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.
Sarah
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where do you dance
When you turn of the light
In your eyes as they're rollin' your hair
Spin you around as you lie on the bed
But I'm not keepin' time
Upon the creepin' vine, vine
He was the one made you fall
But he couldn't help you at all
Not at all
So he packed up and jumped from the wall
Pushing his luck past the ghosts in the hall
Still I'm not keepin' time
Upon the creepin' vine, vine
Oh, Sarah
You've done it all to yourself
With your bottle of gin on the shelf
And your love letters sent to yourself
Oh, Sarah
You used to say you were lucky
Now your luck's runnin' off down the stairs
To the arms of another
At the back of her mind
There's a photograph
Of a child all alone in the dark
She can tell by the bell ringing back at her
She's lost
Where are you goin' tonight
Dressed like a ragdoll
With holes in your tights
In your eyes as they're rollin' your hair
Spin you around as you fall out the bed
But I'm not keepin' time
Upon the creepin' vine, vine
Oh, Sarah
You've done it all to yourself
With your bottle of gin on the shelf
And your love letters sent to yourself
Ohhh, Sarah
You used to say you were lucky
Now your luck's runnin' off down the stairs
And you realize nobody cares
Take a bottle of gin from the shelf
And pour me another
The song "Sarah" by Travis is a melancholic and haunting track that is written from the perspective of a person who was in love with a woman named Sarah. The lyrics open up with the singer asking where Sarah is going tonight and where she dances when she turns off the light. The second verse reveals that Sarah had fallen in love with someone else, but the person couldn't help her at all. The man had to pack up and jump from the wall, pushing his luck past the ghosts in the hall.
The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes Sarah's self-destructive behavior, as the singer tells her that she has done it all to herself with her bottle of gin on the shelf and the love letters she writes to herself. The song also highlights the heartbreaking reality of how Sarah's luck has run off to the arms of another. The final verse of the song is a haunting one, where the singer talks about how behind Sarah's mind, there's a photograph of a child who is all alone in the dark, and Sarah knows that she is lost.
The song "Sarah" deals with themes of loneliness, heartbreak, and self-destruction. It sheds light on the emotional and mental turmoil that a person goes through when they are in a toxic relationship. Sarah's desperation to hold on to something that is breaking her keeps her trapped in a cycle of despair and hurt.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are you goin' tonight
Asking Sarah about her plans for the night
Where do you dance
Asking Sarah where she goes to dance
When you turn of the light
Asking Sarah what she does when she turns off the light
In your eyes as they're rollin' your hair
Describing Sarah's actions while getting ready
Spin you around as you lie on the bed
Describing an intimate moment with Sarah
But I'm not keepin' time
The singer is not paying attention to time
Upon the creepin' vine, vine
Unclear, possibly referencing an outside force or trying to create a rhyming effect
He was the one made you fall
Referring to a past lover who caused Sarah pain
But he couldn't help you at all
The past lover was unable to support or comfort Sarah
Not at all
Emphasizing the past lover's lack of ability to help Sarah
So he packed up and jumped from the wall
The past lover left Sarah behind
Pushing his luck past the ghosts in the hall
The past lover risked everything to leave Sarah behind
Still I'm not keepin' time
The singer is still not paying attention to time
Oh, Sarah
Addressing Sarah directly
You've done it all to yourself
Blaming Sarah for her own struggles
With your bottle of gin on the shelf
Referencing Sarah's tendency to drink her problems away
And your love letters sent to yourself
Referencing Sarah's tendency to seek validation from herself rather than from others
You used to say you were lucky
Referencing Sarah's past positivity and confidence
Now your luck's runnin' off down the stairs
Sarah's luck is leaving her behind
To the arms of another
Sarah's luck is going to someone else
At the back of her mind
Describing Sarah's thoughts
There's a photograph
Referencing a specific object in Sarah's possession
Of a child all alone in the dark
Describing the photo that Sarah has
She can tell by the bell ringing back at her
The artist is not sure what this line refers to
She's lost
Describing Sarah's emotional state
Dressed like a ragdoll
Describing Sarah's appearance
With holes in your tights
Describing Sarah's clothing
Spin you around as you fall out the bed
Describing another intimate moment with Sarah
And you realize nobody cares
Sarah is coming to a depressing realization
Take a bottle of gin from the shelf
Suggesting that Sarah's coping mechanism is not helping her
And pour me another
The singer is joining Sarah in drinking to forget their problems
Contributed by Riley C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.