Jones settled in LA at the age of nineteen, doing the classic waiting tables stuff until she landed a recording contract with Warners. Her self-titled debut album in 1979 was a big success, as was the single, Chuck E.'s in Love, about her musician friend Chuck E. Weiss. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and also received four more nominations: for Record of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female; and Song of the Year (for "Chuck E.'s in Love"). While none of her subsequent recordings achieved the same level of commercial success, Jones has continued releasing critically acclaimed albums that have explored a variety of sonic terrain from jazz standards to trip hop influenced works.
Jones' pursuit of jazz standards led to the recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold" and "Autumn Leaves" for Rob Wasserman's album Duets in 1985. The latter track earned her another Grammy nomination. And in 1990, her duet with Dr. John, a cover of "Makin' Whoopee", earned the artist her second Grammy Award, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.
At the time of recording her debut album, Jones was in a romantic relationship with Tom Waits; she is the girl draped over the car on the cover of his 1978 album Blue Valentine.
Early in her career, Jones was known for her drinking and substance abuse. She eventually tempered those demons, and came to terms with herself, and her own uncertain spirituality, and has maintained respect of her musical peers.
She's devoted to her talents, beyond music, one of which is raising her teenage daughter, and has even run her own political website and made music critiquing the Bush administration. She is involved in left-wing politics and community activism, partly through her web community, Furniture for the People (http://www.furnitureforthepeople.com/).
A greatest hits collection on Rhino called The Duchess of Coolsville was released in 2005.
In 2007 she signed to New West Records releasing The Sermon On Exposition Blvd, a record exploring lyrical territory inspired by Lee Cantelon's 1991 book The Words, which attempted to translate Christ's teachings into a more accessible contemporary format. Cantelon's friend, Guitarist Peter Atanasoff was instrumental in the creation of the eventual record.
Discography
1979: Rickie Lee Jones – Warner Bros.
1981: Pirates – Warner Bros.
1983: Girl at Her Volcano (EP) – Warner Bros.
1984: The Magazine – Warner Bros.
1989: Flying Cowboys - Geffen
1991: Pop Pop - Geffen
1993: Traffic From Paradise - Geffen
1995: Naked Songs - Reprise
1997: Ghostyhead – Warner Bros.
2000: It's Like This - Artemis
2001: Live at Red Rocks - Artemis
2003: The Evening of My Best Day – V2
2005: Duchess of Coolsville - Rhino
2007: Sermon On Exposition Boulevard - New West
2009: Balm in Gilead
Ghost Train
Rickie Lee Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was about 6:05
'Cause I could hardly walk
In fact, I was just barely alive
Under the bridges and over the street
Now every shadow that I meet
They all know my name
And they whisper
Don't you know you're riding on the ghost train"
Jupiter Ray on the bus
I remember when Jupiter came to town
He was one of the best of us
Oh, that stuff can really take you down
Hey, Jupiter Ray is on the bus
I remember when Jupiter was alive
Come to think of it
You all have a strange translucence in your eyes
What's a matter son?
Don't you know you're riding on the ghost train
You just buy your ticket
And get on board
This train don't stop
'Cause we like to ride, ride ride ride
We just want to ride, ride ride ride
Ding goes the trolley
Bang goes the bell
Somebody call my second cousin
I'm not feeling very well
This is where little blondes check-in their furs
This is where little blondes check-in their hat
Don't worry about where you were at
We took care of that
Mr driver is this my stop?
Mr driver tell me how to get off
Any way you can, any way
Come back into the light
You want to get to heaven
Take the devil by the hand
And you slide right into the promised land
'Cause this could be the night
And this could be the gate
Everybody's waitin' for you darlin'
So don't be late
What's a matter honey?
Didn't you pay your money for the ghost train?
Well I decided to take the bus
It was about 6:05
'Cause I could hardly walk
In fact, I was just barely alive
Rickie Lee Jones's song "Ghost Train" tells the story of a person who has reached a difficult point in their life and decides to ride a bus, which she describes as a ghost train. As the person travels on the bus, they encounter ghosts from their past, such as Jupiter Ray, who remind them of the destructive behaviors they left behind. The lyrics suggest that the person may not be fully aware of their surroundings and may be hallucinating or imagining the ghostly figures they see.
The song's message can be interpreted in several ways. One interpretation is that it is a cautionary tale about the dangers of addiction and self-destructive behavior. Jupiter Ray's presence on the bus suggests that the person may have struggled with substance abuse in the past and still feels the consequences of their actions. The other interpretation is that it is about moving on from the past and making peace with oneself. In this interpretation, the ghosts represent the person's past self, and riding the ghost train represents the person's journey towards self-discovery and healing.
