In 1983, she travelled to Toronto to seek a musical career. In 1986, she founded a trio with bassist David Piltch and pianist Aaron Davis. Offered a record deal in 1989, the Holly Cole Trio released an EP, Christmas Blues, that year, which featured a version of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles". This was followed by their first full album, Girl Talk, in 1990.
A succession of releases followed through the early 1990s. For example, 1991's Blame It On My Youth, covered songs by Tom Waits ("Purple Avenue", aka "Empty Pockets"), Lyle Lovett ("God Will"), includes show tunes such as "If I Were a Bell" (from Guys and Dolls) and "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady), and even remakes "Trust In Me", from Disney's The Jungle Book, into a strikingly sultry and sinister song of seduction and death. Also recorded in this period was "Alison", a reinterpretation of Elvis Costello's original.
Following 1993's Don't Smoke in Bed, the trio released a CD entirely of songs by Tom Waits, called Temptation. With this 1995 release, the "Trio" was dropped from the group's name.
Cole next went into a two-album flirtation with pop music, perhaps keeping with the "diva" fad of the late 90s. These albums, Dark Dear Heart (1997) and Romantically Helpless (2000) veered further from jazz by introducing pop elements to Cole's sound.
In 2001, she returned to the Christmas jazz roots of her first CD with Baby It's Cold Outside, which included such should-be classics as "Christmas Time is Here" (from A Charlie Brown Christmas), "Santa Baby", and the title track. Swapping cold for hot, she moved to a Summer theme in 2003's Shade, this time reinterpreting Cole Porter ("Too Darn Hot"), Irving Berlin ("Heatwave"), and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson ("God Only Knows").
Cole's latest album, Holly Cole (originally entitled This House Is Haunted) was released in Canada in March 2007. It was released in the US in January 2008 and was followed by a US tour.
Cole tours frequently, particularly around the holiday season, in Canada. She was also a part of the 1999 Lilith Fair tour.
Train Song
Holly Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the Kansas City line
And I drunk up all my money
That I borrowed every time
And I fell down at the derby
And now the night's black as a crow
It was a train that took me away from here
What made my dreams so hollow
Was standing at the depot
With a steeple full of swallows
That could never ring the bell
And I come ten thousand miles away
With not one thing to show
Well it was a train that took me away from here
But a train can't bring me home
I remember when I left
Without bothering to pack
You know I up and left with
Just the clothes I had on my back
Now I'm sorry for what I've done
And I'm out here on my own
Well it was a train that took me away from
Here but a train can't bring me home
The song “Train Song” by Holly Cole narrates the story of a troubled individual who has lost everything, from money to dreams, and was forced to leave his home. He broke down in East St. Louis while traveling on the Kansas City line and ended up drinking all his borrowed money. At the Derby, he fell down, and the night turned dark. The song expresses the idea that although a train might take a person away from an undesirable situation, it can never fully bring them home.
The singer reflects on the hollowness of his dreams as he stood at the station, even with the presence of swallows in the steeple that could never ring the bell. He mentions having traveled ten thousand miles away with nothing to show for it. The song captures the remorse and regret of the singer for leaving home without packing, and with only the clothes on his back, but he is now out on his own, and a train cannot bring him back home.
Overall, Train Song narrates a melancholic and reflective story of a troubled individual who leaves home and can no longer return. The song's narrative underscores the idea that a train's allure lies in its ability to transport people away from their troubles, but their problems cannot be left behind completely.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I broke down in E. St. Louis
I experienced a breakdown in E. St. Louis
On the Kansas City line
I was on a train which was on its way to Kansas City
And I drunk up all my money
I spent all the money that I had
That I borrowed every time
The money I spent was borrowed money
And I fell down at the derby
I fell during a horse race event
And now the night's black as a crow
The night is very dark
It was a train that took me away from here
I left my hometown by train
But a train can't bring me home
I can't return home on a train
What made my dreams so hollow
My dreams were unfulfilled
Was standing at the depot
I was waiting at a train station
With a steeple full of swallows
There were many swallows flying around the train station's steeple
That could never ring the bell
The swallows couldn't ring the bell located at the train station
And I come ten thousand miles away
I traveled a great distance
With not one thing to show
I have nothing to show for my travels
I remember when I left
I recall when I left my hometown
Without bothering to pack
I didn't bother packing any belongings
You know I up and left with
I suddenly left with
Just the clothes I had on my back
I only had the clothes I was wearing at the time
Now I'm sorry for what I've done
I regret my past actions
And I'm out here on my own
I am now alone
Well it was a train that took me away from here
My departure from my hometown was caused by a train
But a train can't bring me home
I cannot return home on a train
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: THOMAS A. WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pat B
Great album! One of my "go toes" for equipment assessment too. 😊
Bo Xer
because good recording...
Mayank Jairaj
right after Cole sings the line--- "…never, never, never ring a bell" @ 1:00 that tinkle
if u hear it u've gor gr8 speakers
said someone
Birgir Guðjonsson
Its more your hearing than the $5 headphones I used....
Randomly
i can hear that on 5$ earphones
Es Are
i read that too, and then i came here and listened on my $5 headphones and could hear it perfectly fine on those too..
Rambi
I found that quite easy to hear on both my high end and low end system.
A better test I found was the public speaking on Jazz at the Pawnshop - High life, Now I speak the same language as them "swedish" but for every upgrade i did to my system the more I could hear what they were saying, now i can hear the whole conversation.
Hifi is a fun hobby, expensive but fun.
Art Kusserow
Mayank Jairaj big iii
deb galarneau
sultry
kay bhee
good rec si si