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.
Quicksand
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You said that you were gonna stay
But you're always lying anyway
You're gonna suffer if you don't start breathing now
Now that I need you
You're going away
Follow me down the drain
But it doesn't matter anyway
You're gonna get yours any day
And why you put the blame on me
If you could only see yourself as others see you
Now that I need you
You're going insane
Everyday sinking in the quick sand
Follow me down the drain
Everyday drinking in the same bar
Drowning my sorrows away
Take me away, take me today
Or I'm never gonna get away
But it makes no difference to me
It's just the sound of one more rock star bleeding now
Now when I need you
You're out of the frame
Day by day sinking in the quicksand
Follow me down the drain
Everyday drinking in the same bar
Make mine the same again
In Travis’s song Quicksand, the lyrics speak to a person pleading to be taken away, away from their present reality. The person they are addressing is someone who they claim will suffer if they don't start breathing now, and who is always lying anyway although they said they were going to stay. The person who the lyrics are directed at, no longer seems to be present when needed, causing the singer to sink deeper into their despair. They describe how they feel as if they are sinking into quicksand, following the person they addressed down the drain.
The singer is drowning their sorrows away in the same bar every day hoping to escape their reality. They are tired of being blamed for things that aren't their fault and believe the person they are addressing should see themself as others see them. The last verse talks about how the person they addressed is now out of the frame and they continue to day by day sink further into the quicksand. The song ends asking to be taken away or they will never make it out, but even if they are taken, it won't make a difference as it is just one more rock star bleeding.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me away, take me away
The singer is pleading to be taken away from their current situation.
You said that you were gonna stay
The singer's partner promised to stay, but they did not keep their promise.
But you're always lying anyway
The partner is a habitual liar.
You're gonna suffer if you don't start breathing now
The partner will suffer if they do not start taking care of themselves.
Now that I need you
The artist now needs their partner, but they are not there.
You're going away
The partner is leaving the singer in their time of need.
Everyday sinking in the quicksand
The singer feels like they are slowly sinking and losing themselves in their problems.
Follow me down the drain
The artist feels like they are being pulled further down by their problems.
But it doesn't matter anyway
The artist has given up hope on their situation improving.
You're gonna get yours any day
The partner will face consequences for their actions.
And why you put the blame on me
The partner is blaming the singer for their own mistakes.
If you could only see yourself as others see you
The partner is unable to see how their actions are affecting those around them.
Now that I need you
The singer still needs their partner, but they are not there.
You're going insane
The partner is losing their grip on reality.
Everyday sinking in the quick sand
The singer feels like they are slowly sinking and losing themselves in their problems.
Follow me down the drain
The artist feels like they are being pulled further down by their problems.
Everyday drinking in the same bar
The artist is coping with their problems by drinking at the same bar every day.
Drowning my sorrows away
The singer is using alcohol to numb their emotional pain.
Take me away, take me today
The singer is still begging to be taken away from their situation.
Or I'm never gonna get away
The artist feels trapped and hopeless in their current situation.
But it makes no difference to me
The artist is resigned to their fate.
It's just the sound of one more rock star bleeding now
The artist sees themselves as just another troubled celebrity.
You're out of the frame
The partner is no longer part of the singer's life.
Day by day sinking in the quicksand
The artist feels like they are slowly sinking and losing themselves in their problems.
Follow me down the drain
The singer feels like they are being pulled further down by their problems.
Make mine the same again
The singer wants to go back to their old ways of coping with their problems.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Francis Healy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MadeIn India
Some of the best diamonds are hidden deep within the layers of internet.
mistofstars
I used to listen to 12 memories so damn often when I was 17-ish. It still moves me deeply, all these songs speak to me so well. One of my favorite songs of Travis. Mirros daily tristesse :)
og87
mistofstars fandomgirl Same. I remember being in year 11 at school when it came out and always had it playing on my Mini disc player.
J.
My parents used to play this album in the car a lot when I was little. I'm glad that I've finally rediscovered it :)
Leonardo Nascimento
Entre os 10 melhores albuns dos últimos 20 anos!!!!
og87
This should be remade into a bond song with a deep piano. What a tune. Haven’t heard this song in decades.
Al G
this song is such a MASTERPIECE ❤️
Liz Carolayn
todo lo que hace travis es fenomenal !!!!
bluecuracao
Me pasas tu Instagram
Juan Manuel Lobo
Temon! Gracias travis por reflejar la vida de la juventud