The band released their debut album, Good Feeling (1997), to moderate success where it debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was later awarded a silver certification from the BPI in January 2000. The band gained greater success with their second album, The Man Who (1999), which spent nine weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, totalling 134 weeks in the top 100 of the chart. In 2003, The Man Who was certified 9× platinum by the BPI, representing sales of over 2.68 million in the UK alone. Following this success, the band released their third effort, The Invisible Band (2001) album. The Invisible Band went on to match the success found with their previous album, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of four weeks at the top spot, fifteen weeks in the top ten, and a total of fifty-five weeks in the top 100 chart, as well as peaking at thirty-nine on the US Billboard 200 album chart, spending a duration of seven weeks in the Billboard 200 chart. A year following the release of The Invisible Band, the BPI awarded Travis with a 4× platinum certification for the album.
In recent years, the band's discography has included studio albums 12 Memories (2003), The Boy with No Name (2007), Ode to J. Smith (2008), Where You Stand (2013), Everything at Once (2016) and 10 Songs (2020). In 2004, the band released their first greatest hits album, Singles, which spent nineteen weeks in the top 100 of the UK albums chart. Travis have twice been awarded best band at the BRIT Awards and were awarded the NME Artist of the Year award at their 2000 ceremony, and in 2016 were honoured at the Scottish Music Awards for their outstanding contribution to music. The band are widely said by the media to have paved the way for other bands such as Keane and Coldplay to go on to achieve worldwide success throughout the 2000s, particularly with the success of The Man Who.
Craft Recordings celebrated the 20th anniversary of Travis' breakthrough year with two simultaneous releases: Live at Glastonbury '99, plus expanded editions of The Man Who – both of which were released on 21 June 2019.
Central Station
Travis Lyrics
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She's out of face from smoking hash
She says she's on the game for cash
She tells it to lads yesterday
Both liked it the normal way
And tells me of a usual pay
Down in central station
Waiting on my friend
She's making meat from broken bones
And answers all the telephones
The old boy who's been on the wine
He reads aloud his broken lines
And tells me that his sun don't shine
Down in central station
Waiting on my friend
Down in central station
This day will never end
The lady's off to pay her rent
And b***h about the government
With every hour that heaven sent
Casey Jones has closed its doors
They've cleaned the tables
Bleached the floors
And the old boy's off to drink some more
Down in central station
Waiting on my friend
Down in central station
This day will never end
This day will never end
The song 'Central Station' by Travis is about the people of society who are struggling with their lives and making ends meet. The lyrics represent a day in the life of some people around central station where the singer waits for his friend. The lady with a faint moustache, who is out of face from smoking hash, and sells herself to men for cash, tells the singer about how she had two lads the day before, and both of them didn't want anything unusual. The girl who works at Casey Jones is the singer's friend who makes meat from broken bones and answers all the telephones. The old boy who has been drinking wine reads aloud his broken lines and tells the singer that his son does not shine.
The song effectively portrays the realities of modern-day society, the struggles of prostitution, poverty, and substance use. The lady who sells herself to men, and the old boy who distracts himself with alcohol, all portray the desperation of the disadvantaged who are struggling to find their way out. The use of the lyrics "This day will never end" at the end of every lyric stanza effectively portrays the eternal struggle of these people who are stuck in their daily struggles with no way out.
Line by Line Meaning
The lady with the faint moustache
There is a woman with a faint mustache
She's out of face from smoking hash
She looks tired and worn out from smoking hashish
She says she's on the game for cash
She admits to being a prostitute for money
She tells it to lads yesterday
She told the same thing to some other guys the day before
Both liked it the normal way
The guys were satisfied with the standard service
And tells me of a usual pay
She informs me of her typical fee
Down in central station
This all takes place in a train station
Waiting on my friend
The artist is waiting for someone
The girl who works at Casey Jones
There is a girl who is an employee of Casey Jones restaurant
She's making meat from broken bones
She is working hard and doing her best to make use of all the resources available to her
And answers all the telephones
She is also in charge of answering the phone calls
The old boy who's been on the wine
An old man who has been drinking alcohol
He reads aloud his broken lines
He recites poorly written poetry
And tells me that his sun don't shine
He complains about his life being miserable
This day will never end
The day feels endless
The lady's off to pay her rent
The woman is going to pay her rent
And b***h about the government
She is also going to complain about the government
With every hour that heaven sent
As the day goes on slowly
Casey Jones has closed its doors
The restaurant has closed for the day
They've cleaned the tables
The staff has cleaned the tables
Bleached the floors
They cleaned the floors with bleach
And the old boy's off to drink some more
The old man is going to continue drinking
This day will never end
The day still feels like it will never end
Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.