"First Train Home" was released through iTunes US and iTunes Canada on July 14, with the option to pre-order the full album Ellipse or its deluxe version. The song was released on other iTunes internationally on July 15, also giving the option to pre-order Ellipse or its deluxe version.
The song was also released onto Amazon.com on July 14 and Amazon.co.uk on July 15.
First Train Home
Imogen Heap Lyrics
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(I've got to get on it)
(I've got to get on it)
Bodies disengaged our mouths are fleshing over.
Is this an echo game irises retreating
To ovals of white.
The urge to feel your face
A Frisbee one by one
Your vinyl on laminate
Desperate for some kind of contact.
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home I've got to get on it
To Catch to catch to catch catch catch.
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home I've got to get on it
First Train home
Temporal dead zone where clocks are barely breathing
Yet no one cares to notice for all the yelling
All night clamor to hold it together.
I want to play don't wait forms in the hideaway
I want to get on with getting on with things
I want to run in fields paint the kitchen
And love someone
And I can't do any of that here can I?
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home I've got to get on it
First Train home
So what? You've had one too many.
So what? I'm not that much fun to be with
So what? You've got a silly hat on
So what? I didn't want to come here anyway.
What matters to you doesn't matter matter to me.
What matters to me doesn't matter matter to you.
What matters to you doesn't matter matter to them.
What matters to them it doesn't change anything.
Got to get on it first train home
Got to get on it first train home
First train home I've got to get on it
(I've got to get on it)
To catch to catch to catch-catch catch.
(First train home)
First train home I've got to get on it
First train home.
(First train home)
To go to go to go
Get get get get
Out out out out
Now now now now
The song "First Train Home" by Imogen Heap speaks about feeling stuck in a place where you don't belong and wanting to escape it all. The song opens with a sense of detachment, as if the bodies have left but the mouths remain, which leads to an almost surreal experience. The lyrics describe a desire for physical contact while the clock seems to be ticking too slowly. The singer wants to move forward in life, to find a sense of purpose or fulfillment, but they feel unable to do so where they are. They want to paint the kitchen and run in fields, but instead, they're lost in a temporal dead zone where time seems to barely be breathing.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is in a social situation in which they don't see eye-to-eye with those around them. The repeated phrase "so what?" suggests a feeling of disconnect, as if the things that matter to them don't matter to anyone else. The final lines of the song express the need to leave, to get out of that place and move on with life. Overall, the song conveys a strong sense of longing and frustration, as the singer desires to find a sense of belonging and purpose somewhere else.
Line by Line Meaning
Bodies disengaged our mouths are fleshing over.
Our bodies have stopped touching and we are no longer kissing, only our mouths are still connected.
Is this an echo game irises retreating
Are we just repeating the same cycle, our eyes looking away from each other like an endless echo game?
To ovals of white.
Our pupils are contracting and turning into white ovals as we refuse to make eye contact.
The urge to feel your face
I want to touch your skin and feel the contours of your face.
And blood rushing to paint my hand print
My heart is pounding so hard it feels like my blood is rushing to my fingertips, eager to leave my handprint on you.
A Frisbee one by one
We're spinning away from each other just like two Frisbees thrown in opposite directions.
Your vinyl on laminate
The sound of your voice echoes through the room, bouncing off the vinyl and laminate surfaces like a haunting song.
Desperate for some kind of contact.
I am yearning for any kind of physical touch, no matter how small or insignificant.
Temporal dead zone where clocks are barely breathing
We are stuck in a place where time stands still and the clocks seem to be barely ticking, as if they too lost interest in our lives.
Yet no one cares to notice for all the yelling
Despite all the noise and chaos around us, nobody seems to notice the heavy silence that surrounds our lives.
All night clamor to hold it together.
We're trying so hard to keep up appearances and maintain a facade of normalcy, but it's quickly becoming overwhelming.
I want to play don't wait forms in the hideaway
I want to let go and have fun without worrying about being judged or criticized, to be free to be myself in a place where I feel safe and accepted.
I want to get on with getting on with things
I want to move on from this stagnant place and make progress with my life, to stop dwelling on the past and start living in the present and future.
I want to run in fields paint the kitchen
I want to experience the simple joys of life, like running in fields or painting the kitchen with someone I love.
And love someone
I want to find someone to love and share my life with.
And I can't do any of that here can I?
I cannot achieve any of my dreams or aspirations in this place, and it's time for me to move on and start anew.
So what? You've had one too many.
Why should I care if you've had one too many drinks and cannot control yourself?
So what? I'm not that much fun to be with
Why should I care if you think I'm not fun to be with? I have my own life to live.
So what? You've got a silly hat on
Why should I care if you're wearing a silly hat? It's your life, you can wear whatever makes you happy.
So what? I didn't want to come here anyway.
Why should I care if I didn't want to come here in the first place? It's time for me to go back home.
What matters to you doesn't matter matter to me.
I don't care about your problems or your priorities, I have my own life and issues to deal with.
What matters to me doesn't matter matter to you.
You don't care about my problems or my priorities, you have your own life and issues to deal with.
What matters to you doesn't matter matter to them.
Other people don't care about your problems or your priorities, they have their own lives and issues to deal with.
What matters to them it doesn't change anything.
Other people's problems or priorities don't affect your life or your decisions, you have to do what's best for you.
Got to get on it first train home
I need to leave right now and catch the first train back home.
To catch to catch to catch-catch catch.
I need to hurry up and catch the train, there's no time to waste.
To go to go to go
I need to go now, there's nothing left for me here.
Get get get get
I need to get out of here as fast as I can.
Out out out out
I need to leave this place and never look back.
Now now now now
I need to leave right away, there's no time to wait.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER JANE HEAP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ARMORXV
I just love how she wrote this song based on a boring ass party she went to and wanting to be anywhere else but there. That is such a huge mood
@epasuxelar4473
LMAO that is amazing
@jxjuk
And yet I already read it as an unexpected and complicated breakup (personally).
@yellowhell1973
If you think about it, it's almost like moods happen all the time.
@JoshLeachAnimator
Imagine inviting her to your party you have a silly hat on and then the next time you hear from her it’s this song
@ARMORXV
@@JoshLeachAnimator 😂 the embarrassment!
@uthornss
the beauty of imogen heap is that she is the kind of artist who would rather have 1,000 fans that really understand her than 10,000,000 that just like the beat...she constructs her music, she's a mad scientist mixing technology and lyrics to make masterpieces that remain, unfortunately, unappreciated by the massess....and she doesn't seem to mind at all.
@benmite
You can never truly "understand" a song. It is what you make of it. That is a part of the beauty of music. And it's especially true of Immie's songs, because her songs' lyrics are all very nonspecific.
@elaustraliano
She clearly favors quality over quantity. She could have easily 'sold out' and gone for the big numbers but instead chose to stay true to her craft and focus on a smaller fan base.
@shynelee2896
she has a billion fans and their every cell of my body.