Cochrane was born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba to Violet and Tuck Cochrane, a bush pilot. The family relocated to Etobicoke, Ontario in the West Deane Park area when Tom was four years old. He purchased his first guitar at age 11 by selling a toy train set. He attended Martingrove Collegiate Institute in the 1960's. In the early 1970s, he was performing in coffee houses across Canada. He eventually made his way to Los Angeles where he found a job writing theme music for My Pleasure is My Business, a Xaviera Hollander movie. Unable to find steady income from music, Cochrane returned to Toronto where he drove a taxi cab and later took a job on a Caribbean cruise liner to help pay the bills. Cochrane went back to Los Angeles in 1976, trying to sell his songs to publishers but without success, and returned to Toronto in 1977. Cochrane walked into the El Mocambo club one night in Toronto and came across a band of locals calling themselves Red Rider. After an audition, they agreed to Cochrane joining the band as lead singer and songwriter, a decision that would change their musical careers.
After the Red Rider era, Cochrane set off on his soloist path again. In 1990, Cochrane took his family to West Africa where he helped to raise awareness and money for the World Vision famine relief organization. That experience shaped his next album Mad Mad World which contained the internationally acclaimed hit single "Life is a Highway".
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, including material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
In 1995, he released Ragged Ass Road and followed that with a Canadian tour in 1996. The tour resulted in Songs of a Circling Spirit, a live CD and multi-media package of previously released material.
In June 1999, Cochrane was involved in a light plane crash in Montreal, after his plane's engine stalled just after take-off. Fortunately, no one was injured.
At the 2003 Juno Awards, Tom Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The special award ceremony took place April 5, 2003 at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. According to the Life Is a Highway Songfacts, his other honors include seven Juno Awards, being an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Air Force, and having been inducted onto the Canadian Walk of Fame. They take their rock stars seriously in Canada.
In December 2003 he was one of the musical guests on a CBC special called, Rick Mercer's Christmas in Kabul.
He currently lives with his family in Oakville, Ontario.
On July 2, 2005, Cochrane took part in the Live 8 concert series.
Cochrane's new album "No Stranger" recorded in rural Ontario was released in October 2006.
"Life Is A Highway" was re-made in 2006 by the country band Rascal Flatts for the motion picture "Cars" and became a successful country single.
Crawl
Tom Cochrane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where someday somewhere somehow
She's gonna take a ride from this
Running from a holy host of dark angels
Out from her beaten past
Takes a bus down from nowhere to somewhere
Where love was made to last
Don't know where this might lead
Ain't gonna crawl
No...ain't gonna crawl no more
No...ain't gonna lay down here at your door
You might find her looking
On the outside there and more
Ain't gonna crawl no more
No...no more
Won't crawl
She took so much abuse
Like a scared little girl
Down at fourth street and bleaker
In the soho world
Feels like an outcast there
But there's one thing she knows for sure
Ain't gonna crawl
No...ain't gonna crawl no more
No...ain't gonna lay down here at your door
You might find her looking
On the outside there for more
Ain't gonna crawl no more
Crazy
How the future starts to unwind
Hazy
Still some things get defined in their own way
In their own way
No...ain't gonna crawl no more
No...ain't gonna lay down here at your door
You might find me looking
On the outside there and more
I ain't gonna crawl no more
No...no more
Like a sad dark angel child
Lookin' for that door
But you can't find it anywhere
Can't find it anywhere
But there's one thing she knows for sure
Ain't gonna crawl
The song "Crawl" by Tom Cochrane is about a woman who tries to escape her troubled past and move on to a better future. The first verse talks about her hiding place where she wants to escape from her current situation. She wants to get away from the dark angels that haunt her past and take a ride to somewhere better. She takes a bus to somewhere where love could last. She may not know where her journey might lead her, but there is a light shining for her still. The chorus repeats that she won't crawl anymore and lay down at someone else's door. She's ready to face her fears and find her own way in the world.
The second verse talks about the abuse she faced and how she felt like an outcast in the Soho world. Despite all that, she knows for sure that she won't crawl anymore. The bridge talks about the future, how some things get defined in their own way. It's a reminder that even if the future is hazy, we can still shape it in the way we want.
Overall, the song is about overcoming adversity and taking control of one's life. It's a message of hope and resilience that inspires listeners to find their own path and not give up.
Line by Line Meaning
She's got a place where she likes to hide from this
She has a secret place where she goes to escape from her problems
Where someday somewhere somehow
She knows that someday, somehow, she will be able to escape from her troubles
She's gonna take a ride from this
She will find a way to leave this place and her problems behind
Running from a holy host of dark angels
She is trying to escape from her past and the negative influences that have been holding her back
Out from her beaten past
She is leaving behind a difficult past that has left her feeling worn out and exhausted
Takes a bus down from nowhere to somewhere
She is starting a new journey, leaving behind the old and venturing towards new opportunities
Where love was made to last
She is seeking a place where she can find love and happiness that will endure
Don't know where this might lead
She is uncertain where her journey will take her, but remains hopeful for a brighter future
But the light shines for her still
Despite the uncertainty, she remains optimistic and hopeful
Ain't gonna crawl
She is determined not to give up or give in to her struggles
No...ain't gonna crawl no more
She has made the decision to stop allowing her past to control her and to move on to a better future
No...ain't gonna lay down here at your door
She will not allow herself to be beaten down or defeated by anyone anymore
You might find her looking
She is still searching for the answers to her struggles
On the outside there and more
She is exploring new possibilities and is open to new experiences
She took so much abuse
She has been through a lot of pain and suffering
Like a scared little girl
She has been vulnerable and afraid
Down at fourth street and bleaker
She has been in some of the darkest places in her life
In the soho world
She has been living in a world of chaos and confusion
Feels like an outcast there
She feels like she doesn't belong in this place or in this world
But there's one thing she knows for sure
Despite the challenges, she is certain that she will not give up or give in
Crazy
Perhaps unexpectedly difficult
How the future starts to unwind
The future appears uncertain and difficult but it is also revealing itself
Hazy
Unclear, uncertain
Still some things get defined in their own way
The unknownness of the future is itself a definitive factor on its own. I can only see how the future will unfold in its own unique way.
Like a sad dark angel child
She may look forlorn as if an angel no more, but she remains hopeful
Lookin' for that door
She is still searching for the right path, the door to what will be a brighter future
But you can't find it anywhere
Despite her efforts, she has not yet found the path to the future that she desires
Won't crawl
She is determined to stand up and pursue what she seeks, refusing to give up despite the struggles that she has faced already.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL BELL, THOMAS WILLIAM COCHRANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind