He developed a method of tuning his guitar that complemented his voice and worked with his background as a bass player. Finding his niche in indie rock circles, Molina made home recordings under the names 'Songs: Albian', 'Songs: Radix', and 'Songs: Unitas' to pass out at live shows. Settling on 'Songs: Ohia', Molina released a single on Palace Records in 1996. The first 'Songs: Ohia' full-length followed in 1997; released on the Secretly Canadian label.
By 2001, Molina had given his tenor guitar a rest in favor of a regular six-string instrument and had put together a full band to back him. However, 2002's Didn't it Rain saw Molina working with members of neo-bluegrass outfit Jim & Jennie & the Pinetops, achieving an almost gospel sound that was a vast departure from the dense feel of Ghost Tropic. Constantly recording and writing new songs, Songs: Ohia released a handful of singles and EPs in 2002, including a split EP with Louisville's My Morning Jacket and a collaborative EP (under the name Amalgamated Sons of Rest) with Will Oldham and Alasdair Roberts. Pyramid Electric Co. and Magnolia Electric Co., originally conceived as a double album, were released separately in early 2003. The former, a sparse solo album, was recorded with Mike Mogis (from Lullaby for the Working Class) while the latter featured a full band and was recorded by Steve Albini.
Jason Molina died, at age 39, on 18. March 2013 from complications of alcoholism.
Long Desert Train
Jason Molina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You used to love talking
This you never told me about
If it's what your eyes were saying
I already figured it out
I could just tell it was bad
I couldn't tell how bad
And you stayed like that for days
I guess your pain never weakened
Your cool blood started burning
Scorching most of us in the flames
But there are things you can't change
There are things you can't change
You called that the curse of a human's life
That you couldn't change
Said you'd never be old enough
Or young enough
Tall enough
Or thin enough
Or smart enough
Or brave enough
Rich enough
Pretty enough
Strong enough
Good enough
Well you were to us
You wanted silence by itself
Just the word
You wanted peace by itself
Just to learn
There were things you couldn't change
You got the dull pounding rain
You got the last car in the long desert train
You almost made it
You almost made it again
The lyrics of Jason Molina's "Long Desert Train" paint a picture of a person who used to love many things and had the gift of conversation, but it seems they lost that spark. The singer seems to have noticed something being off with the person, judging from their eyes, and sensed that they were going through something bad. The person started wearing shades and kept them on for days on end, hiding their pain from others. The singer admires the person's coolness even in the face of the pain they're going through but also recognizes that it is burning them up inside and affecting those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
You used to love a lot of things
You had many passions
You used to love talking
You enjoyed sharing your thoughts and ideas
This you never told me about
But there was one thing you kept hidden from me
If it's what your eyes were saying
I could still sense what it was
I already figured it out
I had already guessed what it was
I could just tell it was bad
And it was something negative
I couldn't tell how bad
But I wasn't sure on the severity
You never took off your shades
You kept your sunglasses on, which made it harder to read your emotions
And you stayed like that for days
You remained closed off for a while
I guess your pain never weakened
It seems as though your suffering never subsided
Your cool blood started burning
Your calm demeanor changed as your emotions boiled to the surface
Scorching most of us in the flames
And it affected those around you too
But there are things you can't change
Yet there are some things you can't alter
You called that the curse of a human's life
You labeled this as the burden of being alive
That you couldn't change
And it's something that you couldn't do anything about
Said you'd never be old enough
You believed you would never reach the ideal age
Or young enough
Nor stay young forever
Tall enough
You'd never be deemed as tall as you wish to be
Or thin enough
You wouldn't reach your desired weight
Or smart enough
You couldn't be as intelligent as you desired
Or brave enough
Nor could you be as courageous
Rich enough
You wouldn't attain the wealth you longed for
Pretty enough
You wouldn't be as attractive as your ideal self
Strong enough
You wouldn't have the strength you wished for
Good enough
You wouldn't consider yourself as great as you'd hope
Well you were to us
However, you were still very important to us
You wanted silence by itself
You desired pure silence
Just the word
Simply having the concept was enough
You wanted peace by itself
You craved complete peace
Just to learn
You simply wanted to know and experience it
There were things you couldn't change
And this is one thing that you recognized that you couldn't alter
You got the dull pounding rain
You experienced a harsh, heavy rain
You got the last car in the long desert train
You found yourself as the last passenger in a long stream of emptiness
You almost made it
Despite that, you still almost succeeded
You almost made it again
It wasn't the first time you almost succeeded
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Jason Molina
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Clark
God dammit man, it's so sad that brilliant artists like Jason will get lost in obscurity. He has so many great songs that a lot of people will never get to hear.
Brian L
Such a good man who died far too young. His spirit still exists and is avalable to all of those you want to listen.
Zach Kafel
Genius songwriting...long time Molina fan
Superstar Dave
Can't get enough of this song
Brian L
Heartbreaking song.
Megan Ritter
"You almost made it..."
Francisco Burrola
for my funeral
Will Wild
mine as well buddy... I would hope so.