Currently, the group comprises singer and harmonica player John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, drummer Brendan Hill, bassist Tad Kinchla and keyboardist Ben Wilson. Tad Kinchla and Ben Wilson joined the band following the death of original bassist Bobby Sheehan in 1999.
While Blues Traveler is best known among fans for their improvisational live shows, the general public is most familiar with the group from their Top 40 singles "Run-Around" and "Hook". They gained mainstream popularity after their fourth studio album four, released in 1994. Sheehan's death and Popper's struggle with obesity put a damper on the group's success, and A&M dropped the band in 2002.
Back In The Day
Blues Traveler Lyrics
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But I'm coming on back today
Kinda funny but I picture it only
Exactly as it was back in the day
Sure enough when the train pulls in
There's so little that I recognize
Is it the scenery or my selective memory
Or just a simple fact that I gotta realize
My friends have gone and their lives have moved on
And I guess that's just the way it is
If this town has grown beyond my home
I guess it all comes down to this
I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone
But it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true
There was a time when it was easy to find
A hangout that you knew was yours by name
And mine or not I could find the same spot
But it's never gonna be the same
I've been away and I've seen too much
Looks like I've been moving on as well
And when I started to not really belong
I suppose I was unable to tell
But I ain't sad and no it isn't bad
It's just one more thing I'm coming to know
If you're alive you didn't finish the ride
No telling where it's going to go
I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone
But it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true
It's been a while since I left home
But I'm coming on back today
Kinda funny but I picture it only
Exactly as it was back in the day
I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone
But it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true
I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
But those times have long been through
The dying of the light is gone
But it's back in the day
Like a wish that comes half true
The lyrics in "Back in the Day" by Blues Traveler talk about returning home after a long period of time and realizing that everything is different from how it was in the past. The singer seems to be struggling with the passage of time and the fact that people move on and change while he still feels stuck in the past. He wonders if the changes he sees are because of his faulty memory, or if things really have changed so much. The chorus repeats the phrase "back in the day" and discusses the idea of nostalgia for a time that has passed.
The lyrics touch on themes of aging, memory, and the passage of time. The singer acknowledges that life moves on and that people he once knew are no longer part of his life. He seems to be searching for a way to reconcile his feelings of nostalgia for the past with his understanding that things can never go back to the way they once were. Ultimately, the song is a bittersweet reflection on the passage of time and the way that memories fade and change over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a while since I've left home
It has been quite some time since I have left my hometown
But I'm coming on back today
Despite this fact, I am returning home today
Kinda funny but I picture it only
Oddly enough, I can only imagine my hometown as it was in the past
Exactly as it was back in the day
I have a specific image of my hometown in my mind that is from the past
Sure enough when the train pulls in
When the train arrives, to my surprise
There's so little that I recognize
I find that there are very few things that I still recognize about my hometown
Is it the scenery or my selective memory
I wonder if I am seeing things differently because of the changes in scenery or because of my own selective memory
Or just a simple fact that I gotta realize
Or perhaps it is simply a fact that I need to come to terms with
My friends have gone and their lives have moved on
Many of my friends have moved on and their lives have changed
And I guess that's just the way it is
I suppose that is just how things are
If this town has grown beyond my home
If this town has changed so much that it is no longer recognizable as my home
I guess it all comes down to this
I suppose it all boils down to this
I close my eyes and feel like it was back in the day
I reminisce and create a mental image of my hometown as it was in the past
But those times have long been through
However, those times have come and gone long ago
The dying of the light is gone
The end of the good times is over
But it's back in the day
Yet, somehow, my memories are still vivid and real
Like a wish that comes half true
It's like a wish that only partially comes true
There was a time when it was easy to find
There used to be a time when it was easy to find
A hangout that you knew was yours by name
A spot where everyone knows you by name
And mine or not I could find the same spot
Even if it wasn't originally my spot, I knew I could still go there
But it's never gonna be the same
Unfortunately, things will never be how they once were
I've been away and I've seen too much
I've been away from my hometown and have gained too many new experiences
Looks like I've been moving on as well
It seems like I, too, have been moving on with my life
And when I started to not really belong
I began to feel like I didn't truly belong there anymore
I suppose I was unable to tell
Perhaps I wasn't fully aware of it until now
But I ain't sad and no it isn't bad
I am not sad about it, nor is it necessarily a bad thing
It's just one more thing I'm coming to know
It is simply another realization I am coming to understand
If you're alive you didn't finish the ride
As long as you're still alive, there is more life to be lived and more experiences to be had
No telling where it's going to go
It's impossible to predict where life will take you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANNA WILSON, SCARLET V. KEYS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind