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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Carry On
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hope you don't mind the pain
I wanna cut you
And let you force it out clean
It'd be a shot quick
I think I know how this works
Things will be better
And we will carry on
Carry… carry on
Now, I can't carry the weight of your hang-ups
They're dead weight, they're made out of lead
And I can't carry the guilt and frustration
Of something someone else said
Now I'm just learning to carry myself
Carry myself on my own
Now I'm just looking to carry myself
Carry on, carry on, carry on
Whenever I see you
I know you think I don't know
That I could be you
And your thoughts they don't show
I want to trust you
I want to trust you so bad
I want to bust you
Stealing the few things we had
And we will carry on
Carry on
Now, I can't carry the weight of your hang-ups
They're dead weight, they're made out of lead
And I can't carry the guilt and frustration
Of something someone else said
Now I'm just learning to carry myself
Carry myself on my own
Now I'm just looking to carry myself
Carry on, carry on, carry on
(Now's the place to lose your faith
Keep the faith that reinstates the habits
That are forming what you feel)
This will be over
The lyrics of Soul Asylum's song Carry On may seem dark and disturbing at first glance but they reveal a story of resilience and strength in the face of pain and betrayal. The first verse appears to speak of someone contemplating self-harm as a release from the pain they are experiencing, with the lines "I wanna cut you and let you force it out clean." However, upon further examination, it becomes clear that the "you" being referred to is actually the pain itself, and the singer is expressing a desire to rid themselves of it.
The second verse, on the other hand, speaks of the burden of carrying other people's emotional baggage and the frustration that comes with it. The lines "I can't carry the weight of your hang-ups...of something someone else said" suggest that the singer is no longer willing to bear the emotional weight of someone else's issues and is instead focusing on carrying themselves "on their own."
The chorus of "carry on" further emphasizes this message of resilience and determination in the face of pain and hardship. The song ultimately speaks of the importance of recognizing one's own strength and capacity to carry on, regardless of external factors.
Line by Line Meaning
This will be over
The situation will come to an end
I hope you don't mind the pain
I hope the pain I may cause doesn't bother you
I wanna cut you
I want to end our relationship or connection
And let you force it out clean
I want to end things in a quick and clean way
It'd be a shot quick
Ending things would be quick
I think I know how this works
I have an idea of how to end things
Things will be better
The situation will improve
Because they can't get much worse
Things are at their worst and can only improve
And we will carry on
We will continue despite any difficulties
Now, I can't carry the weight of your hang-ups
I cannot bear the burden of your emotional baggage
They're dead weight, they're made out of lead
Your hang-ups are weighing us down heavily
And I can't carry the guilt and frustration
I cannot bear the guilt and frustration caused by someone else
Of something someone else said
Of a statement made by someone else
Now I'm just learning to carry myself
I am learning to take care of myself
Carry myself on my own
I am taking responsibility for my own well-being
Now I'm just looking to carry myself
I am focusing on my own needs
Whenever I see you
Every time I encounter you
I know you think I don't know
You believe I am unaware of something
That I could be you
That I am capable of being like you
And your thoughts they don't show
You do not reveal your true thoughts and feelings
I want to trust you
I wish to have faith in you
I want to trust you so bad
I really want to trust you
I want to bust you
I want to catch you doing something wrong
Stealing the few things we had
Taking away the little we had left
(Now's the place to lose your faith
Keep the faith that reinstates the habits
That are forming what you feel)
This is the time to give up on beliefs that contribute to negative habits that shape your emotions
Carry on, carry on, carry on
Keep going, keep going, keep going
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRIAN WOODBURY, MARC MULLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind