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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No Man's Land
Soul Asylum Lyrics
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There is no shame
No blame to claim
One fine day the pilgrims came
And made new rules for an old game
And I'm waiting for the garbage man to take you away
And I'm searching for my playground
So they built a big smoke stack
Built a railroad track
They made the dirt roads black
And they did it behind your back
And now you pay their tax
Hoping something cracks
And I'm waiting for the garbage man
To take you away
And I'm searching for my playground
So I can go and play
From out of the dust came corrosion and rust
That made you look so cheap
There's nothing to have here
And nothing to hold here
And nothing that you can keep
Now understand this is no man's land
And it's all that's left that's free
Where the kings of nothing rule my friend
And you can't make me leave
There's a billboard in the sky
Reflecting water in your eyes
This big city, this ghost town
Will come crawling to the ground
And I'm waiting for the hurricane
To blow you away
And I'm searching for my twister
To twist you into shape
Now my speech is said and done
The circus came, I had my fun
And the wasteland has been won
And the building has begun
And I'm waiting for the earthquake
To shake you down
And I see my mother nature
Trying to drag you around
From out of the dust came
Corrosion and rust
That made you look so cheap
There's nothing to have here
And nothing to hold here
And nothing that you can keep
Now understand this is no man's land
And its all that's left that's free
Where the kings of nothing rule my friend
(Then you can't make believe?)
The lyrics of Soul Asylum's "No Man's Land" describe a town that once had no name or shame, where everyone played an old game with no strict rules. However, everything changed when the pilgrims arrived, establishing new rules that transformed the town forever. They built a railroad track, a big smokestack, and made dirt roads black, and they did it behind the residents' backs. Nevertheless, the residents hope for change, waiting for the garbage man to take away their troubles while they search for a playground to escape to. From the corrosion and rust that came out of the dust, the once-beloved town now looks cheap, leaving nothing to hold or keep.
The chorus of the song repeats the declaration that this is no man's land and that everything that's left is free. The kings of nothing rule, and nobody can make them leave. A billboard in the sky reflects the water in the eyes of those who see the town's gradual decay. The city that was once bustling is now a ghost town, waiting to be blown away by a hurricane, twisted into shape by a twister, or shaken down by an earthquake. The circus came, and the wasteland won, but the building has only just begun, and mother nature is trying to drag the residents around.
Line by Line Meaning
In a town without a name
This town could be anywhere, and it's so insignificant that it doesn't even have a name.
There is no shame
No one here has any sense of disgrace or embarrassment.
No blame to claim
No one is responsible for the situation, so there is no one to blame.
One fine day the pilgrims came
At some point in the past, a group of people arrived in this town seeking a new life.
And made new rules for an old game
Those newcomers created new laws and imposed them on the existing inhabitants, changing the way things were done.
And I'm waiting for the garbage man to take you away
Someone is hoping that their problems will be taken away soon, perhaps literally with the trash.
And I'm searching for my playground
So I can go and play
This person is looking for a place where they can be carefree and enjoy themselves.
So they built a big smoke stack
A factory was constructed that produced large amounts of pollution.
Built a railroad track
Infrastructure was erected to support the transport of goods and people.
They made the dirt roads black
The unpaved roads were paved with asphalt to make them more durable.
And they did it behind your back
These changes were made without the knowledge of the people who actually lived in the town.
And now you pay their tax
The residents of this town are now burdened with the financial cost of these changes.
Hoping something cracks
The townspeople are waiting for something to happen that will shake up the status quo and create an opportunity for change.
From out of the dust came corrosion and rust
That made you look so cheap
The rapid development and pollution caused by industry has caused the town to become worn down and dilapidated.
There's nothing to have here
And nothing to hold here
And nothing that you can keep
There is no sense of stability or permanency in this town, nothing that people can call their own.
Now understand this is no man's land
And it's all that's left that's free
This town is a place without ownership or control, where people can come and go as they please.
Where the kings of nothing rule my friend
And you can't make me leave
This is a place where no one is in charge, where people can live as they choose, without fear of being evicted.
There's a billboard in the sky
Reflecting water in your eyes
Everything around you is so bleak that even the sky's advertisements serve as a reminder of how desperate the situation is.
This big city, this ghost town
Will come crawling to the ground
This town is quickly becoming a shell of its former self and will eventually be completely abandoned.
And I'm waiting for the hurricane
To blow you away
People are expecting a catastrophic event to put an end to the misery they experience daily.
And I'm searching for my twister
To twist you into shape
This person is looking for something that can shake everything up and bring about change or reform.
Now my speech is said and done
The circus came, I had my fun
The artist has said their piece, and despite what's going on, they still have the ability to enjoy themselves.
And the wasteland has been won
And the building has begun
The people who have taken control of this town have successfully turned it into a desolate and hopeless place, but they will continue to build and develop it.
And I'm waiting for the earthquake
To shake you down
Just as people are waiting for a natural disaster to solve their problems, they're also hoping for an enormous disaster to befall the town's oppressors.
And I see my mother nature
Trying to drag you around
The natural world still has a hold on this place, and the people and their machines can't ignore it completely.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind