Steppenwolf is a rock band which formed in Los Angeles, California, United … Read Full Bio ↴Steppenwolf is a rock band which formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1967. The band originally consisted of John Kay (vocals, guitar), Michael Monarch (guitar), Rushton Moreve (bass), Goldie McJohn (keyboards) and Jerry Edmonton (drums). The band is best known for their hit singles "Born to be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride". They were named after the novel Der Steppenwolf by German author Hermann Hesse.

Frontman John Kay's mother escaped with him at age 4 from Soviet occupied East Germany, an event recounted in the song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven. His family resettled in Hannover, West Germany, before moving to Canada in 1958. Kay is partially blind, hence the use of dark glasses

In 1968, Nick St. Nicholas replaced Moreve as bass player.

Steppenwolf had its origins in the Toronto blues band Sparrow, which was formed in 1964 and played coffeehouses in Yorkville. By 1967 they had settled in San Francisco.

Steppenwolf rocketed to fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild" was used in the movie Easy Rider, as well as "The Pusher". The former song may have coined the term "heavy metal". This was followed by several more hits, including "Magic Carpet Ride" from Steppenwolf the Second, and "Rock Me" from At Your Birthday Party. Many fans consider their double album Steppenwolf Live [an extended single album in the UK] the best of Steppenwolf's releases. Monster and For Ladies Only were the band's most political albums, and are still fondly remembered by fans as two of the best rock & roll snapshots of the attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The band broke up in 1971, and Kay pursued a solo career. Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with the album Slow Flux, and disbanded in 1976. Afterwards, several versions of the band toured North America until Kay reformed the official version of the group in 1980.

John Kay released a solo album in 2001.

Train Of Thought
Steppenwolf Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, you're talkin' in your sleep
And the name that you whisper isn't mine
And I finally face the fact
That you're cheatin' on me one more time

And my anger starts to rumble
And my steam starts to rise
And the wheels keep turnin' faster

As I think of all your lies

Oh, my train of thought's
Runnin' right on time but it's off the track
And I'm losin' my mind

For the way you treat me's
Gonna drive me insane
Honey, say you'll never leave me
For God's sake, stop the train

Oh, the camel's back is broken
By the one extra straw added on
And a man can't see reason
When his last ray of sunshine is gone

There's a finger on the trigger
And that locomotive sound
And I think how much I love you
And I turn the gun around

Oh, my train of thought's
Runnin' right on time but it's off the track
And I'm losin' my mind

And you hold me the last time
As I try to explain
Honey, don't feel bad about me
I just have to stop the train

And my anger starts to rumble
And my steam starts to rise
And the wheels keep turnin' faster
As I think of all your lies

Oh, my train of thought's
Runnin' right on time but it's off the track
And I'm losin' my mind

For the way you treat me's
Gonna drive me insane
Honey, say you'll never leave me
And stop this train

'Cause this train of thought's
Runnin' right on time but it's off the track
And I'm losin' my mind
And you hold me the last time
As I try to explain
Honey, don't feel bad about me
I just have to stop the train

Oh, my train of thought's
Runnin' right on time but it's off the track
And I'm losin' my mind

For the way you treat me's
Gonna drive me insane

Honey, say you'll never leave me
And stop this train

Overall Meaning

In Steppenwolf's song Train of Thought, the singer is upset with his partner for cheating on him again. He tosses and turns in bed, unable to sleep, and is tormented by the thought of his partner with someone else. His anger builds as he thinks about her lies, and he contemplates taking drastic action. However, as much as he loves her, he knows he can't continue to tolerate her behavior.

The song's title is a metaphor for the singer's mental state, with "train of thought" referring to the relentless and unyielding nature of his thoughts. He feels like he's on a runaway train, hurtling towards a painful conclusion. At the same time, he recognizes that his thought patterns are irrational and that he's losing control. He urges his partner to stop the train before it's too late.

The final stanza of the song is a plea to get off the train of thought altogether. The singer realizes that he needs to let go of his anger and move on from the relationship. He's hoping that his partner will understand and won't blame herself for his decision.

Overall, Train of Thought is a powerful song about heartbreak and the difficulty of letting go. The lyrics are raw and emotional, and the music is appropriately intense, with a driving beat and gritty guitar riffs.

Line by Line Meaning

When you're talkin' in your sleep
When you unconsciously reveal your true feelings

And the name that you whisper ain't mine
And you're whispering about someone else

And I've finally faced the fact
And I've come to accept the truth

That you're cheatin' on me one more time
That you're being unfaithful to me once again

When my anger starts to rumble and my steam starts to rise
When I begin to feel angry and frustrated

And the wheels keep turnin' faster as I think of all your lies
And my thoughts become more and more agitated as I think about all the falsehoods you've told me

Oh that train of thought's runnin' right on time
My thoughts are moving quickly and decisively

But it's off the track and I'm losin' my mind
But they're not rational and I'm losing my sanity

'Cause the way you use me's gonna drive me insane, honey
Because the way you treat me is going to make me crazy, my love

Say you'll never leave me
Promise me that you will never abandon me

For God's sake stop the train
Please, stop the train of thought

Oh the camel's back is broken
I have reached my breaking point

By the one extra straw added on
Because of one more thing you've done to me

And a woman can't see reason
And I cannot think logically

When her last ray of sunshine is gone
When my last bit of happiness disappears

There's a finger on the trigger and that locomotive sound
I am ready to take action, and I can hear the faint sound of a train approaching

And I think how much I love you and I turn the gun around
But when I think about how much I still love you, I decide not to go through with it

And you hold me the last time as I try to explain, honey
As I try to justify my actions, you hold me for the last time

Don't feel bad about me
Don't feel guilty about what's happening to me

I just-a had to stop this train
I had to end this destructive train of thought

Gotta get off, gotta get off
I need to escape this situation

Gotta get off, gotta get off (woo-woo)
I need to leave quickly (sound effect of a train whistle)

Gotta get off, gotta get off this train of thought (woo-woo)
I need to escape these irrational thoughts and emotions (sound effect of a train whistle)

Gotta get off, gotta get off (woo-woo)
I need to leave quickly (sound effect of a train whistle)

Gotta get off, gotta get off the train of thought (woo-woo)
I need to escape these irrational thoughts and emotions (sound effect of a train whistle)

Lyrics © Unison Rights S.L., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Earle O'Day

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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