To really understand this song, you need to understand neil peart's background. He was heavily influenced by the philosophy of ayn rand (just look at 2112) which is highly individualistic. In her novels, the bad guys are second handers- people who live off of others, people with no talent, no strength and no work ethic. The good guys are prime movers, people who build and create all good things in society. Second handers create collectivist societies as a means of destroying prime movers, either in the name of "fairness" or because they understand that they can't be great. The oaks, I think, are prime movers. The simple fact is that they achieve more than others, and thus reap the greater reward, as is fair. The maples are second handers, who can't accept that the oaks keep the fruits of their work, so they destroy the oaks. Read the fountainhead, anthem, or atlas shrugged by ayn rand, or listen to 2112 again, and you'l get it.