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.
One More Time
Tom Cochrane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd know that face anywhere
Without a trace and without a sign
Anytime you could come to me
In the night
When you thought
No one should have known
With your hard luck little girl look
You'd come like the wind
When the night got so cold
And leave with the light
Like you didn't even know you'd
Come at all
CHORUS
One more time
You could walk back in
One more time
It's the same south highway again
One less chance and then one less mistake
Some old habits are hard to break
Like you
If a heart could ever learn to say goodbye
And not let time take the best away
Still I Learn
Look down and I'd ask knowing why
Still this time is the destiny
I'd wait while you climb your golden stair
Hard luck then little girl
I know it's nowhere
Still you feel
They beat on you like a drum
If you get tired, torn and wasted
You know I'd never be one
CHORUS
So many times
When it gets hard to
See the truth
When you got to survive you
Tow the line and you compromise
Until you live a lie
Another place in another time
I'd know that face anywhere and I
Without a trace and without a sign
I still remember
CHORUS (twice)
The song "One More Time" by Tom Cochrane & Red Rider is a heartfelt ballad that talks about the complexity of relationships with a troubled lover. The lyrics speak of a man waiting for his lover to come back, even though he knows it might not be the right choice. He talks of how he would prefer her to come back to him anytime, in the night, when she thought no one is watching. He describes her as a troubled little girl who is always in some kind of trouble, but despite her flaws, he loves her. The lyrics reflect the emotional turmoil that the singer is going through, as he waits for his lover to come back, despite knowing that it might not be a wise choice.
The chorus of the song, "One More Time," speaks to the conflict that the singer feels. He knows that he should move on and not keep relying on his troubled lover, but he can't help himself. He wants her to come back one more time. The words, "One more time, it's the same south highway again. One less chance and then one less mistake. Some old habits are hard to break. Like you," perfectly capture the mood of the song. The melody of the song is gentle and soothing, perfectly complementing the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Another place in another time
In a different time or location
I'd know that face anywhere
I would recognize that person no matter where they are
Without a trace and without a sign
Without any clues or indications
Anytime you could come to me
You could come to me whenever you want
In the night
During the nighttime
When you thought
At a time when you believed or assumed
No one should have known
No one else should have known
With your hard luck little girl look
Looking like a girl plagued by bad luck
And the trouble that you'd own
And the problems that you would have
You'd come like the wind
You would arrive quickly and suddenly
When the night got so cold
During a time when the night was very cold
And leave with the light
And depart when daylight appeared
Like you didn't even know you'd Come at all
As if you did not realize you had even come
CHORUS
Refrain of the song
One more time
Come back one more time
You could walk back in
You could enter again
It's the same south highway again
The same road leading south as before
One less chance and then one less mistake
One less opportunity and one less error
Some old habits are hard to break
Some established behaviors are difficult to change
Like you
Just like you
If a heart could ever learn to say goodbye
If one's emotions could learn to let go
And not let time take the best away
Without the passage of time taking away the best parts
Still I Learn
I still learn
Look down and I'd ask knowing why
I would ask while looking down and already knowing the answer
Still this time is the destiny
Even so, this moment is fate
I'd wait while you climb your golden stair
I would wait for you as you climb the ladder of success
Hard luck then little girl
Feeling unlucky before, little girl
I know it's nowhere
I know it's not leading anywhere good
Still you feel
Even so, you sense
They beat on you like a drum
They torment you frequently
If you get tired, torn and wasted
If you become weary, damaged, and drained
You know I'd never be one
You know I would never be someone who does that to you
So many times
Numerous occasions
When it gets hard to
When it becomes difficult to
See the truth
To acknowledge the reality
When you got to survive you
When you are forced to survive
Tow the line and you compromise
Accepting the norm and making concessions
Until you live a lie
Until you start living a falsehood
Another place in another time
In a different time or location
I'd know that face anywhere and I
I would recognize that person no matter where they are
Without a trace and without a sign
Without any clues or indications
I still remember
I still remember you
CHORUS (twice)
Refrain of the song repeated twice
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KENNETH WILLIAM GREER, THOMAS WILLIAM COCHRANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind