Originally a Washington D.C.-based roots rock band, with "country, swing, bluegrass, blues, folk, mariachi, punk, pop, and Tin Pan Alley influences". Now based out of Nashville, Eric Brace and the gang travel around the US singing about the Donut Girl.
LTH frontman Eric Brace is a former staff writer for The Washington Post where he was a columnist covering the local music and nightlife scene. Prior to Last Train Home, Eric played in several Washington area bands, including B-Time, the Beggars, and Kevin Johnson & the Linemen. He also ran a local rock label, Top Records, for many years, before focusing on his own music.
It was in late 1996 that Eric began pulling together a band to record some of his songs. Those recordings became the band's eponymous debut, "Last Train Home," released in 1997 on the D.C. indie Adult Swim Records (run by Dischord Records co-owner and punk rock legend Jeff Nelson). In 1999, the band returned with the deeper and richer release, "True North." With rave reviews coming in on a regular basis, the band started touring the east coast more widely, and took a couple of trips to Nashville to play its music.
Soon there was a Christmas EP, another EP of cover tunes, and another full-length CD, "Time and Water." The band's path was becoming clear. In January, 2003, just as it was being declared Washington D.C.'s "Artist of the Year" by the Washington Area Music Association, Last Train Home went full-time. With its profile rising, the band opened for Willie Nelson at the Wolf Trap amphitheater outside Washington, and for Dolly Parton at DAR Constitution Hall. After relocating to Nashville, LTH quickly became an integral part of Nashville's independent music scene, and was named by the Tennessean newspaper as one of the finest live acts of 2005: "Best Show: Tie between Neil Young at the Ryman and Last Train Home at the Family Wash."
In 2005, the band released the CD "Bound Away," and followed that in 2007 with "Last Good Kiss," both widely-praised CDs that showed the band's extraordinary growth. That artistic evolution was rewarded with appearances on the CBS "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and on the syndicated radio show "Mountain Stage."
In 2006, to celebrate its tenth anniversary, LTH recorded and released a live concert DVD and CD, "Last Train Home Live at IOTA," a vivid document that captures the dynamic live performance that has become the hallmark of this band.
Brace contributes most of the songs to LTH's recordings, but he also champions the works of such Washington area artists (and part-time LTH members) Alan Brace, Karl Straub, Steve Wedemeyer, Scott McKnight, and Bill Williams. He also finds lesser-known gems from the likes of Buck Owens, Tom T. Hall, Paul Kelly, Bob Dylan, and Barry White to add to the band's CDs and sets.
In 2009, they released an EP under the name Eric Brace & Last Train Home.
http://redbeetrecords.com/last-train-home
Finally
Last Train Home Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just when I was ready to give up
Suddenly you're all over me
When we lie down, I never, never want to get up
With the patience of a saint
I walked by your side
And you'd tell me how you'd paint the town red
And I'd be standing there
With my brush in my hand
And I tried not to let on
How much it meant to me
Those times you called
But I bet you heard it in my voice
It's not the kind of thing I can hide
I couldn't hide it if I tried
Finally you're in love with me
Just when I was ready to give up
Suddenly you're all over me
When we lie down, I never, never want to get up
So don't start thinking of the ways that we might break up
And if I talk too much, just tell me to shut up
The lyrics of Last Train Home's song "Finally" describe a situation where the singer has been patiently waiting for someone to reciprocate their love. They have been standing by their significant other, listening to them talk about their past relationships, yet always hoping for a chance to be with that person. Finally, when all hope seems lost, the significant other falls in love with the singer. They are totally enamored and want to spend every waking moment with them. The singer is overjoyed and never wants to let go.
Throughout the song, the lyrics describe a sense of persistence and hope. The singer never gave up on the idea of being with the significant other. Even when their love was not returned, they kept trying. This theme is encapsulated in the line "With the patience of a saint, I walked by your side." Similarly, the lyrics also describe vulnerability and honesty. The singer does not hide their feelings, even though they are scared of rejection. This is evident in the lines "But I bet you heard it in my voice, it's not the kind of thing I can hide. I couldn't hide it if I tried." Overall, the song is an uplifting acknowledgment of love finally being reciprocated and the joy that follows.
Line by Line Meaning
Finally you're in love with me
After waiting so long, you have finally fallen in love with me
Just when I was ready to give up
Right after I had lost hope and was about to give up on us
Suddenly you're all over me
Out of nowhere, you are giving me all of your attention and affection
When we lie down, I never, never want to get up
Whenever we touch and embrace, I feel complete and never want to leave that moment
With the patience of a saint, I walked by your side
With great patience, I stood by you all this while
And you'd tell me how you'd paint the town red with those other guys
You would describe how you would have a good time with other men
And I'd be standing there with my brush in my hand
I would be waiting for you, ready to love and cherish you, while you were out with other men
And I tried not to let on how much it meant to me
I tried not to reveal how much your love and attention meant to me
Those times you called
The moments you reached out to me
But I bet you heard it in my voice
But I am sure you could hear the joy and love in my voice despite my efforts to hide it
It's not the kind of thing I can hide
My love for you is too strong to hide or suppress
I couldn't hide it if I tried
Even if I tried to hide my love, it would be impossible
So don't start thinking of the ways that we might break up
Please do not think about the ways we might end our love story
And if I talk too much, just tell me to shut up
If I ever get too excited or talkative, just kindly ask me to be silent
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.