Many of the Lost Dogs albums include at least one or two cover songs. Songs covered by the Lost Dogs include Bob Dylan's "Lord, Protect My Child," Leonard Cohen's "If It Be Your Will," The Beatles' "I'm A Loser," and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More." They have also recorded a number of Traditional or Gospel standards such as "Dust On The Bible," and "Farther Along."
In March, 2000, shortly after the release of their Gift Horse album, Gene Eugene died in his sleep at The Green Room, his recording studio in Huntington Beach, California.
2003 saw the release of the band's first DVD, Via Chicago, a black and white concert film released by Lo-Fidelity Records. A follow-up DVD, Via Chicago (All We Left Unsaid), containing additional songs from the concert, was released in 2006.
Although the loss of Eugene is noticeable, the remaining three Lost Dogs members continue to tour and record new albums. In 2004, the band got together with longtime friend Steve Hindalong to produce a special album for their summer tour. The result was entitled Mutt, and included new acoustic versions of nine songs originally written and recorded for each band member's regular rock bands, with one new song. The following year, the band would release one of their most unusual recordings to date, the almost entirely instrumental Island Dreams.
The band's most recent project, Old Angel, was released May 2010. The band — including the newest official "dog," drummer Steve Hindalong — once again hit the road for a national tour in support of their new album.
Bullet Train
Lost Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He gave the people hope and purpose
Built a place called Camelot
And we were the wide-eyed innocents
Until somebody had him shot
Now he's long gone
Too long gone
Now he's riding on the bullet train
I have a dream, said the black man
When we'll not study war no more
Equality, he said, for every man here
Then they shot him on the second floor
Now he's been long gone
Too long gone
You know his name
Now he's riding on the bullet train
He bought her a gun for protection
She kept it on a closet shelf
Their little child found it one fateful day
No, he never meant to kill himself
Now he's been long gone
Too long gone
It's a crying shame
Now he's riding on the bullet train
Riding on the bullet train
Riding on the bullet train
Riding on the bullet train
Say a prayer for the dearly departed
Who left this old world all too soon
There's a lot of poor souls on the bullet train
But Lord knows they got more room
Riding on the bullet train
Riding on the bullet train
Riding on the bullet train
Think of all the innocent bystanders
Killed by the gang war strays
Think of the mothers and the baby
Now throw the bloody guns away
Long gone
Too long gone
And we're all to blame
We gotta stop the bullet train
Riding on the bullet train
Lost Dogs's song Bullet Train is a poignant commentary on the cycle of violence and tragedy caused by war, inequality, gun violence, and organized crime. The song refers to three different historical figures, each of whom had a vision for a better world and got eliminated by brutal force. The first stanza of the song refers to President John F. Kennedy, who inspired people with hope and built a symbolic utopia called Camelot before being assassinated in 1963. The second stanza refers to Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for equality and peace through nonviolent means and got assassinated on the second floor of a hotel in Tennessee in 1968. The third stanza refers to a child accidently killing himself with a gun that his parents had kept in the house for protection.
The song mourns the loss of innocent lives and calls for an end to the unnecessary and senseless violence perpetuated by political assassinations, gang wars, and gun-related accidents. The recurring refrain, "Now he's riding on the bullet train," suggests that the fallen heroes are beyond human reach and have transcended to another realm. The song also highlights the need for accountability and collective responsibility to prevent more tragedies. The bridge of the song urges listeners to pray for the departed souls and to throw away the guns that have caused so much harm.
Line by Line Meaning
He gave the people hope and purpose
He inspired the masses and gave them a sense of drive
Built a place called Camelot
He established a utopia of sorts
And we were the wide-eyed innocents
We were naive and trusting of the world
Until somebody had him shot
Until an assassin ended his life
Now he's long gone
He's been absent for a while
Too long gone
His absence has been excessively prolonged
You know his name
His legacy has lived on
Now he's riding on the bullet train
He's metaphorically 'traveling' fast and far
I have a dream, said the black man
The black man spoke of his ideal world
When we'll not study war no more
When we'll abolish the idea of war and conflict
Equality, he said, for every man here
He demanded fair treatment for all people
Then they shot him on the second floor
Then someone killed him on the upper level / higher ground
He's been long gone
He, too, has been dead for a while
It's a crying shame
It's a tragedy
He bought her a gun for protection
He purchased a firearm to protect them
She kept it on a closet shelf
She stored it in a closet
Their little child found it one fateful day
Their young child stumbled upon it one day
No, he never meant to kill himself
No, the child didn't intend to harm himself
It's a crying shame
It's a tragedy
Say a prayer for the dearly departed
Let's pay our respects to the deceased
Who left this old world all too soon
Who left this life at a young age
There's a lot of poor souls on the bullet train
There are many lost souls metaphorically 'traveling' quickly and aimlessly
But Lord knows they got more room
But there's plenty of space for them to move around
Think of all the innocent bystanders
Consider all the innocent people caught in the crossfire
Killed by the gang war strays
Killed by stray bullets fired during gang wars
Think of the mothers and the baby
Think of the grieving mothers and their children
Now throw the bloody guns away
Let's dispose of the deadly weapons
And we're all to blame
We all bear responsibility
We gotta stop the bullet train
We need to stop the vicious cycle of violence
Riding on the bullet train
Metaphor for the fast-paced and destructive nature of violence
Contributed by Hunter F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.