Railroad Track
The Bones Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well you can stab me in the back
You can tie me to the railroad track
You can beat me black and blue
But I´m never giving up on you
You can cut off all my hair
And you can fry me in the electric chair
Well you said we´re through
But I´m never giving up on you

You have become my ball and chain
But my feelings are just the same
Yeah honey, you´ve been living hell to me

You can wreck my classic car
And set fire to my favourite bar
You can burn my leather boots
But I´m never giving up on you
You can kick me in the head
And you can pump me so full of lead
Take my liver, make me stew
But I´m never giving up on you

While the world is set to go, I´m tumbling down
I´m backwards walking through this lonely town
You have become my ball and chain
But my feelings are just the same
Well honey, you´ve been living hell to me

You can sell my baseball cards
And you can smash my electric guitar
And my TV-set too
But I´m never giving up on you
You can put me in the ground
And you can crucify me upside down




You can seal my lips with glue
But I´m never giving up on you

Overall Meaning

The Bones's song Railroad Track is about a person who is in a toxic and abusive relationship but despite everything their partner does to them, they refuse to give up on the relationship. The lyrics describe the extreme lengths that the partner can go through like stabbing them in the back, tying them to the railroad track, beating them up, cutting off their hair, or even frying them in an electric chair. The singer describes their relationship with their partner as a ball and chain, and they feel trapped and unable to escape. They have experienced numerous hardships and have been put through physical and emotional torment but no matter what their partner does, they refuse to let them go.


The song showcases a disturbing sense of dedication to the relationship as the singer is willing to withstand extreme abuse and torture just to be with their partner. The lyrics also depict a feeling of despair as the singer feels lost and tumbling down while the world is set to go. The person remains a victim of the situation, and cannot bring themselves to walk away. It is a bleak depiction of how sometimes love can make one feel trapped and helpless.


Line by Line Meaning

Well you can stab me in the back
You have the power to hurt me and betray me.


You can tie me to the railroad track
You can put me in danger and make me vulnerable.


You can beat me black and blue
You can physically hurt me, leaving bruises and scars.


But I´m never giving up on you
Despite all of that, I won't give up on you and will keep trying.


You can cut off all my hair
You can take away my identity and appearance.


And you can fry me in the electric chair
You can even go so far as to end my life.


Well you said we´re through
You've made it clear that our relationship is over.


But I´m never giving up on you
Despite your rejection, I won't give up on you and will keep trying.


You have become my ball and chain
You are a burden to me, but I can't let you go.


But my feelings are just the same
Despite everything, my love for you remains unchanged.


Yeah honey, you´ve been living hell to me
You have caused me great pain and suffering, but I can't let you go.


You can wreck my classic car
You can destroy my possessions that I cherish.


And set fire to my favourite bar
You can take away the places I go that make me happy.


You can burn my leather boots
You can take away everything I own, but I won't give up on you.


But I´m never giving up on you
Despite your attempts to hurt me and take away everything I love, I won't give up on you.


You can kick me in the head
You can physically harm me even more severely.


And you can pump me so full of lead
You can kill me with a weapon.


Take my liver, make me stew
You can dehumanize me and torture me to get what you want.


But I´m never giving up on you
Despite everything you do to me, I won't give up on you.


While the world is set to go, I´m tumbling down
The world continues to move forward, but I am stuck in this painful relationship.


I´m backwards walking through this lonely town
I feel lost, alone, and hopeless because of my attachment to you.


You can sell my baseball cards
You can devalue and sell everything that is important to me.


And you can smash my electric guitar
You can destroy my talents, skills, and abilities.


And my TV-set too
You can take away the things that bring me comfort and entertainment.


But I´m never giving up on you
Despite everything you take away from me, I won't give up on you.


You can put me in the ground
You can bury me and end my life.


And you can crucify me upside down
You can torture me even more brutally.


You can seal my lips with glue
You can silence me and take away my voice.


But I´m never giving up on you
Despite everything you do to me, I won't give up on you.




Writer(s): Anders Waldemarsson, Marcus Petersson, Fredrik Andersen, Jonas Anderson Copyright: Neue Welt Musikverlag Gmbh & Co. Kg, Edition Devils Diner

Contributed by Stella I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions