Landing their first record deal with Twin/Tone in 1984, Soul Asylum recorded a total of four albums for the local label: Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984 (later reissued as Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck), Made To Be Broken in 1986, While You Were Out in 1986, and the EP Clam Dip and Other Delights in 1988. The band then switched to A&M, releasing Hang Time in 1988 and And the Horse They Rode In On in 1990 under that label. Although they enjoyed some success as a live band, Soul Asylum suffered from low album sales and considered disbanding.
In 1992, they signed with Columbia Records to produce Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, Somebody To Shove and Black Gold, both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album's third track and it's video of missing teens that led them to their major breakthrough. Runaway Train peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level, and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
In 1995, Soul Asylum followed up the success of Grave Dancers Union with Let Your Dim Light Shine, which climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 and featured the #1 Modern Rock track Misery. After releasing Candy From A Stranger in 1998, the band members took a break from recording and didn't release a new studio album for the better part of seven years. During the interim singer Dave Pirner released a solo album and Dan Murphy toured and recorded with Golden Smog.
They reunited in 2004 to record their ninth full-length album, The Silver Lining, brought together by the news of Mueller being diagnosed with throat cancer. Up until this point, Soul Asylum had always included Murphy, Mueller, and Pirner, despite several line-up changes. This changed on June 17th, 2005, when Mueller passed away after finishing his work on several tracks on the new album. The Silver Lining was released in 2006 and dedicated to Karl Mueller's life and memory, with Murphy expressing that, "For me, this record is Karl."
In late 2005, ex-Replacements bassist (and current Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson and former Prince drummer Michael Bland joined Soul Asylum in tribute to the late Karl Mueller. They completed their American tour in support of The Silver Lining in late 2006. In November and December 2006 they opened for Cheap Trick on their American tour. On March 10th, 2007, Soul Asylum joined Cyndi Lauper, Mint Condition, and Lifehouse to hold a concert to benefit Wain McFarlane, the leader of the legendary reggae band Ipso Facto, to help pay for the expenses of a kidney transplant.
http://www.soulasylum.com
Runaway Train
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a slow torch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning
So tired that I couldn't even sleep
So many secrets I couldn't keep
Promised myself I wouldn't weep
One more promise I couldn't keep
It seems no one can help me now
I'm in too deep
There's no way out
This time I have really led myself astray
Runaway train never going back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Can you help me remember how to smile?
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded?
Life's mystery seems so faded
I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just drownin' in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train
Everything seems cut and dry
Day and night, earth and sky
Somehow I just don't believe it
Runaway train never going back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin' at the rain
A little out of touch, little insane
It's just easier than dealing with the pain
Runaway train never goin' back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Runaway train never comin' back
Runaway train tearin' up the track
Runaway train burnin' in my veins
Runaway but it always seems the same
The lyrics of Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train" pause and ponder on a person that feels lost and stuck in their life, unable to find their way. The person is depicted as being consumed by secrets, lost direction, and pain. The song's beginnings depict an all-too-familiar feeling of being unable to sleep and being bombarded with images of a life that is not fulfilling. The person is searching for something, but what that is eludes them. This is represented by the metaphor of the "runaway train," which describes the person's life as it is, stuck in a one-way track that is headed nowhere. The singer doesn't know where they're going, nor does anything seem to provide them solace or peace, as can be seen in the line, "Everything seems cut and dry, day and night, earth and sky, somehow I just don't believe it."
The chorus repeats, "Runaway train never going back, wrong way on a one-way track" reflects a hard truth, the person feels like they are stuck on a path that they cannot escape. The verse "Can you help me remember how to smile, make it somehow all seem worthwhile?" portrays the person's desperation, willing to take any help they can catch. The singer feels like they are spinning in circles, and nothing seems to make any sense. Life becomes a mystery, which feels like it has lost its purpose. Finally, the song concludes with an eerie sense that no matter where the runaway train takes them, it will always end up in the same spot.
Line by Line Meaning
Call you up in the middle of the night
I reach out to you in my darkest moments
Like a firefly without a light
Feels like I'm wandering aimlessly, with no direction or purpose
You were there like a slow torch burning
You're a source of warmth and comfort to me, even if it's a slow burn
I was a key that could use a little turning
I was stuck, and needed you to unlock something inside of me
So tired that I couldn't even sleep
I'm worn out, and exhausted both physically and emotionally
So many secrets I couldn't keep
I've been keeping too much inside for far too long
Promised myself I wouldn't weep
I tried to be strong, but eventually broke down anyway
One more promise I couldn't keep
I made yet another promise to myself that I couldn't fulfill
It seems no one can help me now
I'm feeling helpless and alone
I'm in too deep
I'm in a situation that I can't easily get out of
There's no way out
I have no clear path to escape my problems
This time I have really led myself astray
I've made a mistake that has led me down the wrong path
Runaway train never going back
I'm out of control, and can't fix what's already happened
Wrong way on a one way track
I'm going against everything I know is right
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
I thought I was making progress, but now I'm not so sure
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
I'm lost, and don't know where I stand
Can you help me remember how to smile?
I need someone to remind me of the good things in life
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
I need to find meaning in my life again
How on earth did I get so jaded?
I used to be hopeful, but now I'm cynical and disillusioned
Life's mystery seems so faded
I used to see the beauty in the world, but now everything seems dull
I can go where no one else can go
I have unique experiences and perspectives
I know what no one else knows
I have knowledge and insights that others don't
Here I am just drownin' in the rain
I'm struggling, and overwhelmed by negative emotions
With a ticket for a runaway train
I'm on a path that I can't control, and can't find my way off of
Everything seems cut and dry
Life seems predictable, and there's no room for surprises
Day and night, earth and sky
The world is divided into simple, binary opposites
Somehow I just don't believe it
I'm skeptical of the status quo, and crave something more
Bought a ticket for a runaway train
I got myself into this mess, and can't seem to escape it
Like a madman laughin' at the rain
I'm laughing when I should be crying, and it feels like insanity
A little out of touch, little insane
I'm disconnected from reality, and my behavior is abnormal
It's just easier than dealing with the pain
I'm avoiding my problems, and taking the easy way out
Runaway train never comin' back
There's no going back to the way things were before
Runaway train tearin' up the track
I'm causing damage to myself and others, and can't slow down
Runaway train burnin' in my veins
The turmoil inside me feels all-consuming, and I can't escape it
Runaway but it always seems the same
I keep repeating the same mistakes, and can't break free from the cycle
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Pirner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind