Original personnel were singer/guitarist Hugh Cornwell (from Kentish Town, London), keyboardist/guitarist Hans Wärmling (from Sweden, replaced within two years by Brighton-born keyboardist Dave Greenfield), London-born bass guitarist Jean-Jacques Burnel and drummer Jet Black (real name Brian Duffy), a native of Ilford, Essex.
They began as a sinister sounding, hard-edged pub rock group, but eventually branched out to explore other styles of music. The Stranglers were, beginning in 1976, tangentially associated with punk rock, due in part to their opening for The Ramones' first British tour. The Stranglers were also associated with new wave music as well as gothic rock, but their idiosyncratic approach never fit completely within a musical genre.
In August 1990, founding member Cornwell left the band to pursue a solo career. In his autobiography, Cornwell states that he felt the band was a spent force creatively, and cited various examples of his increasingly acrimonious relationship with his fellow band-members, particularly Burnel. The remaining members recruited two replacements, including John Ellis, who had opened for the band in the 1970s as a member of The Vibrators, and singer Paul Roberts.
Interest in The Stranglers resurfaced when, in 2001, singer Tori Amos covered their song "Strange Little Girl" and titled the album it was featured on Strange Little Girls. "Golden Brown" was also used in the hit film Snatch by film director Guy Ritchie and extensively in the Australian film He Died With A Felafel In His Hand. Their hit "No More Heroes" was covered by Violent Femmes and used for the film Mystery Men. "Peaches", finally, also appears prominently in another British movie, Sexy Beast by director Jonathan Glazer.
The Stranglers had a critical and popular renaissance in 2004 (together with their first top 40 hit for 14 years - "Big Thing Coming") with the acclaimed Norfolk Coast album and a subsequent sell-out tour. The follow-up album, Suite XVI, was released in September 2006 (the title is a pun on "Sweet 16" and also a reference to the fact that it is the band's 16th studio album).
During the recording of Suite XVI Paul Roberts left the band to pursue his solocareer. Guitarist Baz Warne, who replaced John Ellis in 2000, became the main vocalist.
A quite rare Hugh Cornwell audio interview may be listened to on http://www.jasonwrightonline.com/
Ghost Train
The Stranglers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking around at everyone
Taking a ride on the ghost train
Don't you know everyone
Wondering where they'll be taking the fare
Card sharping shooting one another for a comfortable chair
On the ghost train, wondering when they'll arrive
The faces don't fit on the ghost train
On the ghost train, wondering if they will arrive
The driver is blind when there's snow on the line
He gets hard of hearing in the cabin when the weather is fine
Taking a ride on the ghost train
It's been a long long ride on the ghost train
It's been a long long ride on the ghost train
Long ride on the ghost train
When will it arrive the ghost train
Is there a man alive the ghost train
Who's qualified to drive the ghost train
Are you allowed to drive the ghost train
Claiming your seat on the ghost train
On the ghost train it don't come everyday
Claiming your seat on the ghost train
On the ghost train this train's speeding up as it enters the fray
There's only one class, the first and the last
The ghost train's picking up speed now it's travelling fast
Taking a ride on the ghost train
It's been a long long ride on the ghost train
It's been a long long ride on the ghost train
Long ride on the ghost train
When will it arrive the ghost train
Is there a man alive the ghost train
Who's qualified to drive the ghost train
Are you allowed to drive the ghost train
When will it arrive the ghost train
Is there a man alive the ghost train
Who's qualified to drive the ghost train
Are you allowed to drive the ghost train
When will it arrive the ghost train
Is there a man alive the ghost train
Who's qualified to drive the ghost train
Are you allowed to drive the ghost train
The Stranglers' song "Ghost Train" is a haunting and mysterious exploration of life and death. The lyrics describe a journey on a metaphorical ghost train, where the passengers are a motley crew of mismatched individuals. The singer observes everyone on the train, wondering where they're headed and why they're on this particular journey. The passengers are preoccupied with their own thoughts and fears, as they sit and ride the ghost train.
The song is a commentary on the randomness and unpredictability of life, and the human desire for some kind of order or meaning. The train's driver is blind at times and hard of hearing at other times, adding to the sense of chaos and uncertainty. The final lines of the song ask a series of existential questions about the nature of life and death, and who is qualified to navigate the ghost train. The chorus, with its hypnotic repetition of the phrase "long ride on the ghost train," adds to the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Taking a ride on the ghost train
Boarding the eerie ghost train in order to travel
Looking around at everyone
Observing the other passengers aboard the ghost train
Don't you know everyone
Questioning if everyone on the ghost train is known, familiar
Wondering where they'll be taking the fare
Curious about the destination of the ghost train
Card sharping shooting one another for a comfortable chair
Passengers competing and playing games, fighting for comfortable seating
On the ghost train, wondering when they'll arrive
Passengers impatient, wondering when the ghost train will reach its destination
The faces don't fit on the ghost train
Passengers feeling out of place, like they don't belong on the ghost train
On the ghost train, wondering if they will arrive
Passengers anxious, questioning if they will ever reach their destination aboard the ghost train
The driver is blind when there's snow on the line
The driver on the ghost train has difficulty operating in snowy conditions
He gets hard of hearing in the cabin when the weather is fine
The driver on the ghost train has trouble hearing in good weather while in the cabin
It's been a long long ride on the ghost train
The journey on the ghost train has been very lengthy
Claiming your seat on the ghost train
Staking a claim on a seat on the ghost train
On the ghost train it don't come everyday
The ghost train is not a regular occurrence
This train's speeding up as it enters the fray
The ghost train is accelerating as it becomes more intense
There's only one class, the first and the last
There is no differentiation of class aboard the ghost train
The ghost train's picking up speed now it's travelling fast
The ghost train is gaining speed and travelling quickly now
When will it arrive the ghost train
Questioning when the ghost train will reach its destination
Is there a man alive the ghost train
Wondering if anyone could successfully operate the ghost train
Who's qualified to drive the ghost train
Inquiring who is capable of operating the ghost train
Are you allowed to drive the ghost train
Asking permission to operate the ghost train
Contributed by Asher O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.