The lyrics were based on the existentialist authors and poets Gunvor Hofmo, Knut Hamsun and Fyodor Dostoevsky – Pål's favourites at the time.
The song was released in March 1986 as the fourth single for the album and it was a-ha's third consecutive top-10 single in the UK, reaching number eight. It was not a pop hit in the United States, but a 12-inch single featuring a remix of the song appeared on the Hot Dance Club Play charts. The single sold 500,000 copies worldwide.
Train of Thought
a-ha Lyrics
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Crossword solved
Words go up words come down
Forwards backwards twisted round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of inked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him, He unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes to numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
And his thoughts
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
The song Train of Thought by a-ha is a vivid portrayal of an individual's rather mundane life, with the lyrics describing his routine activities from reading the morning paper to returning home from work. The first verse illustrates his fondness for solving the crossword puzzle in the morning paper before heading off to work. He picks up a pile of letters from his suitcase, implying that he could be a postman or someone who deals with correspondence. The imagery of words going up and down, forwards and backward, twisted around, paints a picture of the complex nature of language and communication.
The second verse alludes to his thoughts being consumed by strangers and corridors of inked light, perhaps representing the urban jungle he's working in. His mind has lost its rational thinking, and there's more than meets the eye. A stranger's face occupies his thoughts and follows him everywhere, suggesting the presence of an individual in his personal life that he can't let go of. The sadness and loneliness of his life are summed up in his thoughts, which are characteristically full of strangers and emptiness.
In the final verse, the individual takes the subway home, listening to a distant radio playing unfamiliar tunes. When he reaches his home, he unlocks the door to a house that awaits him, thinking about how the sea used to be there, but it no longer exists. The song's final lines repeat the idea of his thoughts being full of strangers, signifying that his attempt to escape from his mundane life is futile. The phrase "train of thought" in the title is used metaphorically to describe the cyclical nature of his thoughts and his life.
Line by Line Meaning
He likes to have the morning paper's
He enjoys solving the crossword puzzle in the morning newspaper
Crossword solved
Successfully completing the puzzle
Words go up words come down
The puzzle includes both vertical and horizontal words
Forwards backwards twisted round
The words in the puzzle are arranged in various directions
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
He collects the letters for the crossword from his briefcase
Disappears into an office
He goes to work
It's another working day
He has to go to work just like any other day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
His mind is occupied with thoughts of unknown or unfamiliar people
Corridors of inked lights
He sees these thoughts in his mind like pathways illuminated with inked lights
And his mind once full of reason
He used to think reasonable, rational thoughts
Now there's more than meets the eye
His current thoughts are deeper and more mysterious than they appear
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He has a vivid memory of a face he doesn't know but has seen before
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
He likes to read while commuting on the subway
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
He listens to a radio station with unfamiliar songs
At home a house awaits him, He unlocks the door
He arrives back home and unlocks the door to his house
Thinking once there was a sea here
He recalls that there was once a large body of water near his home
But there never was a door
He realizes there was never actually a door leading to the sea
And his thoughts are full of strangers
His mind is still consumed with thoughts of unfamiliar people
And his eyes to numb to see
He is too mentally drained or preoccupied to observe his surroundings
And nothing that he knows of
He is unfamiliar with his current environment
And nowhere where he's been
He doesn't recognize any of the places he's been lately
Was ever quite like this
This experience is unique and different from anything he's ever encountered before
And his thoughts
His thoughts persist and continue to overwhelm him
And at heart
Deep down, within himself
He's full of strangers
He is plagued by thoughts of people he doesn't know
Dodging on his train of thought
He tries to avoid these thoughts but they keep resurfacing
Train of thought
His mind is like an unstoppable train, full of strange and confusing thoughts
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAL WAAKTAAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SunflowerGirl__
LYRICS
He likes to have the morning paper crossword solved
Words go up, words come down
Forwards, backwards, twisted 'round
He grabs a pile of letters from a small suitcase
Disappears into an office
It's another working day
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
He likes a bit of reading on the subway home
A distant radio whistling tunes that nobody knows
At home a house awaits him, he unlocks the door
Thinking once there was a sea here
But there never was a door
And his thoughts are full of strangers
And his eyes too numb to see
And nothing that he knows of
And nowhere where he's been
Was ever quite like this
Yeah
And his thoughts are full of strangers
Corridors of naked lights
And his mind once full of reason
Now there's more than meets the eye
Oh, a stranger's face he carries with him
And at heart
He's full of strangers
Dodging on his train of thought
Train of thought
@80sfanstudent24
Morten Harket really had one of the best voices in the business.
His vocal range is insane.
@80sbrunnette
I agree 😭
@GigiAdams-sx1vd
Morten the most versatile voice -best vocals - best singer ❤🎶
@evad520
He's in the Guiness book of records for longest note held in a pop song.
@MampsUK
@@evad520which song was it
@MampsUK
Yeah brilliant singer A-Ha one of my fav bands from the 80s
@johannalberts8029
2024 - what a great band. They created art and not just music.
@michelledesgroseilliers2956
Morten is so beautiful 😍 his voice is amazing. I feel like a teenager again
@aleruiz9169
Una obra maestra!!! Excelente canción, excelente video y excelente voz!!!! Saludos a todos desde Buenos Aires Argentina
@davenight
They should have won an award for. A list of radio whilsting tunes nobody knows. A fantastic talented band.