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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Pipe Dream
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The show's over
Night crawlers crawling closer
Somewhere is temptation
Could it just be my imagination
Was it all just a dream at the bottom of a glass
Next time don't wake me up
All this too must pass
Call me up when you find out what life means
Does it hide in the fire of a smoke screen
Like a match burning fast in the cold breeze
Like a house made of glass in a pipe dream
Even so it gets harder
Can't finish what you can't get started
Everywhere seems so brown signs of life are happening anyhow
Should I just disappear behind a one way glass remain
Invisible all this too must pass
So, call me up when you find out what life means
Does it hide in the fire of a smoke screen
Like a match burning fast in the cold breeze
Like a house made of glass in a pipe dream
Late at night when I can't sleep
Listen down to the sound on the street
Then the dawn, the dawn comes chasing
To remind me of the time I'm wasting
So, call me up when you find out what life means
Does it hide in the fire of a smoke screen
Like a match burning fast in the cold breeze
Like a house made of glass in a pipe dream
Like a match burning fast in the cold breeze
Like a house made of glass in a pipe dream
In Soul Asylum's "Pipe Dream," the singer muses over the fleetingness and elusiveness of life. The song begins with the singer feeling lonely and isolated, as if the "show" of life is over and he is left to confront the stark reality on his own. The metaphor of night crawlers "crawling closer" only heightens the sense of unease and dread. The singer then wonders if temptation, perhaps a metaphor for something he desires or strives for, is just a figment of his imagination. He reflects on the transitory nature of life and how it all seems like a fleeting dream at the bottom of a glass. The singer then resigns himself to the idea that "all this too must pass."
The chorus of the song features the singer asking to be called up when someone can figure out the meaning of life, which he sees as obscured by "the fire of a smoke screen." The image of a "match burning fast in the cold breeze" and a "house made of glass in a pipe dream" drive home the song's central themes of fragility, impermanence, and illusory nature. The singer expresses frustration and uncertainty as he tries to "finish what [he] can't start," admitting that "everywhere seems so brown" (perhaps a reference to the monotony and sameness of life).
The song ends on a wistful and reflective note as the singer listens to the sounds of the street at night and contemplates the passage of time. The dawn serves as a reminder to the singer of the time he is "wasting" as he grapples with the meaning of life and the uncertain future.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm all alone
Feeling isolated and disconnected from others
The show's over
Life's experiences have come to an end, leaving a sense of emptiness
Night crawlers crawling closer
Feeling overwhelmed and surrounded by negativity and darkness
Somewhere is temptation
The lure of something potentially harmful or self-destructive exists
Could it just be my imagination
Wondering if these temptations are just a creation of one's own mind
Was it all just a dream at the bottom of a glass
Questioning whether past experiences and choices were real or just a drunken haze
Next time don't wake me up
Wanting to remain oblivious to reality and its challenges
All this too must pass
Acknowledging that everything is temporary, and nothing lasts forever
Call me up when you find out what life means
Asking for someone to provide insight and understanding about the purpose and meaning of life
Does it hide in the fire of a smoke screen
Questioning whether the true meaning of life is obscured by illusions and distractions
Like a match burning fast in the cold breeze
Life is fleeting and unpredictable, like a flame that can be easily extinguished
Like a house made of glass in a pipe dream
Life can feel fragile and unreal, like a dream that could shatter at any moment
Even so it gets harder
Despite recognizing life's impermanence, it still becomes increasingly difficult to navigate
Can't finish what you can't get started
Feeling stuck and unable to complete tasks or achieve goals
Everywhere seems so brown signs of life are happening anyhow
Seeing signs of life and growth, even in desolate or stagnant surroundings
Should I just disappear behind a one way glass remain
Considerations of withdrawing from the world and isolating oneself completely
Invisible all this too must pass
Feeling unseen and insignificant, but still acknowledging the transience of all things
Late at night when I can't sleep
Experiencing insomnia and restlessness during dark hours
Listen down to the sound on the street
Focusing on the sounds of the environment and the world outside oneself
Then the dawn, the dawn comes chasing
After a long and restless night, the daylight brings new challenges and reminders of time's passage
To remind me of the time I'm wasting
Feeling a sense of urgency and pressure to use one's time effectively
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind