sax
paulsandberg
maxthesax
into the mathmos
Story behind the song
My best friend lived in SF just beyond the N Judah trolley line - every 20 minutes or so, day or night, the house would shake as the trains rolled by - I was recalling this, along with several noir films where you could hear the clicking of the cars as they rolled by - all those lives and stories right outside your window, and yet... here you are watching but not participating... yeah, I liked the vibe of that... expounding on this theme I added some religious overtones and a general feeling of helplessness at what the world looks like nowadays and... hey, lyrics. The song structure echoes a guitar pattern of a certain rock song (rearranged though, nevertheless, as Ian Anderson once said)... a song of trains rolling down the track, out of control (just like life).
Lyrics
the metro line runs everywhere and nowhere
just outside my door
so catch a ride if you're so inclined,
it's mankind's will to explore
the wheels click on down the track
metronome of curious rhythm
destination's just ahead - next stop oblivion
kismet, random chance, ennui synchronized
life flies past my window
I look out through unseeing eyes
I've rolled the dice
roll away the stone
no sense of rapture, just brittle bones
ascension's aborted, I'm coming home
next stop oblivion
touched by madness you say?
or is it a moments clarity
either way it's just a point of view
perception without perspective
why do we hold out for happy endings
somebody stole the handle - next stop oblivion