From the liner notes:
ii – The Pedlar 2
The ever-wandering pedlar.
“What do you lack?”
THOSE FATEFUL WORDS, “What do you lack?” spark an inner monologue about all that I have lost. No more boundless optimism, no more faith in greater powers, too much pain, too much grief, and too much disillusion...
I was brought up to believe
Belief has failed me now
The bright glow of optimism
Abandoned me somehow
Belief has failed me now
Life goes from bad to worse
No philosophy consoles me
In a clockwork universe
Life goes from bad to worse
I still choose to live
Find a measure of love and laughter
And another measure to give
I still choose to live
And give even while I grieve
Though the balance tilts against me
I was brought up to believe
BU2B2 was written by Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson & Neil Peart.
BU2B2 was produced by Nick Raskulinecz & Rush.
Geddy Lee:
A short musical respite, as the story needs to reflect for a moment at that point…
—via MusicRadar.com