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.
Good Day to Die
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where is your father,
Two little children,
Locked in the cupboard,
Into the wide world,
High on the high wire
What would you give to fly away,
Girl with the flower,
Boy with the hammer,
Lost in a forest,
On another planet,
Find me the exit,
Find them the way home
Find all the love they took away,
Away, away, away, away,
'Cause your head is a brick wall,
And your heart is a football,
And your eyes broken windows,
When you cry,
It's a good day to die
And your head is a brick wall,
And your heart is a football,
And your eyes broken windows,
When you cry it's a good day
'Cause your head is a brick wall,
And your heart is a football,
And your eyes,
It's a good day to die,
To die,
To die,
To die
The lyrics to Travis's song A Good Day To Die are a melancholic reflection on a world that has failed to protect its most vulnerable members. The repeated refrain, "Where is your mother, where is your father, two little children, locked in the cupboard," sets a somber tone from the outset, suggesting that the children in question have been abandoned or mistreated by their caregivers. The verse then turns to a plaintive plea to escape from this world, with the singer asking "what would you give to fly away." This sentiment is reinforced by the image of a girl with a flower and a boy with a hammer who are "lost in a forest on another planet," longing to return home.
The chorus paints a stark picture of emotional isolation, with the singer portrayed as someone whose head is a brick wall, heart a football, and eyes broken windows. The final lines, "when you cry, it's a good day to die," further underline the sense of despair and hopelessness that permeates the song. Overall, the lyrics of A Good Day To Die are a poignant commentary on the human condition, highlighting the ways in which we are all vulnerable to the cruelties of a world that often fails to live up to our expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Where is your mother,
Do you feel lost and abandoned like a child without a mother figure in your life?
Where is your father,
Do you feel lost and abandoned like a child without a father figure in your life?
Two little children,
Metaphor for the lost and vulnerable parts within us that need to be nurtured and protected.
Locked in the cupboard,
Do you feel trapped and confined, unable to express your true feelings or live your life freely?
Into the wide world,
Do you feel ready to face the challenges and opportunities that the world has to offer?
High on the high wire
A symbol of taking risks and living dangerously, of being daring and bold in the face of life's uncertainties.
What would you give to fly away,
Do you yearn to escape your problems and challenges, to soar above them and see things from a different perspective?
Girl with the flower,
Perhaps a symbol of innocence, beauty and purity. Represents all that is fragile and fleeting in life.
Boy with the hammer,
Perhaps a symbol of power, strength and aggression. Represents all that is forceful and violent in life.
Lost in a forest,
Metaphor for feeling lost and alone in life, with no clear direction or sense of purpose.
On another planet,
Symbolizes the feeling of being disconnected from reality, of living in a world that is strange and unfamiliar.
Find me the exit,
Yearning for a way out of the difficulties and struggles of life, looking for a solution or a path forward.
Find them the way home
Perhaps a plea to help others who are also lost and struggling, to show them the way back to safety and security.
Find all the love they took away,
Perhaps a call to reclaim the love and affection that was lost or stolen from us, to heal the emotional wounds of the past.
'Cause your head is a brick wall,
Your mind is closed to new ideas, unable to think creatively or see things from a different perspective.
And your heart is a football,
Your emotions are played with and disregarded by others, leaving you feeling hurt and confused.
And your eyes broken windows,
Perhaps a symbol of feeling shattered and vulnerable, with no protection or defense against the harshness of life.
When you cry,
Suggestive of deep emotional pain and suffering, of feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges.
It's a good day to die
Perhaps a metaphor for the end of a difficult journey or the start of a new beginning. A recognition that sometimes the only way out is to accept what is and move on, even if it is painful.
To die,
Perhaps a repetition of the previous line for emphasis and to invoke a sense of finality.
To die,
Perhaps a repetition of the previous line for emphasis and to invoke a sense of finality.
To die
Perhaps a repetition of the previous line for emphasis and to invoke a sense of finality.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANCIS HEALY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind