Most of her career has been as lead singer for The Staple Singers. She first recorded solo for the Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts included a Curtis Mayfield-produced soundtrack on Curtom, a nod to disco for Warner Bros. Records in 1979, a stab at electro-pop with Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1984, and a collaboration with Prince in the late 1980s and early 90s (producing the two solo albums Time Waits for No One in 1989 and The Voice in 1993, and various other collaborations). Staples has a rich contralto voice that has neither the range of Aretha Franklin nor the power of Patti LaBelle. Her otherworldly power comes instead from a masterful command of phrasing and a deep-seated sensuality expressed through timbre manipulation. Both the Staple Singers and Mavis found fresh audiences stemming from their participation on the CD Rhythm, Country and Blues, and in 1996 she issued Spirituals and Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson. Her next recording project didn't land for another eight years, although Have a Little Faith on Alligator Records became her highest profile release in years.
Staples released a new album for Anti- Records titled We'll Never Turn Back on April 24, 2007. The Ry Cooder-produced concept album focuses on songs of the civil rights movement and includes two new original songs.
See also:
Wikipedia
Official Site
TRAIN
Mavis Staples Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crossword solved
Words go up words come down
Forwards backwards twisted round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him, He unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes to numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
And his thoughts
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
The song Train by Mavis Staples is a deep introspection into the life of a man, who is caught in the monotony of his day-to-day routine. The song begins with the description of a man, who likes to solve crossword puzzles and starts his day by disappearing into his office to face another working day. However, his mind is full of strangers, and he navigates through the corridors of naked lights with his thoughts full of weird and uncertain things. The stranger's face, which he carries with him, suggests a feeling of detachment from his personal life. He finds solace in reading on the subway while the distant radio whistles tunes that nobody knows.
As the man unlocks the door and enters his house, he realizes that there is nothing he knows of and nowhere he has been, ever quite like this. The mention of the sea, which he thought was once here but never was, adds an element of uncertainty and confusion to his already overwhelmed mind. The stranger's face, which he carried with him, now holds more significance as he dodges his train of thought, which is going nowhere.
The song is a beautiful portrayal of the emotional turmoil that one can experience when caught in the monotony of life. The metaphor of a train of thought adds a layer of depth to the song, highlighting the chaos and confusion in the man's mind, resembling the seemingly random tracks on a train of thought. Overall, the song is a poignant reminder that we must break free of the monotony and take charge of our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
He likes to have the morning paper's
He enjoys starting his day by completing the crossword puzzle in the morning newspaper.
Crossword solved
He completes the crossword puzzle every morning.
Words go up words come down
The words in the crossword puzzle can be written vertically or horizontally.
Forwards backwards twisted round
The words in the crossword puzzle can also be written backwards, forwards, and in a twisted order.
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
He takes a bunch of letters from a small travel bag.
Disappears into an office
He goes into an office space and remains there for the day.
It's another working day
It is just another typical day of work for him.
And his thoughts are full of strangers
His mind is preoccupied with strangers.
Corridors of naked lights
He encounters empty, well-lit corridors.
And his mind once full of reason
He used to have logical, rational thoughts but not anymore.
Now there's more than meets the eye
Now there is more happening than he can understand.
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He thinks about the face of a stranger who he doesn't know personally.
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
He enjoys reading while commuting home via subway.
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
The radio plays songs that are unfamiliar to him.
At home a house awaits him, He unlocks the door
He reaches his house and unlocks the door.
Thinking once there was a sea here
He used to imagine that there was a sea at that place.
But there never was a door
He realizes that there wasn't a door at that place.
And his thoughts are full of strangers
He is preoccupied with strangers and can't focus on his surroundings.
And his eyes too numb to see
He is too tired to clearly observe anything around him.
And nothing that he knows of
He had no prior knowledge or information about this uninteresting house.
And nowhere where he's been
He hasn't been anywhere exciting or remarkable.
Was ever quite like this
Nothing he experienced before was quite the same as this mundane experience.
And his thoughts
He keeps overthinking.
And at heart
Deep inside
He's full of strangers
He is full of strange and unfamiliar thoughts.
Dodging on his train of thought
His thoughts move quickly and unpredictably like the movement of a train.
Train of thought
His thoughts are like a never-ending train journey that keeps moving ahead without a destination.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind