In 1976, he achieved a national breakout with the studio album Night Moves. On his studio albums, he also worked extensively with the Alabama-based Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which appeared on several of Seger's best-selling singles and albums.
Seger's first marriage in 1968 lasted for "one day short of a year". He had a long-term relationship with Jan Dinsdale from 1972 until 1983. In 1987, he married actress Annette Sinclair and they divorced one year later. He married Juanita Dorricott in 1993, in a small private setting at The Village Club, in Bloomfield Hills; they have two children. Seger lives mainly at his home in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He owns a condo in Naples, Florida.
Politically, Seger has characterized himself as a centrist: "[I'm] right down the middle", he remarked. He supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. He tackled antiestablishment themes in early songs such as "2+2=?" (1968) and "U.M.C. (Upper Middle Class)" (1974), according to Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press. On his 2014 album Ride Out, he addressed topics such as gun violence, and wrote "It's Your World" about climate change. On the subject, he said, "There are a lot of culprits in climate change, and everybody's responsible, myself included. Nobody gets a free pass on this one. We've got to change our ways and change them fast.
A roots rocker with a classic raspy, shouting voice, Seger wrote and recorded songs that deal with love, women and blue-collar themes and is an example of heartland rock. Seger has recorded many hits, including "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man", "Night Moves", "Turn the Page", "Still the Same", "We've Got Tonight", "Against the Wind", "You'll Accomp'ny Me", "Shame on the Moon", "Like a Rock", and "Shakedown", which was written for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Seger also co-wrote the Eagles' number-one hit "Heartache Tonight", and his iconic recording of "Old Time Rock and Roll" was named one of the Songs of the Century in 2001.
With a career spanning six decades, Seger continues to perform and record today. Seger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. Seger was named Billboard's 2015 Legend of Live honoree at the 12th annual Billboard Touring Conference & Awards, held November 18–19 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.
Seger was known as one of the last holdouts regarding making his catalog available for digital download and streaming. However, as of 2017, much of his work is available.
Railroad Days
Bob Seger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down below I would yell to watch out
When we'd play ? was always the winner
He was brave never listened to me shout
Afternoons playin' ball by the old wall
Hidin' out and of course be the star
Kept my records in old looseleaf notebooks
And today I think I still know where they are
Oh, Railroad days
Railroad days
Railroad days
When I was young, in my prime
On my way
When the rain never got in my way
Oh in my younger railroad days
Some nights, Drifters playin' on the hi-fi
Talkin' 'bout girls, or preposterous lies
Laughin hard, watchin' Soupy at eleven
Skonkin' down, one of Mom's lemon pies
Ten o'clock, bringin' groceries from the market
Singin songs, to the darkness of the night
Even sang the parts the instruments were playing
Life was freer, dreams were really quite all right
Oh, Railroad days
Railroad days
Railroad days
When the sun seemed to smile on it's way
When the darkness was easier to play yeah
Oh in my younger railroad days
Yesterday, I heard they shut the trains down
The ones than ran, by the field where I would play
Said the folks want new and faster transportation
It's just like me, I'll be obsolete one day
Oh, Railroad days
Railroad days
Railroad days
When I was young, in my prime
On my way
When the rain never got in my way
Oh in my younger railroad days
The lyrics of Bob Seger's song "Railroad Days" describe the nostalgia for a simpler time when the singer was young and carefree. The first verse tells of childhood memories spent playing ball with a friend ("Jan") near an old wall, while the singer kept track of his music records in old looseleaf notebooks. The chorus emphasizes the longing for the past, represented by the days spent near the railroad and the feeling of being on the way to something great. The second verse transports the listener to teenage years spent listening to music, laughing, and eating Mom's lemon pies. The singer recalls singing along to the instruments playing and feeling like life was full of possibilities.
The final verse is tinged with sadness, as the singer reflects on the news that the trains by his childhood field have been shut down to make way for faster transportation. This realization prompts the singer to acknowledge his own eventual obsolescence. Through the lyrics, Seger expresses the bittersweet feelings that come with the passage of time and the loss of innocence, but also the power of music and memories to transport us back to our youth.
Line by Line Meaning
Jan would climb up so high on the foul screen
My friend Jan used to climb high up on the baseball fence
Down below I would yell to watch out
While he climbed, I would yell to him to be careful
When we'd play ? was always the winner
Jan was a winner when we played games together
He was brave never listened to me shout
Jan was brave and didn't listen to me when I yelled at him
Afternoons playin' ball by the old wall
We used to spend afternoons playing ball by the old wall
Hidin' out and of course be the star
We would hide and imagine ourselves as stars
Kept my records in old looseleaf notebooks
I used to keep records in old notebooks
And today I think I still know where they are
Even today, I think I know where those records are
Oh, Railroad days
Oh, those days of my youth
Railroad days
Days when trains were still running
When I was young, in my prime
When I was young and full of energy
On my way
On my journey through life
When the rain never got in my way
When rain couldn't stop me from doing what I wanted
Some nights, Drifters playin' on the hi-fi
Some nights we would listen to the Drifters on the radio
Talkin' 'bout girls, or preposterous lies
We would talk about girls, or tell outrageous stories
Laughin hard, watchin' Soupy at eleven
We would laugh hard while watching the Soupy Sales Show on TV at eleven o'clock
Skonkin' down, one of Mom's lemon pies
We would eat one of Mom's delicious lemon pies
Ten o'clock, bringin' groceries from the market
At ten o'clock, we would bring groceries home from the market
Singin songs, to the darkness of the night
We would sing songs in the dark of the night
Even sang the parts the instruments were playing
We would sing all parts, including those played by the instruments
Life was freer, dreams were really quite all right
Life was simpler then, and our dreams were more attainable
Yesterday, I heard they shut the trains down
Recently, I heard that trains no longer run by the field where we used to play
The ones than ran, by the field where I would play
The trains used to run by the field where I would play
Said the folks want new and faster transportation
I was told that faster and more modern transportation is preferred now
It's just like me, I'll be obsolete one day
Just like those trains, I too will become outdated one day
When the sun seemed to smile on it's way
When the sun shone brightly
When the darkness was easier to play yeah
When it was easier to enjoy the darker things in life
Oh in my younger railroad days
Oh, how I miss those days of my youth when the trains still ran
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB SEGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Kac
I'am 54-years old and I will go to my grave saying this MAN WAS the BEST I've EVER HEARD !! Point is, you Have to listen to the words and lyrics, and the Emotion this man puts into his music, Second to NONE !!
TheFishMiester
He recorded This in his studio in Ann Arbor, they yanked it of the shelves after a couple months because he broke his contract with his current company ! The album was called " Brand New Morning " it was one of his better one's because he's all alone on his acoustic guitar, with no back up, the vocals are superb !
lorenapuss
Been looking for this song forever. I used to listen to it when it came out and it seems like nobody ever heard of it because after he got bigger than Detroit, he never seemed to revisit it. The whole album was basically him and the guitar. Thanks a lot for posting it.
dvor49
All things have their time, and then time passes by ..... he catches what he sees and feels and sings it to us as only The Bob can.
Dean Morrow
I wish Capitol/ Universal would release his catalog on early albums like "Brand New Morning", "Noah" and "Back in '72" on CD, gems like "Railroad Days" deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
Dan Dugger
Bob won’t allow it.
janeasinner
Phenomenal songwriter. It's just amazing how many songs he has that touch a cord with me, brings back so many memories. Crazy~good. I wish I could find his 1974 album "Seven". It's out of print now and sure would be a great find.
Linda Mitchell
Gotta love this mans talent.....Pushing 70 and still listening to his music. Will be when i'm pushing 80 too
Riccardo Berti
Bob Seger: such a talent. Performed, composed and created some of the most beautiful music encapsulating life, feelings and of real social issues.
john martin
its just sad that his songs dont get much air time on radio these days