, hockey arenas, beer-swilling fans all singing and dancing but, not necessarily, appreciating the nuances of the lyrics the band worked so hard to create. So, “Courage” is really a song about finding meaning for yourself and your life’s work, amid the cries of those who take you for granted. It is a salute to a kindred spirit whose books influenced the band tremendously but, in all likelihood, have never read by most of their fans. And, like MacLennan, himself, The Tragically Hip can, at this late stage of their being, look back upon their career with a fair bit of satisfaction for what they have accomplished, too.
“There’s no simple explanation
For anything important any of us do.
And yeah, the human tragedy
Consists in the necessity
Of living with the consequences
Under pressure, under pressure
Courage, my word, it didn’t come, it didn’t matter.”
*This verse is taken, almost verbatim, from The Watch That Ends The Night by Hugh MacLennan.
The video for “Courage (for Hugh McLennan)” can be found here.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this post. If you have anything to say, of literary merit or otherwise, please feel free to do so in the comments box below. Thanks to everyone in The Tragically Hip, for having the courage of a Hugh McLennan, and writing songs that have helped shape the culture of our country.
Tom MacInnes, Writer 