Carve Away The Stone By Rush Analysis

In the song, Carve Away the Stone by Rush, the greek myth of Sisyphus is referenced. In the myth, Sisyphus sees Zeus kidnap and hide a nymph. Zeus tells him not to tell and Sisyphus agrees but then tells the Nymphs father her where abouts. Zeus has Sisyphus killed , but before his death he tells his wife not to give him a proper burial. When in the Underworld, Sisyphus asks Hades if he may return to the world to give himself a proper funeral. When Sisyphus returns to the world he does not return to the Underworld until his second, and final death. As his punishment he is told to he roll a stone to the top of a hill and he will be released but the trick is the stone rolls down the hill every single time he reaches the top. In the song, the rolling
the stone as a punishment is referenced. While Sisyphus believes he will wash away all his sins and be free when he reaches the top, he doesn't know that it is inevitable for the rock to roll back and he has to continue to live with the sins.