Taking Barker from blink-182 and David Kennedy they recorded their self-titled album, "Box Car Racer", in 2002. On the album Tom did all the bass work, but Anthony Celestino was their touring bass player. Guests on the album included Mark Hoppus from blink-182, Tim Armstrong from Rancid and also Jordan Pundik from New Found Glory.
Tom and Travis claim the band was heavily influenced by Dischord Emo, citing influences such as Rites of Spring, Fugazi and later era post hardcore bands such as Quicksand.
Box Car Racer took a hiatus after their headlining tour in 2003. Tom has stated publicly that Box Car Racer is now defunct and will never reunite. Their website was taken off the Internet in late March 2005 and has since been put back online. Many people speculated that Tom's new project was going to be a new Box Car Racer album when he initially announced that he was working on a new album but those rumors were dismissed after the announcement of +44 and Angels & Airwaves. But now blink-182 is back - and touring!
Origin of Name
The band's name comes from the B-29 Bomber which dropped the second atomic bomb (to be used in warfare) on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. The plane's name was "Bockscar". Tom has said in an interview that he has seen the name misspelled as "Boxcar".
Members
Tom DeLonge - Vocals, Guitar (blink-182, Angels & Airwaves)
Travis Barker - Drums (blink-182, +44, The Transplants, The Aquabats)
David Kennedy - Guitar (Over My Dead Body, Hazen Street, Angels & Airwaves)
Anthony Celestino - Bass (Over My Dead Body)
Watch The World
Box Car Racer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As it grew darker
And blew up through the roof
I watched the fad
Who sobbed in panic
As the fire grew
I saw Virginia
I held your hand
And sat there knowing
That we'd make it through
I saw this man
Dispose of hunger
And soap operas too
I saw this field
That grew perfection
Full of things you do
I saw this box
Get rid of heartache
And cure cancer too
When I awoke
I sat there hoping
This is what we'll do
If we can
We will leave our letter and this song, for you
And we'll write, once a day
And float it through the sea, to you
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
If we can, we will leave our letter and this song, for you
And we'll write, once a day
And float it through the sea, to you
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
When the sky, seems to clear
Who will then be left, but a few, me and you
The lyrics to Box Car Racer's song Watch The World seem to touch on themes of destruction, hope, and the power of humanity to overcome obstacles. The verses describe various scenes, including a fire, the disposal of government secrets, the eradication of hunger and heartache, and the growth of a perfect field. These dramatic images suggest both chaos and renewal, highlighting the idea that destruction and creation often go hand-in-hand.
The chorus seems to express a desire to leave a tangible mark on the world. The singer discusses writing letters and sending them out to sea as a way of making a meaningful connection across distance and time. The repetition of the phrase "if we can" underscores the uncertainty of this desire - the idea that leaving a lasting impact is never guaranteed, but should nevertheless be attempted.
The final lines of the song suggest a sense of camaraderie and determination in the face of an uncertain future. The singer imagines a time when "a few" people will be left to face a changed world, but takes comfort in the idea that they will have each other.
Overall, Watch The World seems to be a song about survival, resilience, and the human capacity to endure and overcome even in difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
I watched the smoke
I observed the smoke rising as the situation became more serious.
As it grew darker
The situation became more and more dire and worrisome.
And blew up through the roof
The fire became intense enough to cause the smoke to blow through the roof.
I watched the fad
I saw the people who followed the trend.
Who sobbed in panic
Who started crying uncontrollably due to fear.
As the fire grew
Their fear intensified even more as the flames continued to spread.
I saw Virginia
I witnessed the state of Virginia.
Get rid of Langley, and its secrets too
Virginia shut down the Langley Air Force Base and all of its classified information went with it.
I held your hand
I clasped your hand tightly, taking comfort in your presence.
And sat there knowing
With you by my side, I felt at ease and confident that we could handle anything together.
That we'd make it through
I was certain that we would emerge from this crisis unscathed.
I saw this man
I witnessed a man.
Dispose of hunger
He eliminated hunger.
And soap operas too
He also did away with frivolous and meaningless entertainment.
I saw this field
I gazed upon a field.
That grew perfection
It was a place where everything grew perfectly and without flaw.
Full of things you do
It contained all the things you do that make you happy and fulfilled.
I saw this box
I observed a box.
Get rid of heartache
It eliminated emotional pain and suffering.
And cure cancer too
It also found a cure for cancer.
When I awoke
When I came to consciousness.
I sat there hoping
I sat there desiring and anticipating something good to happen.
This is what we'll do
This is our plan of action to improve the world.
If we can
If we possess the ability and resources.
We will leave our letter and this song, for you
We will depart behind a communication and a musical composition for those who come after us.
And we'll write, once a day
We will craft a written message every day.
And float it through the sea, to you
We will send it out to the vast ocean and hope that it reaches its intended recipient.
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
We'll feel sorrow and remorse for all the plans and ideas we had but never acted on.
When the sky, seems to clear
When things start to improve and look more optimistic.
Who will then be left, but a few, me and you
After all is said and done, there will only be a select few of us left to rebuild and forge ahead to a better future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tom De Longe, Travis Barker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lechuga
I watched the smoke as it grew darker
And blew up through the roof
I watched the fed, saw them panic
As the fire grew
I saw Virginia get rid of Langley
And its secrets too
I held your hand, and sat there knowing
That we'd make it through
I saw this man dispose of hunger
And soap operas too
I saw this field that grew perfection
Full of things you do
I saw this box get rid of heartache
And cure cancer too
When I awoke, I sat there hoping
This is what we'll do
If we can, we will leave a letter
And this song for you
And we'll write once a day
And float it through the sea to you
We'll regret all those things we thought of
But didn't ever do
If we can, we will leave a letter
And this song for you
And we'll write once a day
And float it through the sea to you
We'll regret all those things we thought of
But didn't ever do
When the sky seems to clear
Who will then be left
But a few, me and you
C
I watched the smoke
As it grew darker
And blew up through the roof
I watched the fed
Who sobbed in panic
As the fire grew
I saw Virginia
Get rid of Langley, and its secrets too
I held your hand
And sat there knowing
That we'd make it through
I saw this man
Dispose of hunger
And soap operas too
I saw this field
That grew perfection
Full of things you do
I saw this box
Get rid of heartache
And cure cancer too
When I awoke
I sat there hoping
This is what we'll do
If we can
We will leave our letter and this song, for you
And we'll write, once a day
And float it through the sea, to you
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
If we can, we will leave our letter and this song, for you
And we'll write, once a day
And float it through the sea, to you
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
When the sky, seems to clear
Who will then be left, but a few, me and you
basics
I watched the smoke
As it grew darker
And blew up through the roof
I watched the fad
Who sobbed in panic
As the fire grew
I saw Virginia
Get rid of Langley, and its secrets too
I held your hand
And sat there knowing
That we'd make it through
I saw this man
Dispose of hunger
And soap operas too
I saw this field
That grew perfection
Full of things you do
I saw this box
Get rid of heartache
And cure cancer too
When I awoke
I sat there hoping
This is what we'll do
If we can
We will leave our letter and this song, for you
And we'll write, once a day
And float it through the sea, to you
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
If we can, we will leave our letter and this song, for you
And we'll write, once a day
And float it through the sea, to you
We'll regret, all those things we thought of but didn't ever do
When the sky, seems to clear
Who will then be left, but a few, me and you
Artur Henrique
Muito massa... Essa música me fez recordar dos meus 15 16 anos..
iequalztehgod
This song hits the feels HARD!
Matt Close
so many feels
Leandro Pereira Theobaldino
Eu vi essa caixa
Que acabava com a dor do coração
E curava o câncer também ❤️🙌🎵
Ronnie Hockey
This is the best BCR song. It’s just so well put together from the vocals to the guitar to the drums, pure gold.
BHIG SHAMAN
This song has some great nostalgia value for me, yet its lyrics never fail. It's perfect for the road-trip, eyes out of the window-staring at the foreign nature sort of vibes. 02/27/97 yet still obsessed with the nostalgia of my childhood (brother is 28).
jomm tomm
I'll never understand why Tom had the thought he had to go all spacey a.k.a angels and airwaves; to send whatever message he wanted to deliver. I find this and most other boxcar songs to touch me more than any ava song
Fatefullyyou
when he makes Ava more punky its just as good/ edgy/ touching, but still not quite as good as this era. good day, a littles enough, rebel girl, the disease, kiss and tell though all that shit moves me to the brink.
Tatenda Tambo
@X7C He does believe in aliens, so...
Adam Shaheen
luckily we have all 3 bands