Train On The Island
Run Boy Run Lyrics
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Go and tell my true love happy I do feel
Go and tell my true love happy I do feel
Train on the island, headed for the west
Run and tell my true love, the boy I love the best
Run and tell my true love, the boy I love the best
Gotta catch that 5:18, I'm never comin' back
Gotta catch that 5:18, I'm never comin' back
Train on the island, thought I heard her squeal
Go and tell my true love I can't hold the wheel
Go and tell my true love I can't hold the wheel
Train on the island, moaning mighty low
Run and tell my true love I'm sick and I can't go
Run and tell my true love I'm sick and I can't go
Train on the island, headed for the north
Run and tell my true love he don't know what he's worth
Run and tell my true love he don't know what he's worth
Run and tell my true love happy I do feel
Run and tell my true love happy I do feel
The song "Train on the Island" by Run Boy Run is a traditional American folk ballad that tells the story of a man who is leaving his true love behind to catch a train. The train is personified as having its own voice in the lyrics, with the man urging someone to "listen to her squeal" and "thought I heard her squeal" later on. The man implores the person he is speaking to, most likely a messenger, to tell his true love that he is happy and that he loves her before he leaves. He also asks this person to tell his true love that he is sick and cannot go with the train if necessary.
The themes of love and separation are prevalent in the song, with the man torn between leaving his true love behind and chasing after his dreams. The train is also symbolic of the man's desire to escape and start a new life somewhere else. The repeated refrain of "run and tell my true love" emphasizes the urgency and importance of the message he is trying to convey.
Overall, "Train on the Island" is a melancholy yet hopeful song that captures the conflicting emotions of a man leaving behind his loved one to embark on a journey to a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
Train on the island, listen to her squeal
I can hear the train on the island, and it's making a distinct squealing noise.
Go and tell my true love happy I do feel
Tell my loved one that I feel happy.
Train on the island, headed for the west
The train on the island is going west.
Run and tell my true love, the boy I love the best
Go and tell my loved one, who I love the most, about the train.
Steam from the whistle, smoke from the stack
The train whistle is blowing steam and smoke is coming out of the engine.
Gotta catch that 5:18, I'm never comin' back
I have to catch the 5:18 train, and I'm never coming back.
Train on the island, thought I heard her squeal
I thought I heard the train on the island make a squealing noise again.
Go and tell my true love I can't hold the wheel
Tell my loved one that I can't steer or control the train.
Train on the island, moaning mighty low
The train on the island is making a loud, low-pitched sound.
Run and tell my true love I'm sick and I can't go
Tell my loved one that I'm too sick to catch the train.
Train on the island, headed for the north
The train on the island is going north.
Run and tell my true love he don't know what he's worth
Tell my loved one that they don't realize their true value.
Run and tell my true love happy I do feel
Hurry and let my loved one know that I'm feeling happy.
Contributed by Julia S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.