One of the interesting facts about the song is it was included on the soundtrack for the 1981 film, "Roadie." It is one of Rickie Lee Jones's most popular songs and has been covered by several artists, including the rock group Indigo Girls. The song is also notable for Jones's distinctive voice and her unique style that blends rock, jazz, and folk music.
Another interesting fact is that the song's opening lines, "Well, I decided to take the bus, it was about 6:05, 'cause I could hardly walk, in fact, I was just barely alive," were inspired by Jones's own experience of walking home late at night after a party where she had too much to drink. She was unable to walk and had to call a friend to pick her up.
Chords: D, D6, Bbm6, C6, Dsus4, D7sus4, Bbm7, A7, D9
(Verse)
D D6 Bbm6
Well I decided to take the bus,
C6 D
It was about 6:05.
D D6 Bbm6
'Cause I could hardly walk,
C6 D
In fact, I was just barely alive.
(Chorus)
G A
"What's a matter hon, don't you know you're riding on the ghost train?"
D Dsus4 D D7sus4
"What's a matter hon, don't you know you're riding on the ghost train?"
(Verse)
D D6 Bbm6
Under the bridges and over the street,
C6 D
Now every shadow that I meet,
D D6 Bbm6
They all know my name and they whisper,
C6 D
"What's a matter hon, don't you know you're riding on the ghost train?"
(Chorus)
G A
"What's a matter hon, don't you know you're riding on the ghost train?"
D Dsus4 D D7sus4
"What's a matter hon, don't you know you're riding on the ghost train?"
Line by Line Meaning
Well I decided to take the bus
I chose to ride the bus instead of walking.
It was about 6:05
The time was around 6:05.
'Cause I could hardly walk
I was too weak to walk.
In fact, I was just barely alive
I was almost dying.
Under the bridges and over the street
We crossed under the bridges and over the streets.
Now every shadow that I meet
Every shadow I come across.
They all know my name
They recognize me.
And they whisper
They talk softly.
"What's a matter hon
What's wrong with you, honey?
Don't you know you're riding on the ghost train"
Do you not realize you're aboard a haunted train?
Jupiter Ray on the bus
Jupiter Ray is a passenger on the bus.
I remember when Jupiter came to town
I recall the time Jupiter visited our town.
He was one of the best of us
He was among the best of our group.
Oh, that stuff can really take you down
That substance can really bring you down.
Hey, Jupiter Ray is on the bus
Hey, Jupiter Ray is here.
I remember when Jupiter was alive
I recall when Jupiter was still alive.
Come to think of it
Now that I think about it.
You all have a strange translucence in your eyes
Your eyes are oddly transparent.
What's a matter son?
What's wrong, son?
Don't you know you're riding on the ghost train
Do you not realize you're aboard a haunted train?
You just buy your ticket
You simply purchase your ticket.
And get on board
And climb aboard.
This train don't stop
This train does not make stops.
'Cause we like to ride, ride ride ride
Because we enjoy the continuous ride.
We just want to ride, ride ride ride
We just want to keep riding.
Ding goes the trolley
The trolley bell rings.
Bang goes the bell
The bell goes bang.
Somebody call my second cousin
Someone please contact my second cousin.
I'm not feeling very well
I am not feeling good.
This is where little blondes check-in their furs
This is where small blondes check-in their furs.
This is where little blondes check-in their hat
This is where small blondes check-in their hat.
Don't worry about where you were at
Don't stress about your past location.
We took care of that
We've sorted it out.
Mr driver is this my stop?
Excuse me, driver, is this my stop?
Mr driver tell me how to get off
Driver, please tell me how to disembark.
Any way you can, any way
However you can manage it.
Come back into the light
Return to the light.
You want to get to heaven
You aspire to go to heaven.
Take the devil by the hand
Hold hands with the devil.
And you slide right into the promised land
And you will quickly reach the promised land.
'Cause this could be the night
Because this could be the night.
And this could be the gate
And this could be the gate to heaven.
Everybody's waitin' for you darlin'
Everyone is waiting for you.
So don't be late
Don't arrive late.
What's a matter honey?
What's wrong, honey?
Didn't you pay your money for the ghost train?
Did you not pay your fee to ride the haunted train?
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SIMON CHRISTOPHER NEALE, BEJAMIN MICHAEL EASTER PETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Felice Marie Berkley
on It Must Be Love
One of my fav. songs..!
Felice Marie Berkley
on Comin' Back To Me
Very pretty song.