The band began when two friends, Jack Antonoff and Scott Irby-Ranniar, sharing a common love of music, began playing together. They busked in subways and alleyways in New York, and in 1999/2000 recorded a demo that garnered a large degree of record label interest. Despite the array of offers, the guys, now called Steel Train (after lyric in a Sublime song) eventually chose to sign with Drive Thru Records particularly drawn by the support but also artistic freedom the label offered.
In 2002, the band recorded their debut ep entitled 'For You My Dear,' recruiting Evan Winiker (formerly of NJ emo band Random Task) and Matthias Gruber to help with recording and touring. The two later became full members of the band, first Winiker (who was presented as a full member in the promotional pieces for that same ep, released in January 2003) and later Gruber, who joined with second guitarist Matthew Goldman to complete the band and create Steel Train.
Together the band went on to record the '1969' ep (a CD of cover versions of songs from that year that inspired the band and their sound), and their debut album 'Twilight Tales From The Prairies Of The Sun,' dropped a year later in 2005. In December of 2006 the band announced that they would be departing ways with Matthias Gruber (drums) and Matt Goldman (guitar) who chose to pursue other interests. The positions were filled by tour manager Daniel Silbert on guitar and Jon Shiffman on drums.
In 2009, the band left the Drive Thru label and in June of 2010 independently released their eponymously-titled third LP. Included in that release was a companion album, 'Terrible Thrills: Vol. I', consisting of covers and re-imaginings of each 'Steel Train' track by female artists, including Scarlett Johansson, Tegan and Sara, Holly Miranda, Alia Shawkat, Amanda Palmer, and Jack's sister Rachel Antonoff.
The band often polarizes opinions, mainly based around the fact that the style of rock they play is more 'classic' (Jack often jokes the band was "30 years too late"), yet people see them as very much a part of the emo/pop-punk scene (mainly due to their Drive Thru Records connections). They are well noted for their impressive live shows and 'jamming' ability.
The lead singer, Jack, also used to date Scarlett Johansson and the song Better Love off of Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun is about/makes reference to her [1] [2]. Though Better Love is a song strictly about her, he also references her in "2 O'clock'" and "Dig". "Josie smiles and laughs, while me and Scarlett will smoke our hash." [3]and "oh, my scarlet you had a real friend in me."Lyrics
[edit] Current Members
* Jack Antonoff - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
* Evan Winiker - Bass, Backing Vocals
* Daniel Silbert - Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Jon Shiffman - Drums, Percussion
* Justin Huey - Keys
[edit] Past Members
* Matthias Gruber - Drums, Percussion
* Matthew Goldman - Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Scott Irby-Ranniar - Vocals, Percussion
[edit]
Don't Think Twice It's All Right
Steel Train Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you don't know by now
No, no, no, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It'll never do somehow
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You see you're the reason I'm travelin' on
No, there ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
It's a light I've never known
No, there ain't no use in turnin' on your light, baby
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try to make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's alright
So it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you've never done before
And it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Ooh, I can't hear you anymore
I'm thinkin' and I'm wonderin' walkin' down the road
I once loved a woman, a child, I'm told
I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul
Don't think twice, it's alright
So long pretty baby
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's just too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
Well, I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could've done better but, babe, I don't mind
You just wasted all my precious time
Don't think twice, it's alright
Oh, and don't think twice, it's alright
Don't think twice, it's alright
The song "Don't Think Twice" by Steel Train is actually a cover of a Bob Dylan original. The song is widely interpreted as a break-up song, with the singer trying to leave a relationship while the partner refuses to let go. The song opens with the singer telling the partner not to sit and wonder why they are leaving because they should already know. The rooster crowing at dawn serves as symbolism for the beginning of a new day and the partner finally realizing that the singer is gone. The singer acknowledges that the partner is the reason they left but urges them not to think twice about it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
There's no point in wondering why things are the way they are if you don't already know.
If you don't know by now
You should already have figured it out.
No, no, no, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
Continuing to wonder why is not going to be helpful.
It'll never do somehow
It's not going to help anything in any way.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
At dawn, when nature is signaling a new day.
Look out your window and I'll be gone
I've left, moved on.
You see you're the reason I'm travelin' on
You were the motivation for me to move on.
But don't think twice, it's alright
But don't worry, it's okay.
No, there ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
There's no point in trying to turn on a light in my name.
It's a light I've never known
I'm in a place where I've never been before.
No, there ain't no use in turnin' on your light, baby
There's no point in trying to do anything at all on my behalf.
I'm on the dark side of the road
I'm in a place where there isn't any light.
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
But I still wish there was some way you could have helped me.
To try to make me change my mind and stay
To convince me to stay instead of moving on.
We never did too much talkin' anyway
We didn't communicate enough to work things out.
So don't think twice, it's alright
It's okay, don't worry about it.
So it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
There's no point in trying to get my attention now.
Like you've never done before
Like you're hoping that it will work this time even though it hasn't before.
And it ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
It's not going to make any difference.
Ooh, I can't hear you anymore
I can't hear you, even if you are calling my name.
I'm thinkin' and I'm wonderin' walkin' down the road
I'm reflecting on my past and trying to figure out my future.
I once loved a woman, a child, I'm told
I used to love someone, who was young or naive.
I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul
She took advantage of me and took everything I had to offer.
Don't think twice, it's alright
But don't worry, it's alright in the end.
So long pretty baby
Goodbye, my love.
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
I don't know where my path will take me.
But goodbye's just too good a word, babe
Saying goodbye is too hard for both of us.
So I'll just say fare thee well
I'll say goodbye but in a less formal way.
Well, I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
I'm not saying you were cruel to me.
You could've done better but, babe, I don't mind
You could have treated me better but it's okay, I'm not mad.
You just wasted all my precious time
You used up all the time we had together for no good reason.
Don't think twice, it's alright
But don't worry, it's all okay in the end.
Oh, and don't think twice, it's alright
Don't worry, it's all okay in the end.
Don't think twice, it's alright
But please don't worry, it's alright in the end.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind