Grinspoon changed their sound to more mainstream rock by their 2002 album, New Detention, gaining fans and peaking at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Charts; similarly 2007's Alibis & Other Lies also reached No. 2. Their 2004 album, Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills, which peaked at No. 4, won the 2005 'Best Rock Album Award' at the ARIA Music Awards.
The band was signed to Universal Records in United States by late 1998, they were promoted by the songs "Champion", which featured in Gran Turismo 3; "Post Enebriated Anxiety", which was on the international version of Guide to Better Living; "Chemical Heart", via the internet; and a cover of the Prong song "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck", from Grinspoon's Pushing Buttons EP, which was included on ECW: Extreme Music.
On 4 December 2013, they announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus to pursue individual projects.
Railrider
Grinspoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a bullet from a gun
Old railrider, riding in the sun
And you preach like a jesus
But you act like a man
All the lies your teaching
Lend another one's hand
Old railrider
Old railride
Get your bed un made
With a jokers grin
And i saw you knocking
But i couldn't get in with the
Door locked
Oh god you look fantastic
Time's never been so drastic
Work nights for a fucking piece of plastic
Old railrider
Old railrider
Can't get much higher
Old rail
It's what you get when you love like a hypocrite
And the bloods on your hand
But you can't see shit
It's what you get
When you look like a hypocrite
Already, quit it
It's what you get when you love like a hypocrite
And the bloods on your hand
But you can't see shit
It's what you get
When you look like a hypocrite
Something out of somewhere
Like a bullet from a gun
Old railrider, riding in the sun
And you preach like a jesus
But you act like a man
All the lies you teaching
Lend another one's hand
Old railrider
Old railrider
Can't get much higher
Old rail
The lyrics of Grinspoon's song Railrider seem to depict a man who is living in a state of contradiction. The opening lines suggest that this man has appeared out of nowhere, like a bullet from a gun, and is now riding on an old railroad track in the sun, which is a visual representation of his freedom. However, the following lyrics seem to be a critique of this man's nature. Though he appears like a preacher, his behavior is that of an ordinary man, and his teachings are filled with lies that only enable someone else's bad behavior. The repeated use of the phrase "Old Railrider" seems to be both a reference to the singer's freedom and his journey towards self-destruction.
The chorus seems to shift the focus slightly, as the lyrics suggest that the singer is living a life of deceit. He puts on a "joker's grin" and locks himself in. Maybe he is running away from something or someone, and his life is now directionless. The second verse then goes on to describe the singer's addiction to work, which has become meaningless to him. He works nights to earn a bit more, but only to get a piece of plastic. His life seems to be devoid of any real purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Something out of nowhere
Unexpected events happened suddenly
Like a bullet from a gun
Just like a bullet which shoots out unanticipatedly, something appeared quickly
Old railrider, riding in the sun
A person riding a train travelling in the sunshine
And you preach like a jesus
You talk like a Messiah
But you act like a man
But, in reality, you behave like an ordinary human being
All the lies your teaching
All the false guidance you are imparting
Lend another one's hand
Gives a hand to others to follow the wrong path
Old railrider
The person travelling in a train
Old railride
Referencing the train ride
Get your bed unmade
Referring to sleepless and messy nights
With a jokers grin
With a fake smile
And i saw you knocking
I saw you trying to get into something
But i couldn't get in with the
But I couldn't get in with the
Door locked
The door was locked
Oh god you look fantastic
You look impressive, my god!
Time's never been so drastic
Time has never been this extreme
Work nights for a fucking piece of plastic
Spending sleepless nights for worthless plastic which has no meaning
Can't get much higher
Refers to not being able to reach any higher level
It's what you get when you love like a hypocrite
If you love someone by pretending to be someone else, this is what you get
And the bloods on your hand
You are responsible for someone's death
But you can't see shit
You're blinded and can't see the consequences of your action
When you look like a hypocrite
When people realize you're a hypocrite
Already, quit it
Stop doing it now
Something out of somewhere
Something unexpected out of nowhere
Like a bullet from a gun
Just like a bullet which shoots out unanticipatedly, something appeared quickly
Old railrider, riding in the sun
A person riding a train travelling in the sunshine
And you preach like a jesus
You talk like a Messiah
But you act like a man
But, in reality, you behave like an ordinary human being
All the lies you teaching
All the false guidance you are imparting
Lend another one's hand
Gives a hand to others to follow the wrong path
Old railrider
The person travelling in a train
Old railrider
Referencing the train ride
Can't get much higher
Refers to not being able to reach any higher level
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind