"Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West, from their 1990 album Save This House. Although never officially released as a single, it is the band's most famous song and is considered a classic of Canadian music.
Written by John Mann and Geoffrey Kelly, the song tells of a drinking spree in London. The lyrics and the musical setting clearly revel in the fun of the experience, but also show a longing for the rest and comfort of home:
| “ | You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best I've been gone for a week, I've been drunk since I left These so-called vacations will soon be my death I'm so sick from the drink, I need home for a rest. |
” |
British geographical references such as Euston Station, Charing Cross Road and Yorkshire appear in the lyrics. The later choruses switch the length of time that the narrator has been gone from a week to a month, and in some live performances change from a month to a year.
The song's musical arrangement incorporates the traditional reels "Castle Kelly", "Glass of Beer" and "Swallow's Tail".[1]
"Home for a Rest" is always the final song played at the band's concert performances, excepting encores.
The song remains a standard frosh week anthem at Canadian colleges and universities. It was one of two Canadian songs (the other being "Do the Bearcat" by David Wilcox) to appear on the 1998 compilation album Frosh, alongside such party anthems as Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life", The Village People's "YMCA", Denis Leary's "Asshole" and Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right to Party".
In 1999, the song was named to CFNY's Top 1002 New Rock Songs of All Time, ranking 689th behind R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People" and ahead of Robert Palmer's "Looking for Clues". In 2007, CFNY named it No. 8 on their Top 102 Canadian New Rock Songs of All Time.[2]
In 2005, "Home for a Rest" was named the 22nd greatest Canadian song of all time in a listener vote on the CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.
The song is also frequently covered by other Canadian folk rock bands, including Mudmen and Enter the Haggis.