1999's Breathing Tornados marked a new direction for Lee as he introduced synths and increased instrumentation into his sound. The album was a huge success, with the first single, "Cigarettes Will Kill You", finishing second in that year's Triple J Hottest 100. Lee also enjoyed success with the single "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" - from the album hey you. yes you. - reaching no 22 in 2002's Triple J Hottest 100.
In 2001 he joined forces with Evan Dando, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick and Jason Schwartzman of Phantom Planet and acting fame. Calling themselves Dando Lee Petersson Schwartzman, they recorded a single, "Dead or Anything", at Globe Studios, New York.
During 2003 he teamed up with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds for a side project entitled The Bens. They recorded four songs together in Nashville, resulting in a self-titled EP.
In late 2004, he left Steve Pavlovic's Modular Recordings and started up his own record label, Ten Fingers. The first release on the label was the single, "Gamble Everything For Love", followed by the album, Awake Is The New Sleep in February 2005. A defining release in his career, the album showcased a much brighter, positive side of Lee's personality, in contrast to his previous darker musings. Awake Is The New Sleep received several nominations for the 2005 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards, and Lee won Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release, and Single Of The Year for "Catch My Disease". Catch My Disease was also number 2 on the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100.
In September 2007, Lee released his sixth solo album, named "Ripe" after the final song on the record. The album is somewhat controversial, with most songs relating in some way to sex, lust and love. Mandy Moore features on the album in the song "Birds and Bees", and Benji Madden plays electric guitar in "Sex Without Love". It also features Sara Watkins, Rachael Yamagata, Charlotte Martin, Ned Bower, Taylor Locke and Robert Schwatzman (who is also credited for co-writing 'Sex Without Love'). It was a big step away from the spiritual "Awake is the New Sleep", but shows Lee's need for change in songs. The album was produced by John Alagia and released under the Inertia/Ten Fingers label 'Awake is the New Sleep' was released under.
February 2009 brought the release of his latest LP entitled "The Rebirth of Venus." This release also includes a bonus disk that includes six cover songs that Ben has done including "Kids" by MGMT and "New Wave" by Against Me!.
Long Train Ride
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seen through the window of a train
A boy and girl stand side by side
The train arrives, she kisses him goodbye
She turns away then steps on board
He thought he'd die but now he's sure
But as he thinks of one last thing to say
I pass a station with no sign
An old man gets on the train just in time
He used to love this town despite the rain
But since his wife died it's not been the same
He curses himself, he was weak
At his wife's grave he could not speak
But as he thinks that maybe he should stay
The train just rolls away
The driver likes his coffee strong and hot
The train he drives is everything he's not
He watches the sad people board the train
Then laughs as he pulls out and rolls away
Hits a hundred, no holding back
Then his dear train comes off the track
The news report said instant death, no pain
But who's really to say?
But who's really to say?
The train just rolled away
The train just rolls away
The song "Long Train Ride" by Ben Lee features a theme of missed connections, departures, and how life can be unpredictable. The lyrics describe multiple scenarios where characters come close to having a meaningful interaction, only to have it slip away.
The first verse describes a young couple about to part ways. Though they stand close together, the train pulls away before the boy is able to share his parting words. This could be an allegory about missed opportunities in life, where a person only realizes the importance of a moment after it has passed.
The second verse speaks of an elderly man who gets on the same train. He regrets not being able to communicate properly to his wife before she passed away, and feels that he has lost everything in his life because of it. This regret weighs heavily on him, and he contemplates getting off the train but finds that it has already moved on. This could be interpreted as a reminder that it's important to value the relationships we have in life and not take them for granted.
The final verse takes a completely different turn, introducing a train driver who is the opposite of the passengers he carries. He is carefree, laughing as he drives. He speeds up until the train crashes, and the song asks the question, "Who's really to say?". This open-ended question could be interpreted as a commentary on the unpredictability of life or the fact that life can be taken away in a moment, reminding us to live in the present and cherish those around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I pass a town without a name
I’m traveling through a place that is anonymous and unfamiliar to me.
Seen through the window of a train
I’m looking at this place from afar, through the filtered view of a train window.
A boy and girl stand side by side
There’s a young couple on the platform, probably in love.
The train arrives, she kisses him goodbye
The train has pulled up at the station, and the girl is saying goodbye to her boyfriend as she gets on the train.
She turns away then steps on board
The girl turns away from her boyfriend and boards the train, leaving him behind.
He thought he'd die but now he's sure
The boyfriend was probably heartbroken, but now he feels like he can go on without her.
But as he thinks of one last thing to say
Just before the train starts moving, the boyfriend thinks of something he wants to say to his girlfriend.
The train just rolls away
Unfortunately, the train starts moving before he can say it.
I pass a station with no sign
I’m going by a station that doesn’t have any identifying information.
An old man gets on the train just in time
An older man manages to get on the train just before it leaves.
He used to love this town despite the rain
The old man has a history with this place, and despite the weather, he used to feel fondly about it.
But since his wife died it's not been the same
However, since his wife died, he no longer feels the same way about this place.
He curses himself, he was weak
The old man feels regretful that he didn’t express his feelings to his wife before she passed away.
At his wife's grave he could not speak
He wasn’t able to say what he wanted to at his wife’s funeral.
But as he thinks that maybe he should stay
Despite everything, the old man considers staying in this place a little longer.
The train just rolls away
Unfortunately, the train starts moving, and he has to leave.
The driver likes his coffee strong and hot
The train conductor has specific preferences when it comes to his coffee.
The train he drives is everything he's not
The train conductor feels like the train he commands is very different from who he is as a person.
He watches the sad people board the train
The conductor sees a lot of different people with varying emotions get on his train.
Then laughs as he pulls out and rolls away
However, he finds the situation amusing and takes joy in leaving people behind as the train departs.
Hits a hundred, no holding back
The train is speeding up to a dangerous and irresponsible degree.
Then his dear train comes off the track
Unfortunately, the train derails, taking the conductor with it.
The news report said instant death, no pain
According to the news, the conductor died immediately and didn’t suffer.
But who's really to say?
However, there’s no way to truly know what happened in those final moments.
The train just rolled away
In the end, the train kept moving, regardless of everything that happened on board.
The train just rolls away
The train is a metaphor for how life keeps moving and never stops for anyone, even through difficult and painful circumstances.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BENJAMIN MICHAEL LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind