Jessica Harper (born October 10, 1949) is an American actress and producer,… Read Full Bio ↴Jessica Harper (born October 10, 1949) is an American actress and producer, as well as a singer and author of children's music and books
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Harper has appeared in more than twenty motion pictures, most notably Dario Argento's horror classic Suspiria, My Favorite Year, Phantom of the Paradise, and Shock Treatment, where she demonstrated great skills as a singer in the rock/pop style. Woody Allen featured her in his films Stardust Memories, and Love and Death. She was also featured in the fourth season of It's Garry Shandling's Show and in the Steven Spielberg/Tom Cruise film Minority Report. Most recently she has been a singer of children's music and an author of children's books. She was named by Parenting Magazine as "Parent of the Month" in 2004.

Wikipedia

The Train
Jessica Harper Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I dreamt you were a train
That I could not catch
I threw off my heels
And ran barefoot down the tracks
I reached for the last car
But you were movin' way too fast
I woke from my dream
In a cloud of sweat and steam

And I cried

Follow that train
No matter how far
Through the sun, snow and rain
Through the light and the dark
'Cause you stole my heart
Stole my
Follow that train
Follow that train

Like the sound of a lonesome whistle
Half a world away
I'm haunted by the night
Ever since that day
You stood there in the kitchen
For the words I couldn't say
I didn't know how
But I sure as hell do now
And I should

Follow that train
No matter how far
Through the sun, snow and rain
Through the light and the dark
'Cause you stole my heart
Stole my
Follow that train
Follow that train

The thing about dreams
Is they keep comin' back
All those might-have-beens
Are just pennies on the track

So follow that train
No matter how far
Through the sun, snow and rain
Through the light and the dark
'Cause you stole my heart
Oh

Follow that train
No matter how far
Through the sun, snow and rain
Through the light and the dark
'Cause you stole my heart
Stole my
Follow that train
Follow that train

Yeah I'll follow that train

Overall Meaning

In Jessica Harper's song "The Train," the central theme revolves around the idea of lost love and the singer's longing desire to rekindle it. In the opening lines of the song, the singer dreams of a train, which they are unable to catch, and the train seems to represent the lost love. Even when the singer tries to catch up with the last car of the train, it's moving too fast, ultimately resulting in failure. The dream sequence highlights the singer's anxiety and desperation to hold onto the love that has already left them behind.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea of following the train, no matter the distance or the situations that might arise. The singer sees the train as a metaphor for the love they have lost, and they realize that they cannot let go so easily. The pain that they feel is palpable in the lines, "Through the sun, snow, and rain, through the light and the dark 'Cause you stole my heart." It is evident that the singer is willing to go to any extent to get back what they lost- their love.

In the final verse, the singer acknowledges that the dreams of lost love will continue to haunt them, and the chances of rekindling that love are slim. "All those might-have-beens are just pennies on the track," highlighting the fact that the thought of what could have been is inconsequential, and they need to focus on what they can still have. The song ends with the singer's resolve to follow that train and never give up until they get back what they lost.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I dreamt you were a train
I had a dream where you symbolized a train

That I could not catch
But I couldn't reach you, no matter how much I wanted to

I threw off my heels
I abandoned anything that could slow me down

And ran barefoot down the tracks
And chased after you with everything I had

I reached for the last car
I almost caught up to you

But you were movin' way too fast
But you kept slipping away, too fast for me to keep up

I woke from my dream
I had to wake up and face reality

In a cloud of sweat and steam
Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated

And I cried
I felt sad and disappointed

Like the sound of a lonesome whistle
Your absence left me feeling empty and alone

Half a world away
Even though you were far away, I still felt your absence