Taylor has toured Europe with the supergroup D.U.P. with fellow band members Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Candy Dulfer (Prince), Mudbone Cooper (Parliment-Funkadelic) and Jimmy Cliff. If you can imagine the love child of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dusty Springfield then you are beginning to get a feel for Taylor's mixture of fiery guitar playing, sultry vocals and 100% pure soul. But unlike many other young phenoms, she has quickly developed a resumé to back up the hype. Born and raised amidst the coal mines of Britain's Black Country, she picked up a guitar and got turned on to the blues as a very young teenager.
Dave Stewart first discovered Joanne when he saw her play at the tender age of 16. He describes his reaction as follows. 'I have played with all sorts of blues musicians all over the world, such as R.L. Burnside and Jesse-Mae Hemphill. I heard something I thought I would never hear, a British white girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end! Not only was I in total shock but it took me a good few minutes to ask her how long she had been playing like that. "A few years," she replied. "How old are you now?" "Sixteen." I woke up a few seconds later on the floor.'
Taylor has toured the U.K. with her own band since she was 14, headlining top clubs such as Ronnie Scott's and the Marquee; she has also performed at several of the top European festivals, playing alongside many of her heroes like B.B. King. It is a safe bet that Taylor is the only teenage girl invited to sit in on one of Bill Wymans recording sessions.
Her own writing has led her to something beyond the blues, a soulful mix of roots and pop influences sung in a haunting smoky voice. Taylor has written with Bruce McCabe (Jonny Lang) and grammy winning songwriter/producer Kevin Bowe (Jonny Lang, Etta James, Paul Westerberg).
Jump That Train
Joanne Shaw Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
LOOK UP HIGH, THE OLD WORLDS ON FIRE
BABY IT'S ALL ALRIGHT
WE GOT OUT, WHERE FOOLS RUSH IN
NO AMOUNT OF CHAINS COULD HOLD US IN
NOW TONIGHT'S FOR YOU AND I
BEGGARS, LIARS AND THEIVES
BUT I'M NOT GOING BACK AGAIN
WE WERE RIGHT TO JUMP THAT TRAIN
I WANT, I WISH, I HOPE, I GET
ALL THE TIME YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE
BABY I'M SO SOLD?
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD
WE'VE WATCHED 'EM SINK N WATCHED'EM FLOAT
IT'S STILL A DEAD SEA OF SOULS
DOES ALL THE AMOUNT OF YOUR SINS
EQUAL NOW THE HURT LIFE BRINGS?
WHEN YOUR LUCK COMES CRASHING DOWN
TELL ME WHO WILL BE AROUND?
The lyrics to Joanne Shaw Taylor's song Jump That Train depict the idea of freedom and running away. The opening line "burning sky on a midnight ride" symbolizes the passion and excitement of breaking free from the chains of society to embark on a new path. The sky on fire represents the intensity of the journey. The line "look up high, the old world's on fire" suggests the feeling of breaking free from the past and starting anew, leaving all that weighs one down behind.
The main theme of the song is portrayed in the chorus "we were right to jump that train". This line represents the idea of taking a leap of faith to pursue one's passions and dreams while leaving the mundane and restrictive life behind. The line "beggars, liars, and thieves enjoy your misery, but I'm not going back again" conveys the idea that those who conform to societal norms and do not take risks will always remain stuck in misery.
The final verse "does all the amount of your sins equal now the hurt life brings? When your luck comes crashing down, tell me who will be around?" signifies that taking chances and breaking free from societal norms may come with negative repercussions, but in the end, it is worth it. The song motivates the listener to take a chance on their dreams and not settle for the mundane, restrictive life that society offers.
Line by Line Meaning
BURNING SKY ON A MIDNIGHT RIDE
We are travelling late at night while the sky is illuminated with a fiery glow, giving the impression that something catastrophic is happening
LOOK UP HIGH, THE OLD WORLDS ON FIRE
We take a moment to observe our surroundings and notice that everything we once knew is crumbling and burning down
BABY IT'S ALL ALRIGHT
Despite the chaos and turmoil around us, we share a comforting exchange that assures us everything will be okay
WE GOT OUT, WHERE FOOLS RUSH IN
We escaped from a situation that reckless and foolish people would rush towards
NO AMOUNT OF CHAINS COULD HOLD US IN
We were determined to be free and refused to be held back, even by something as strong as chains
NOW TONIGHT'S FOR YOU AND I
We are living in the present moment and focusing on enjoying our time together
BEGGARS, LIARS AND THEIVES
We acknowledge the presence of unsavory characters who are dishonest and untrustworthy
ENJOY YOUR MISERY
These individuals seem to revel in the unhappiness and misfortunes of others
BUT I'M NOT GOING BACK AGAIN
We have learned from past experiences and refuse to return to a place or situation that caused us pain or discomfort
WE WERE RIGHT TO JUMP THAT TRAIN
We made the right decision to break free from a confining situation and embark on a new journey
I WANT, I WISH, I HOPE, I GET
We have aspirations and desires that we hope to achieve
ALL THE TIME YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE
We realize that time is a valuable resource that we must make the most of
BABY I'M SO SOLD?
We are fully committed and invested in our current situation and future goals
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD
We recognize that things may appear shiny and alluring, but not everything that appears valuable is truly precious
WE'VE WATCHED 'EM SINK N WATCHED'EM FLOAT
We have seen both success and failure amongst those around us
IT'S STILL A DEAD SEA OF SOULS
Despite witnessing various outcomes, the overall environment is still bleak and unfulfilling
DOES ALL THE AMOUNT OF YOUR SINS
We question whether the mistakes and wrongdoings of the past will come back to haunt us
EQUAL NOW THE HURT LIFE BRINGS?
Will the negative consequences we face in life be a direct result of our past indiscretions?
WHEN YOUR LUCK COMES CRASHING DOWN
We ponder what will happen when our fortune takes a turn for the worse
TELL ME WHO WILL BE AROUND?
We wonder who will stick by our side during difficult times and support us through adversity
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Толя Киевський
Сказочно-красиво!!! Супер!!! ❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏👏👏
Ian Heslop - Spoken Word Poetry
Joanne Shaw Taylor is the real deal!!! This is full, passionate, soul dreached heavy rock and roll!! Raw as it gets!!
AOM Cloud Enterprise Group
This is blues guitar at it's finest. This young phenom not only can play the blues she rocks the absolute shit out of them. Joanne Shaw Taylor has it all together and I have not heard it done better!
Kath Davis
This woman lives & breathes her guitar, like a perfect weld, it's pure magic to see & hear ♥ :)
Jack S
This woman is simply amazing. I saw her play recently on Long Island in a large venue and she blew the roof off the building. Truly an extraordinary hard blues talent. Don’t miss her if she ever gets near you with a live show.
steve fuentes
I had to give her a thumbs up just because she is damn good love the groove she throws down you can see she really feels in her heart when she plays.
desertscoldmoon
Please post so many more. Sounds amazing guys!
Charles Patrick
Totally inside that groove. What joy!!!
Thomas Myers
OMG I'm just really hearing about this lady she is totally fantastic !!! I will defiantly see her when she comes to the US Love her sound
Lionel Royer
OMG....She burn the house ! !
Amazing playing,groovy and soulfull.