Train Song
Feist/Ben Gibbard Lyrics

The Train Song by Feist and Ben Gibbard is a love song about the longing for a relationship that has ended, and the effort one is willing to put in to rekindle it. The opening lines “Travelling north, travelling north to find you, Train wheels beating, the wind in my eyes” suggests that the singer is on a journey to find someone they love. The journey is presented as both difficult and determined, with the singer unsure of what they will find at the end of the journey. The line “Don't even know what I'll find when I get to you” is suggestive of the uncertainty of the singer in terms of the reception they will receive on arriving. The repetition of the line “It's so many miles” emphasizes the distance that the singer has to cover. The train metaphor can be seen as both literal and metaphorical, suggesting that love like a train ride has its ups and downs, twists and turns in order to reach the intended destination.

The song is underpinned by a sense of nostalgia, with the singer reflecting on past experiences and memories recorded in the lyrics particularly in the lines “Nothing at all, in my head, to say to you, Only the beat of the train I'm on, Nothing I've learned all my life on the way to you, One day our love was over and gone”. These lines suggest that the relationship was once important and cherished by the singer, but it ended abruptly leaving them with no words and nothing to offer to the person they loved. The final lines “What will I do if there's someone there with you, Maybe someone you've always known, How do I know I can come and give to you, Love with no warning and find you alone” emphasize the singer's fear of not being accepted, particularly if the person they are looking for has found someone else. The song ends with the comforting words “It won't be long” repeated three times, suggesting that the singer is hopeful about rekindling the relationship.