The band was formed in 1995 and all the songs on the debut album, Her handwriting (the title is a quote from Part company by The Go-Betweens) were recorded in Mitcham, south London, in December '95/ January '96, with long-time The Field Mice/Northern Picture Library producer Ian Catt, also known for his work as producer/arranger/co-songwriter for Saint Etienne. Released on Shinkansen Records (the label launched by Matt from Sarah Records) the album, which intimately details the break-up of a relationship, received universally good reviews.
Subsequent albums, Lips that taste of tears (1998) and Broken by whispers (2000), showed a band constantly improving their skills, combining their usual melancholy with transparent pop.
In 2001 the fourth album Alive to every smile appeared featuring a new line-up with many ex-Sarah Records band members in its ranks: Keris Howard from Brighter/Harper Lee, Beth Arzy from Aberdeen and Harvey Williams from Another Sunny Day/The Field Mice. Annemari Davies (ex-The Field Mice) also collaborated with the band. The album was very well received in Spain due to a release on Elefant Records (eventually TBS' main label) and in February 2002 the band visited Spain for the first time.
In 2003 A certain evening light was released, a compilation of singles and B-sides.
In 2004 the band left Shinkansen; The seven autumn flowers was released by Elefant Records worldwide.
In September 2005 Bobby Wratten announced that the band would no longer appear live. He had been uneasy about performing for some time, and had decided to concentrate on studio recordings instead. April 2007 saw the release of The Last Holy Writer.
2010 is expected to see the release of their new album, titled "Fast Trains And Telegraph Wires".
In Arrivals
Trembling Blue Stars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the place
We stood
With your suitcase
Our footsteps I've retraced
You're in Departures - the sky awaits you
My mornings will be your nights
Here on Greenwich Mean Time
Adds to the distance
And something will remain amiss
Until I see you...
Until I see you in Arrivals
Until I see you in Arrivals
I'm heading for the streets
We walk most every week
And something will remain amiss
Until I see you...
(My mornings will be your nights, your nights)
Until I see you in Arrivals
Until I see you in Arrivals
Until I see you in Arrivals
Until I see you in Arrivals
The lyrics of the song "In Arrivals" by Trembling Blue Stars portray the feeling of loneliness and longing in a long-distance relationship. The singer is describing the moment of departure when their significant other is leaving on a journey, and they are left behind looking through the window of a train. The singer talks about how they will miss their partner's presence, but the physical distance between them is not the only thing causing a disconnection. The time difference between them, being on Greenwich Mean Time, adds to the feeling of a sense of loss.
The singer talks about retracing their footsteps in the places they used to go together, reminiscing on the times they spent walking the same streets. Despite the hope that they will be reunited again soon in the arrivals section of the airport, something will still be missing until they see each other again. The song speaks to the universal feeling of missing someone special and how we yearn for the moment when we are finally able to reunite with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking through the window of a train
Gazing through the train's window onto the outside world
To the place
To the location where we once were
We stood
We both were in that place together
With your suitcase
You had your luggage with you while we were together
Our footsteps I've retraced
I have returned to the same place and retraced our steps together
You're in Departures - the sky awaits you
You are at the airport's departure lounge getting ready to board a plane with the sky being your destination
My mornings will be your nights
The time difference between our two locations means that when I wake up, it will be nighttime where you are
Here on Greenwich Mean Time
Both our locations are measured by GMT
The difference
The time difference between our two locations
Adds to the distance
The time difference makes us feel physically apart from each other even though we're in different time zones
And something will remain amiss
There will always be something missing until we reunite
Until I see you...
I won't feel complete until I see you again
Until I see you in Arrivals
I won't feel whole until I see you at the airport waiting for me to arrive
I'm heading for the streets
I'm going outside to wander, to pass the time until our reunion
We walk most every week
We usually walk together when we're together
Until I see you in Arrivals
My happiness relies on seeing you at the airport waiting for me
Until I see you in Arrivals
I won't feel content until I see you waiting for me
Until I see you in Arrivals
Seeing you in Arrivals is everything to me
Until I see you in Arrivals
Meeting you in Arrivals is the only thing that will make me happy
Contributed by Henry B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.