Spilt Milk was recorded in London with Jimmy Hogarth, the sought-after British producer whose recent credits include Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt. Powerhouse songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger Eg White – Grammy Awards Record of the Year nominee for Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” – co-wrote most of this material. Singer and pianist Ed Harcourt also co-wrote two, including the climactic “Far From the Country,” an especially poignant and personal conclusion to the disc, about the physical and emotional distances one must bridge to keep love alive
For inspiration, Train turns to Aretha Franklin – “There is not a song that Aretha has sung or will ever sing that doesn’t just melt me” – along with blues/R&B cult figures like former Stax star/Raelette Mable John and Bob Dylan-favorite Karen Dalton. Says Train, “I wanted my album to offer glimpses of my influences, not sound like my influences. Jimmy, Eg and I are of similar backgrounds, we appreciate the same music; we have similar tastes. The arrangements are just what we felt the songs needed, they give the songs flavor but don’t try to steal anybody else’s style. I hope the album is a nod to the music I love, while still being modern.”
Music has been at the center of Train’s world since she was a toddler, when her mother encouraged her to play the violin. Train took to the instrument, but, more importantly, she also discovered an innate aptitude as a singer, with unerring pitch and a preternaturally mature delivery from a very young age. Says Train, “There’s depth to my voice and I think it comes from a lot of different places. But the way I sound today is the way I always sounded -- except in a tinier body.”
As an artist, Train could never simply be described as a product of her times and that has allowed her, on Spilt Milk, to create music that can arguably be called timeless. Her mom, who raised Train alone, fashioned what some might view as a sheltered existence for the young Train, keeping her away from television and pop radio. But what she really did was provide a fertile laboratory for Train to freely grow as a young woman and a singer, apart from the vagaries of trends. Train took music and ballet lessons and listened to classical music and opera, along with jazz and blues. Her violin training definitely came in handy: Train has arranging credits on three of her tracks and overdubbed strings on two of them.
Though born in New York City, Train was raised in Savannah, Georgia, and southern soul and gospel, which she sang in church and school choirs growing up, has had the most profound effect on her work. Almost as significant was the moment when, as a teenager, she unearthed her mom’s tucked-away stash of vinyl albums from the sixties and seventies: Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin. Say Train,” I remember hearing Janis Joplin’s records and thinking, what is that all about? We lived in downtown Savannah, in a house kind of like a New York City brownstone. When we had thunderstorms I would go up to the roof and scream at the top of my lungs because I wanted to make my voice raspier. God only knows what that’s done to me!”
By the time Train was 19, she was already singing professionally, albeit locally. A producer based in the south who’d spotted Train arranged to bring her up to New York City to showcase for Blue Note. The label chiefs offered Train a development deal – but her mom had other ideas. She insisted her daughter go to college first. Many a confident and headstrong young artist would rebel and go it alone, accept the deal and take their chances. But Train – reluctantly, she now admits – listened to her mom. She agreed to attend college in Athens, Ga., keeping her hand in music by joining a band and spending far more time rehearsing and gigging than hitting the books. And when she was ready to return to her career full-time, Blue Note was still waiting.
It was time well-spent, Train now realizes: “I know that at 19, I would not have made this record, which is the record I always wanted to make. This is the album that defines who I am. At 19, I don’t know what I would have put out. I believe everything happened for a reason. It took this amount of time for me to get here and to make this record. I always knew it would happen. “
Train made several trips to London over the course of two years, to write with Hogarth and White, but the actual recording moved quickly. In fact, Train was such a natural that some of the vocal performances they chose came straight from the song demos they’d originally done. Right before they were about to embark on their final sessions, though, a disastrous computer glitch during file back-up resulted in the loss of much of what they’d already completed. As Train recalls, “It was the perfect electronic storm.” Undaunted, she and her cohorts went back in and re-cut the vanished material with even more passion and determination, the setback turning out to be far more inspiration than challenge. Looking back, Train says, “I don’t think anything was lost. I don’t think there was this one magic moment that we could never recapture. I love what it is today.” And the experience provided her with an album title. “Don’t cry over spilt milk.”
Train’s confidence and faith in what she has created is part of what makes Spilt Milk so thrilling: “There’s just this magic thing that happens sometimes and you think, I want to sing this song for the rest of my life – I want to live in it, I want to bury myself in it, I want to wriggle around in it.. Every time I finished one, it was like, I can’t believe that, at this point in my life I finally have a song I would fight for, that I believe in 100% percent. And now I have all these songs together on an entire album that I feel this way about. For me, that’s my college degree.”
Don’ Remember
Kristina Train Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time to wake
Wish I could
Can you forgive me?
There's no time
Like the past,
And then I ask
Why I don't even want to live.
And I'm already dead.
chorus:
Don't remember, it breaks your heart forever
All I can hear is "Sorry, you're on your own"
All this running, I kill myself for nothing
All I can hear is: "Sorry, you're on your own".
All I want
All I need
Is some release
From your shadow.
I'd be satisfied
With so much less
Than you have guessed
So don't feel sorry for me now.
No one ever did before, I lost that war.
chorus:
Don't remember, it breaks your heart forever
All I can hear is "Sorry, you're on your own"
All this running, I kill myself for nothing
All I can hear is: "Sorry, you're on your own".
bridge:
And I'll forget you, like I said I would.
I know you're just another case
I'll have the world but I won't see your face.
chorus:
Don't remember, it breaks your heart forever
All I can hear is "sorry, you're on your own"
All this running, I kill myself for nothing
All I can hear is:
"Sorry, you're on your own,
You're on your own,
You're on your own".
Kristina Train's "Don’t Remember" appears to be a song about trying to overcome a painful past and move on from lost love. The first verse appears to be a reflection on life, wishing for time to go back and trying to ask for forgiveness. The lyrics "There's no time like the past, and then I ask why I don't even want to live" suggests a feeling of regret and feeling stuck. The lines "They tried to kill me, got you instead, and I'm already dead" could be interpreted as a metaphor, where the past has caused so much pain that it has metaphorically killed off part of the person's current self.
The chorus, "don't remember, it breaks your heart forever," could suggest that trying not to remember the past may be a futile effort, as it will always have an impact on the heart. The lines "all this running, I kill myself for nothing, all I can hear is: 'Sorry, you're on your own'" appears to be a reflection on how the singer has been trying to move past the pain, but feels alone and like their efforts have not been worth it.
The second verse reflects a frustrated desire for freedom from the past and the pain that has been caused by it. The singer wants release from the shadow of their past love, but is willing to settle for less "than you have guessed." The lines "No one ever did before, I lost that war" could suggest that previous attempts to move beyond the past or find support haven't been successful, leading to a sense of defeat.
The bridge, "and I'll forget you, like I said I would, I know you're just another case, I'll have the world but I won't see your face," could be interpreted as a self-assurance that the past love will eventually be forgotten. It acknowledges that this is what the singer always thought would happen, and that they will eventually move on and achieve great things, but that they will have to do it alone.
Overall, "Don't Remember" appears to be a poignant reflection on past pain and its impact on the present. The lyrics suggest a sense of hopelessness and a desire for release, but also a commitment to continue moving forward, even if that means doing it alone.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to sleep
It's time to let go of the day's troubles and rest.
Time to wake
It's another day and time to face reality.
Wish I could
Feeling regretful about not being able to change a past incident.
Can you forgive me?
Asking for forgiveness for a mistake that was made.
There's no time
Time is limited and should not be taken for granted.
Like the past,
The past is precious and should be cherished.
And then I ask
Questioning oneself about a certain decision or action.
Why I don't even want to live.
Feeling hopeless and questioning the point of existing.
They tried to kill me, got you instead
Someone else got hurt in the process of trying to harm the artist.
And I'm already dead.
Feeling emotionally and mentally drained.
All I want
Desiring something that seems unattainable.
All I need
Feeling like there's something missing.
Is some release
Wanting to be free from the burden of past mistakes.
From your shadow.
Wanting to move on from someone who has left an emotional impact.
I'd be satisfied
Feeling content with less than what is expected or desired.
With so much less
Being content with what one has, rather than what one wants.
Than you have guessed
Others may not realize the level of contentment one feels with the simpler things in life.
So don't feel sorry for me now.
Asking others not to pity them because they are content with what they have.
No one ever did before, I lost that war.
Feeling that they have lost previous battles with no support from others.
And I'll forget you, like I said I would.
Moving on from someone as previously promised.
I know you're just another case
Feeling like the relationship was not valued as much by the other person.
I'll have the world but I won't see your face.
Success or worldly achievements will not be fulfilling without the support of someone special.
Don't remember, it breaks your heart forever
Forgetting certain people or experiences may be painful in the long run.
All I can hear is "Sorry, you're on your own"
Feeling like they are alone and do not have support from others.
All this running, I kill myself for nothing
Working hard towards something that may not be fulfilling in the end.
You're on your own,
Feeling isolated and alone in the world.
Contributed by Jack L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.