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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Tell Me When
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'd talk to herself but wouldn't know what to say
Wrings her hands and steps out of the bath
The mirror laughs and splits her in half
She looks around the room
At her carpeted tomb
Threw the phone on the floor
Tell me when does life begin
She got in the car and looked up at the stars
And made a wish
She held her breath and considered death
And in the rearview mirror
She looked back on her reflection
She was a long way from she wanted to be
And a long way from perfection
Tell me when does life begin
She chickened out and she called triple-A
And told them the way
After she paid they fixed the car
She got on her way and she drove past the bar
Where no one bought her a drink at
She always though it was 'cause she was too fat
And now she knows those places blow
Or maybe it was her nose
Tell me when does life begin
The song "Tell Me When" by Soul Asylum is a poignant exploration of a woman's life and her struggles with loneliness, self-doubt, and existential questions. The opening lines describe her isolation, as she is "all by herself at the end of the day" and unable to even talk to herself. She is overwhelmed by her own thoughts and emotions, as indicated by her hand-wringing and the image of the mirror splitting her in half.
The chorus of the song asks the question "Tell me when does life begin," hinting at the singer's feelings of emptiness and disillusionment. She is searching for some kind of meaning or purpose to her existence, and perhaps for a way to escape her current circumstances. The second verse describes her contemplation of death as one possible solution, and her realization that she is far from where she wants to be in life.
The final verse is somewhat more hopeful, as the woman takes action and calls for help when her car breaks down. She is able to overcome her fear and self-doubt, and sets out on the road again towards an uncertain future. The song ends with the same haunting refrain, "Tell me when does life begin," suggesting that the search for meaning and fulfillment is an ongoing process.
Line by Line Meaning
She's all by herself at the end of the day
She spends most parts of the day alone
She'd talk to herself but wouldn't know what to say
She doesn't even understand herself anymore
Wrings her hands and steps out of the bath
She's anxious and nervous
The mirror laughs and splits her in half
She sees the person she used to be and the person she is now
She looks around the room
She contemplates her surrounding
At her carpeted tomb
Her room feels like a prison cell
Threw the phone on the floor
She's frustrated with her current circumstances
Left the keys in the door
She doesn't care if her belongings are stolen
She got in the car and looked up at the stars
She's in search of something bigger than herself
And made a wish
She's clinging onto hope
She held her breath and considered death
She's at her lowest point
And in the rearview mirror
She takes a hard look at herself
She looked back on her reflection
She's reflecting on her life choices
She was a long way from she wanted to be
She hasn't achieved her goals in life
And a long way from perfection
She's far from being happy and content
She chickened out and she called triple-A
She's too scared to do anything drastic
And told them the way
She seeks guidance
After she paid they fixed the car
She's willing to pay for help and support
She got on her way and she drove past the bar
She's trying to move on from her past
Where no one bought her a drink at
She's been rejected before
She always though it was 'cause she was too fat
She has self-esteem issues
And now she knows those places blow
She's wiser now
Or maybe it was her nose
She's still trying to rationalize her past experiences
Tell me when does life begin
She's searching for a fresh start
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER, L. SAMUELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Oatis Driftwood
Tell me when soul asylum will be know as one of the greatest rock bands of all time...
lee patric
anyone can tell me when life begins....1 of the best songs of soul asylum...long live 90's...
Maya Plesa
Tell me when is a phenomenal song and it should have been on The best and Very best of Soul Asylum! Sasa Papac
Hugo Laguna
A great Song from one of their Best Álbumes. Thanks forma Posting it.
Cliff Diau
Gosh! so amazing one of the 90s great song