Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto. Jim C… Read Full Bio ↴Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, who have been friends since high school, having both attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute. The pair worked on forming a band after both attended Queen's University at Kingston. They had a few failed attempts and a few adventures before finally coming together with Cleave Anderson, Bazil Donovan, and Bob Wiseman to form Blue Rodeo. Their debut album Outskirts was produced by Terry Brown, who is perhaps best known for his work with Canadian hard rock legends Rush, was released in March 1987. They have been signed with Warner Music Canada since their debut, but have jumped around a bit in the USA and other markets, mostly on Warner Brothers, Rounder and recently re-signed with Warner Brothers International for the world.

The band consists of original members Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Donovan (bass) plus newer additions Glenn Milchem (drums), and Bob Egan (multi-instrumentalist). Former members include Anderson (drummer), Wiseman (keyboardist), Kim Deschamps (multi-instrumentalist), Mark French (drummer), and Jamie Gray (keyboardist) and Bob Packwood (keyboards).

Blue Rodeo is one of the most successful and well known contemporary Canadian bands, having released 11 studio albums, one live album, a greatest hits collection and a DVD which have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. In addition, both Cuddy and Keelor have released solo albums. Blue Rodeo members have collaborated extensively with other notable Canadian artists, including Jann Arden, Cowboy Junkies, Burton Cummings, Kathleen Edwards, Great Big Sea, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies, Ron Sexsmith, Skydiggers, and The Tragically Hip. Blue Rodeo have won many Canadian music awards, including seven Juno Awards (Canada's Grammy) and principal songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have been honoured with seven SOCAN awards.

The band released (November 2008) Blue Road a special 20th Anniversary Live 'bootleg' DVD which features an insightful documentary by Chris Mills and an acoustic CD of their 2008 February 29th Toronto Massey Hall concert. The DVD disc features some acoustic covers, including Neil Young's "Are You Ready For The Country", Randy Travis's "Diggin' Up Bones" and Ian & Sylvia Tyson's "Four Strong Winds." In addition, there's a new bonus studio track on the audio CD by Cuddy and Keelor called "Losing You", which is also performed Live on the DVD.

It was formally announced on June 16th, 2009, that Blue Rodeo will be inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto in September, 2009.

On November 10th, 2009, Blue Rodeo released its twelfth studio album, The Things We Left Behind, which is a double CD featuring 16 original compositions by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy. The release was produced by the band with engineering and mixing assistance from Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Jim Cuddy, Kevin Kane, Sarah McLachlan, The Sadies), and the first single to crack the airwaves is "Arizona Dust".

It was officially announced on December 12, 2011 that Blue Rodeo will be inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame, with the formal presentation to occur on April 1st, 2012 at the Canadian Juno Awards.

Blue Rodeo released its 13th studio album on October 29th, 2013 entitled In Our Nature.

Canadian Governor General David Johnston announced on Dec. 30, 2013 that Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor will be celebrated as Officers of the Order of Canada, one of the country`s highest honours, in a ceremony to be scheduled later in 2014.

In the Fall of 2014, Blue Rodeo released their first seasonal holiday collection entitled, A Merrie Christmas To You, which is blessed with their favourite Christmas classics. The collection features beautiful songs by The Band, Big Star, Merle Haggard, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and two moving originals entitled "Glad To Be Alive" and "Home To You This Christmas".

Blue Rodeo released its latest studio album on October 28, 2016 entitled 1000 Arms, which was produced by Tim Vesely and the band. The Warner Music Canada release features eleven new songs penned by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, and the first single is entitled "Superstar".

For photo galleries, tour dates and other information on Blue Rodeo you can visit their official website, www.BlueRodeo.com.

TRAIN
Blue Rodeo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was riding on this train
Looking out the back door on where I had been
Thinking about the sun and your golden skin
Your golden skin
I'm looking back
Out onto where I'm coming from
Out into that big white sun
Out into that big white sun

Big white sun
I was feeling kind of strange
Chasing these tracks to a room by the lake
I heard your song and it took me away
I wanted to stay
I'm looking back
Out onto where I'm coming from
Out into that big white sun

Out into that big white sun
Big white sun

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Blue Rodeo's "Train" evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing for something that has been left behind. The singer is riding on a train, looking out the back door at where they have been, reflecting on memories of a past lover's "golden skin" and the warmth of the sun. As they travel further away, they feel a sense of disconnect and longing, and reminisce on a time when they heard the voice of their lover and felt transported to another place.

The repetition of "out into that big white sun" creates a sense of longing for a simpler time, as if the singer is yearning to return to a place of comfort and familiarity. The setting of a train ride also adds to this feeling of displacement and searching for a sense of grounding.

The reference to a "room by the lake" hints at a past vacation or retreat, and the memory of the lover's song represents a moment of pure happiness and contentment. The singer wants to hold onto these memories and feelings, but knows that they must keep moving forward.

Overall, "Train" is a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the search for meaning and connection in life.

Line by Line Meaning

I was riding on this train
At this moment, I was on a train.

Looking out the back door on where I had been
I'm looking out the train's back door, watching where I came from.

Thinking about the sun and your golden skin
Reflecting on the sun and the beauty of your skin.

Your golden skin
Repeating the thought of your beautiful skin.

I'm looking back
I'm still looking back on where I came from.

Out onto where I'm coming from
I'm gazing towards the place where I started my journey.

Out into that big white sun
Staring into the bright, shining sun ahead.

Out into that big white sun
Same as above, repeating the thought.

Big white sun
Repeating the words, emphasizing the beauty of the bright white sun.

I was feeling kind of strange
At that moment, I was feeling a bit odd or different.