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.
White Horse
Tom Cochrane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You always let us know in your words that music
Was like a well
To drink from when we felt like we were there
Dying of thirst
To save us from the pain that we felt
Like we were riding some big white horse
Now I've always heard that
You gave much more than you took
Like Basquiat saying that art and music
Forced us to take another look
Pull us from despair
Give us joy and hope and help set a course
Like we were running from those hounds of hell
On some big white horse
White horse, white horse
Speaking out against injustice
And pain and intolerance of course
Like we were running from those hounds of hell
On some big white horse
White horse, white horse
White horse, white horse
In Tom Cochrane's song White Horse, the lyrics speak to the power of music and art as a means of healing and salvation. The singer didn't know the person the song is dedicated to very well, but they understood the transformative nature of music. They describe it as a well to drink from when feeling like dying of thirst, and a source of relief from pain. The repeated reference to "riding some big white horse" suggests the uplifting and empowering feeling that music can provide.
The song also references the artist Basquiat, who similarly used art to challenge societal norms and offer hope to those facing despair. The lyrics speak to the idea that music and art can act as a force for change and inspire people to take action against injustice, pain, and intolerance.
Overall, White Horse suggests that music has the power to ignite our spirits, lift us up when we're feeling down, and give us the strength to fight against the injustices of the world. Through the metaphor of riding a white horse, the song paints music as a beacon of hope and a means of escape from life's difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
I really didn't get to know you all that well
I never had the chance to fully understand or know you as a person.
You always let us know in your words that music
You expressed to us through your lyrics that music was important.
Was like a well
A source of sustenance or refreshment that could be relied upon.
To drink from when we felt like we were there
To turn to and find solace in when we were struggling.
Dying of thirst
Feeling desperate and in need of something to nourish us.
To save us from the pain that we felt
To provide relief and healing from the emotional pain we were experiencing.
Like we were riding some big white horse
As though we were overcoming difficulties and challenges with great strength and resilience.
White horse, white horse
A repeating refrain that emphasizes the power and significance of the metaphor of the white horse.
Now I've always heard that
It has been suggested to me by others that this was true.
You gave much more than you took
You contributed more to the world than you took from it.
Like Basquiat saying that art and music
As if echoing the sentiment expressed by Jean-Michel Basquiat, who also found inspiration in blending these creative forms.
Forced us to take another look
Encouraged us to reconsider our perspectives and interpretations of the world around us.
Pull us from despair
Enabled us to find hope and optimism in difficult circumstances.
Give us joy and hope and help set a course
Provided us with happiness and optimism while also helping us chart a path forward through life's challenges.
Speaking out against injustice
Taking a stand against wrongdoing and calling attention to its harmful effects.
And pain and intolerance of course
Resisting and condemning oppression, prejudice, and closed-mindedness.
Like we were running from those hounds of hell
As though we were fleeing from the terrors of our own fears and anxieties.
On some big white horse
Empowered and emboldened by an inner strength that propels us forward, overcoming obstacles and achieving greater things.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Thomas William Cochrane
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind