The LA Times said in January 2007 'David Ford digs down deep in the heart-and-soul tradition: an English and male Lucinda Williams? He puts everything into every note, every word.'
Ford recorded his debut album 'I Sincerely Apologise For All the Trouble I've Caused' on his own in his cellar flat in Eastbourne during 2005 thinking he was just "doing a bunch of demos". However, the strength of these recordings led to magnoliaMAM taking him on for management and shortly thereafter licensing the 'demos' as a finished album to Independiente for the UK and then, in April 2006, to Columbia Records in New York for the USA and the 'rest of the world'.
The album was widely acclaimed and featured in the best of lists for 2006 in the LA Times, The Sunday Times, The New York Post, The Word and The Toronto Star - who said 'you have to go back to Dylan's 'Idiot Wind'/'Blood on the Tracks' to find such an impressively sustained, bile-soaked round of invective'.
Ford toured extensively in the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia during 2006. When performing live, Ford makes use of a 'looping pedal' which allows him to build up layers of vocals, guitars, percussion and keyboards to create extremely powerful and beautiful layers of sound; most notably when playing the song "State Of The Union". (live footage can be seen on both his myspace page and his old archived web site - www.myspace.com/davidford & www.davidford.mu - current website is at www.davidfordmusic.com)
2007 saw the release of his critically-aclaimed, yet widely ignored, album Songs For The Road. Ford spent the most of 2008 in the US promoting it.
February 2010 saw the release of his album, Let The Hard Times Roll, coinciding with a tour of the UK, with dates in the US too.
In April 2011 Ford released his autobiography, I Choose This, covering his musical experience from high school through to touring the United States as a solo artist.
Ford's musical honesty and passionately melodic songwriting has seen him compared to the likes of Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, James Taylor and Elton John.
TRAIN
David Ford Lyrics
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Down the line I am hearing there's a train coming in
I left my home and my girl, tried to find someplace better
Oh but I never could forget her, so let this train take me home
Oh please my darling forgive what I've done
I've found nothing, just some big lonely world
So take me back please my lover, take me back please my lover
I was young, I was green
Prone to foolish decisions
At what I thought was ambition and a will to be free
yeah but freedom's just some word
Don't believe has a meaning
So on this train I am leaving trying to get me back home
CHORUS
So pour another cup of coffee
Pretty soon I'll be leaving
I ain't done petty thieving
Hitching rides and drinking beer
And I'm so tired of having friends
Just to keep out of prison
Oh well this life really isn't all I hoped it would be
CHORUS
Took a train to discover I cannot a be without you girl
The song "Train" by David Ford is a poignant reflection on the consequences of youthful mistakes and the yearning for home and the comfort of loved ones. The opening lines describe the sun rising and the dust clearing as a train approaches. The singer is on this train, having left home to seek out a better life, but now realizes that he cannot forget his lover. He begs her forgiveness for leaving and admits that he has found nothing but a big, lonely world. He yearns to return home, recognizing he cannot be without his girl.
The second verse reveals the singer's youth and naivete. He thought he was pursuing ambition and freedom but now realizes that "freedom's just some word" and he is leaving the train to try and find his way back home. In the chorus, he calls out to his lover, pleading with her to take him back and promising that he cannot be without her.
The final verse reveals the singer's weariness with his current lifestyle, including petty thieving, hitchhiking, and drinking beer. He laments that he only keeps friends to stay out of prison but recognizes that this life is not what he had hoped it would be. The song ends with the haunting refrain, "Took a train to discover I cannot be without you girl."
Overall, the song is a powerful portrayal of the yearning for home and love, and the realization that these are the true things that matter in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the sun's coming up, and the dust it is clearing
The morning is breaking, as the dust is settling around me
Down the line I am hearing there's a train coming in
I hear a train coming in from a distance
I left my home and my girl, tried to find someplace better
I abandoned my home and my lover, hoping to find a better place
Oh but I never could forget her, so let this train take me home
But I could never forget about my lover, so I hope this train will take me back home
Oh please my darling forgive what I've done
Oh my love, please forgive me for what I've done
I've found nothing, just some big lonely world
I've found nothing in this big, lonely world
So take me back please my lover, take me back please my lover
So please, my lover, take me back home
Took a train to discover I cannot be without you girl
I took a train and discovered I cannot live without you, my dear
I was young, I was green
I was young and inexperienced
Prone to foolish decisions
I was prone to making foolish choices
At what I thought was ambition and a will to be free
I mistook my ambition and desire for freedom
Yeah but freedom's just some word
But 'freedom' is just a word
Don't believe has a meaning
It doesn't really hold any meaning
So on this train I am leaving trying to get me back home
So I'm leaving on this train, hoping to get back to where I belong
So pour another cup of coffee
So pour another cup of coffee for me
Pretty soon I'll be leaving
Because I'll be leaving soon
I ain't done petty thieving
I haven't quite finished my petty thefts
Hitching rides and drinking beer
Hitchhiking and drinking beer
And I'm so tired of having friends
And I'm so tired of keeping people around, just to stay out of trouble
Just to keep out of prison
Just so I can stay out of jail
Oh well this life really isn't all I hoped it would be
Well, this life hasn't quite turned out the way I'd hoped it would
Took a train to discover I cannot a be without you girl
I took a train and discovered I cannot live without you, my dear
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID FORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind