Landing their first record deal with Twin/Tone in 1984, Soul Asylum recorded a total of four albums for the local label: Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984 (later reissued as Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck), Made To Be Broken in 1986, While You Were Out in 1986, and the EP Clam Dip and Other Delights in 1988. The band then switched to A&M, releasing Hang Time in 1988 and And the Horse They Rode In On in 1990 under that label. Although they enjoyed some success as a live band, Soul Asylum suffered from low album sales and considered disbanding.
In 1992, they signed with Columbia Records to produce Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, Somebody To Shove and Black Gold, both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album's third track and it's video of missing teens that led them to their major breakthrough. Runaway Train peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level, and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
In 1995, Soul Asylum followed up the success of Grave Dancers Union with Let Your Dim Light Shine, which climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 and featured the #1 Modern Rock track Misery. After releasing Candy From A Stranger in 1998, the band members took a break from recording and didn't release a new studio album for the better part of seven years. During the interim singer Dave Pirner released a solo album and Dan Murphy toured and recorded with Golden Smog.
They reunited in 2004 to record their ninth full-length album, The Silver Lining, brought together by the news of Mueller being diagnosed with throat cancer. Up until this point, Soul Asylum had always included Murphy, Mueller, and Pirner, despite several line-up changes. This changed on June 17th, 2005, when Mueller passed away after finishing his work on several tracks on the new album. The Silver Lining was released in 2006 and dedicated to Karl Mueller's life and memory, with Murphy expressing that, "For me, this record is Karl."
In late 2005, ex-Replacements bassist (and current Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson and former Prince drummer Michael Bland joined Soul Asylum in tribute to the late Karl Mueller. They completed their American tour in support of The Silver Lining in late 2006. In November and December 2006 they opened for Cheap Trick on their American tour. On March 10th, 2007, Soul Asylum joined Cyndi Lauper, Mint Condition, and Lifehouse to hold a concert to benefit Wain McFarlane, the leader of the legendary reggae band Ipso Facto, to help pay for the expenses of a kidney transplant.
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Caged Rat
Soul Asylum Lyrics
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Why don't you go home and spend some time alone
In the corner I looked across the room
To the other corner, I knew I'd be there soon
Caged rat (x12)
I knew I'd be there soon, in the (other) corner
Caged rat (x12)
Why don't you go home and crawl into your hole
Why don't you go home and spend some time alone
From the corner I looked across the room
To the other corner, I knew I'd be there soon
Caged rat (x12)
The lyrics of Soul Asylum's song "Caged Rat" seem to address someone who is feeling trapped and isolated in their own situation. The repeated lines of "Why don't you go home and crawl into your hole, why don't you go home and spend some time alone" suggest that the singer believes the person in question is better off retreating from the world, rather than continuing to struggle unsuccessfully within it. The repeated mention of being in a corner, and the idea of knowing that they will soon be in the other corner, suggests a sense of being trapped in a cycle that cannot be broken.
The repeated refrain of "caged rat" reinforces this sense of feeling trapped and helpless. The image of a rat in a cage is one that conveys a sense of being trapped and powerless, unable to escape from one's circumstances. The lyrics could be interpreted as a plea for someone to take a step back and try to break out of their own cycle of behavior, before it becomes too late.
Overall, "Caged Rat" is a hauntingly melancholic song that speaks to anyone who has ever felt trapped or isolated by their own circumstances. The repeated refrain of "caged rat" reinforces the sense of feeling powerless, while the repeated imagery of being in a corner suggests a sense of being caught in a cycle that cannot be broken.
Line by Line Meaning
Why don't you go home and crawl into your hole
You should retreat and isolate yourself.
Why don't you go home and spend some time alone
You need some space to clear your head.
In the corner I looked across the room
Feeling trapped, I scanned my surroundings for a way out.
To the other corner, I knew I'd be there soon
I saw the only other escape route and knew it wouldn't be long before I had to take it.
Caged rat (x12)
Feeling powerless and confined, like a rat trapped in a cage.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind