The band formed in December of 1996, originally consisting of Skiba, Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and Glenn Porter (drums/vocals). 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP, Sundials. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Doran. He was replaced by Andriano, who had been the singer for Tuesday and bassist for the ska band Slapstick. The band released their second EP, entitled For Your Lungs Only, in 1998, which began to build them a sizable fan base in the American Midwest. Later that year, they released their first full-length album, Goddamnit, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000. Both were released on Asian Man Records. Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously-released EPs on a self-titled album.
Following the success of their Asian Man releases, Alkaline Trio signed to Vagrant. Joined by new drummer Mike Felumlee (previously of the Smoking Popes), From Here to Infirmary was released in 2001. It was their first album to see any interest from alternative radio and the mainstream media, with the semi-hit punk single "Stupid Kid" and the inclusion of the song "Armageddon" on the Tony Hawk's Underground as well as Tony Hawks American Wasteland video games. Their cover of "Over at the Frankenstein Place" was included in the compilation The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show, an album made to pay tribute to the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After the release, Felumlee left the band too and was replaced by Grant, previously of The Suicide Machines.
Their next full-length album was Good Mourning, released in 2003, with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing a considerable amount of commercial success. The album was a significant departure from earlier works, featuring greater production value and a noticeable move toward a more mainstream sound.
The band has also appeared on various compilation albums, notably Plea for Peace Vol. 1 and Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. Skiba and Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album This is Unity Music by Common Rider. They have also recorded two split EPs with bands who are no longer together: one with Hot Water Music in 2000 and the other with One Man Army in 2004.
Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, entitled Crimson, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by Mass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.
In 2004 Andriano became a member of The Falcon, a super-group of consisting of The Lawrence Arms' bassist/co-vocalist Brendan Kelly (with who he had played with in Slapstick), and Neil Hennessy, drummer from The Lawrence Arms. The band released a 5-song EP in 2004, and its first full-length Unicornography in September of 2006.
In 2006 Matt Skiba collaborated with Josiah Steinbrick for the band Heavens.
In 2008 Alkaline Trio released Agony & Irony on Epic Records. The album charted at #13 on the Billboard 200.
Alkaline Trio's 7th studio album, This Addiction,was released on February 23rd 2010. This was their first album under their own label, Heart & Skull, an offshoot of Epitaph, and the album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.
Alkaline Trio's eighth studio album, Damnesia,, was released July 12, 2011. Consisting of "a selection of beloved fan favorites selected from the group's extensive catalogue and presented in an intimate semi-unplugged format", the album also included two new songs, "Olde English 800" and "I Remember a Rooftop", as well as a cover version of the Violent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms".
On April 2nd, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "My Shame Is True".
On August 31st, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "Is This Thing Cursed?".
On June 8th, 2023, longtime drummer Derek Grant left the band due to mental health reasons and intentions to pursue music production as well as graphic design. He was replaced by Atom Willard, formerly of bands such as Rocket from the Crypt and Against Me!. The band then released the single, "Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs" on October 17th, 2023, and announced an album of the same name due for a release date of January 26th, 2024.
Trucks and Trains
Alkaline Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some hit so hard you barely feel a thing
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
Lights out left now these robots marching
To the nearest liquor store
There's something green that's leaving town
Always thought it was blue
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking up is turning everything blue
Including me, including you
Including you
These times count down like boats and planes
Some wash away in undertow
Some plummet down in flames
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
With sirens on this ambulance is racing
To the west coast shore
There's something blue that's leaving town
We always talked about black we're considering brown
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking up's turning everything blue
Including me, including the ocean, including you
Feel the ocean blue
Engulfing you
I view the deep blue sea
It's turning red right in front of me
There's something gray that's leaving town
And it's way beyond me
How it gets off the ground
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking ups turning everything blue
Including me, including the pilots, including you
The song "Trucks and Trains" by Alkaline Trio explores the idea of the passing of time and how it affects people and things. The first verse uses the simile of trucks and trains to represent how fast days are going by, some hitting so hard they are barely noticed. "Lights out" can be interpreted as a metaphorical representation of death, which is emphasized by the line "back then and forevermore." The mention of robots marching and the need to go to the liquor store could represent the monotony of life and the need to cope with it.
The second verse begins with "These times count down like boats and planes," further emphasizing the theme of time passing by. The metaphorical representations of the boats being washed away by the undertow and planes plummeting down in flames depict the unpredictability of life. This is followed by another mention of "lights out," but this time the imagery shifts to an ambulance racing to the west coast shore. The reference to something blue leaving town and considering brown instead of black could represent changing perspectives and new ideas.
The chorus repeats the idea of the grass being greener on the other side, but the last line adds "including me, including the ocean, including you." The reference to the ocean turning red, something gray leaving town, and pilots being included shows that nothing, not even the natural world or those in power, are immune to the effects of the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
These days go by like trucks and trains
Time seems to move fast, just like how trucks and trains pass by quickly
Some hit so hard you barely feel a thing
Sometimes, bad things happen and you get used to it so much that it no longer affects you
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
The lights went out in the past and they will always be out
Lights out left now these robots marching
The lights went out and the world is now like robots marching aimlessly
To the nearest liquor store
People often turn to drinking to forget their problems
There's something green that's leaving town
Something important is leaving, it was thought to be blue but it's actually green
Always thought it was blue
The singer was mistaken about the color of the thing leaving town
Always knew I was wrong
The artist acknowledges that they were not correct in their assumption about the thing leaving town
Where it goes hell knows
No one knows where the thing leaving town is going
Maybe somewhere better than here
It's possible that the thing leaving town is going somewhere better
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
The idea that things are better on the other side may be true
Too much time looking up is turning everything blue
Focusing too much on what's above you can make you feel sad and hopeless
Including me, including you
Everyone is affected by this feeling of hopelessness
These times count down like boats and planes
Time passes like boats and planes that eventually reach their destination
Some wash away in undertow
Some people succumb to negative forces and lose themselves
Some plummet down in flames
Some people's lives spiral out of control and end in disaster
With sirens on this ambulance is racing
There is an emergency and an ambulance is speeding to help
To the west coast shore
The ambulance is headed to the shore of the West Coast
There's something blue that's leaving town
Another important thing is leaving, this time it's blue
We always talked about black we're considering brown
The artist and others talked about something dark leaving town, but now they believe it's something lighter
And it's way beyond me
The artist doesn't understand how this thing is able to leave town
How it gets off the ground
The artist doesn't understand how this thing is able to take off and leave town
Including the pilots
Even those who fly planes are not immune to feeling hopeless
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL MICHAEL ANDRIANO, MATTHEW THOMAS SKIBA, MIKE FELUMLEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adele Covus
Trucks and Trains
Alkaline Trio
These days go by like trucks and trains
Some hit so hard you barely feel a thing
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
Lights out left now these robots marching
To the nearest liquor store
There's something green that's leaving town
Always thought it was blue
Always knew I was wrong
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking up is turning everything blue
Including me, including you
Including you
These times count down like boats and planes
Some wash away in undertow
Some plummet down in flames
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
With sirens on this ambulance is racing
To the west coast shore
There's something blue that's leaving town
We always talked about black we're considering brown
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking up's turning everything blue
Including me, including the ocean, including you
Feel the ocean blue
Engulfing you
I view the deep blue sea
It's turning red right in front of me
There's something gray that's leaving town
And it's way beyond me
How it gets off the ground
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking ups turning everything blue
Including me, including the pilots, including you
Kyah Kelley
Such an unappreciated band. I love these guys!
Adele Covus
Trucks and Trains
Alkaline Trio
These days go by like trucks and trains
Some hit so hard you barely feel a thing
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
Lights out left now these robots marching
To the nearest liquor store
There's something green that's leaving town
Always thought it was blue
Always knew I was wrong
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking up is turning everything blue
Including me, including you
Including you
These times count down like boats and planes
Some wash away in undertow
Some plummet down in flames
Lights out right now back then and forevermore
With sirens on this ambulance is racing
To the west coast shore
There's something blue that's leaving town
We always talked about black we're considering brown
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking up's turning everything blue
Including me, including the ocean, including you
Feel the ocean blue
Engulfing you
I view the deep blue sea
It's turning red right in front of me
There's something gray that's leaving town
And it's way beyond me
How it gets off the ground
Where it goes hell knows
Maybe somewhere better than here
And what they say of the grass on the other sides true
Too much time looking ups turning everything blue
Including me, including the pilots, including you
Anna Quay
Ooooooooh! I didn't know those were the lyrics; they aren't. A link would have been fine.
Keith Cloyd
Ty
chicken dinner
One of the best. I wish there was a live Version. this would have been awesome if was on the Halloween DVD
MrPembo101
I'm such a late member to the alk3 party but by god I'm glad I am a member. Such a consistently great band
Joshua HERRIS
Alkaline trio is a great band thanks for the music
Elf Sieben
Lyrics and music just suit each other perfectly. Gotta love this song.
201088aa
i like this song... i don't understand negative opinions, it's one of my favourite on this album
Nisaras94
Love this song. So catchy.