Trains to Brazil

So here is, to the best of my knowledge, the full and overanalyzed meaning of the song. First of all, the song was written in 2002 and then when they were recording it in '05, the brazilian man was killed on the subway, and they changed the title as a tribute, as psychobain said. As for the meaning, here goes:

The song is a social commentary on the state of the world today. Fyfe discusses the ever-present feeling of distrust and suspicion as a result of terrorist attacks, which resulted in the wrongful murder of the aforementioned Brazilian man on the subway last year. We are all living with our "backs to the wall", and though he wonders when they'll "blow us away", he's just thankful to here for as long as he can. The "prophets and pawns" are the terrorist leaders and their mindless followers, and we live in a culture of anxiety, aware that are lives are "in the hands of these erroneous fools". He curses those who live their lives unhappy, "from one day to the next", and says "let them take you next", as you should just be thankful to be here on this earth, living this life, as it could be "you tomorrow [or] next year".

As for the girl referenced in the song, the one he still "thinks about on cold winter mornings", I'm a little less confident. It could be that she's just an example of a reason he's happy to be alive, but I think she may have been a victim of terrorism herself. She is an example of a person whose life turned out to be "in the hands of those erroneous fools", a victim of senseless terrorism. This song is beautiful, amazing, incredible, and moving, and completely worthy of the hyperbole I drenched the first half of this sentence in. Far and away the best song of 2006 so far.

I think derekdavies is rigth, the song is a kind social commentary embedded in a kind of tribute to a girl who has been a victim of terrorism. I think it's "prophet and their bombs have had another sucess" rather than "prophets and theri pawns". Ther's a sense of helplessness in the face of terrorism "i'm wondering why we bother at all" +"i think about how long it will take them to blow us away" but its mixed with a feeling of defiance"But i won't get me down, I'm just thankful to be facing the day"

"It's 5 o' clock on a Friday morning One hundred telephones sit and ring One of them’s from someone who knew you... And I still think of you on cold winter mornings" seems to be talking bought after the girl has died and people are phonin to console and comfort him, and he reminisces about a time when never would have beleived that our lives could be effected by the "erronous fools", terrorists.

Like derekdavies says, he bemoans the fact that people are miserable when they are still alive, you never know when it's goin to be ur last day.

As for the title i think i heard it before the london shooting of Jean charles de menezes titled "trains to brazil" on zane lowe's show on radio1, couldn't be sure bout this one tho.

either way, wotever it means, it's such a beautiful song to listen to, and strangely uplifting considering its about such a serious subject. Go guillemots!

Helpful, maybe?

“I think ‘Trains To Brazil’ is primarily about appreciating life, as much as a song can be about anything.” muses Fyfe. “There’s enough atrocities in the world each day to make it clear that fundamentally, we’re all very lucky to be here at all. And it’s got sleighbells in it. So really it’s a we’re-not-dead-yet Christmas Carol.”

The bit that goes:

"And to those of you who moan your lives through one day to the next Well, let them take you to next Can't you live and be thankful you're here? see it could be you tomorrow, next year"

kinda bugs me a bit nowadays. I took it to mean that the protagonist was adopting a 'cheer up, it might never happen' mentality to people who he doesn't even know (he's grouping 'those of you' so that suggests to me that he's addressing anyone who falls under what he's saying rather than picking out individuals who he is acquainted with).

The view expressed that it's aimed at those who don't want to do anything about their current situation and feel more content to complain without action seems somewhat valid but, even then, it's not really expressed well through the lyrics. It sounds like a mass generalisation.

I do like the idea of those final lines being a massive rant after losing someone he holds dear. The grief has made him do an outpour like that as his feelings are getting rather twitchy. He can't bare being around those who are complaining about trivial things and throws that at them. It seems easier to comprehend if grief was playing a major part of it as losing people can tear us down the middle and react in confrontational ways.

As a philosophy of life itself it's something I don't agree with. There are so many factors to be brought into why people express grievances over things. Fyfe seems like a lovely guy so I doubt he intended it that way. It just slightly comes across that way.

the title is a tribute to the brazilian murdered by the london police on the subway station

But that doesn't make sense with the rest of the song, particularly the "they'll still remind me of when we were at school" bit.

sure. this song is from 2002 actually, when they were recording it, the brazilian guy was killed on the subway, so they changed the title, like a tribute.

i don't know about all that, i love the song though.

Indeed. I got it the other day off of iTunes (it was the iTunes freebie of the week). I fell in love with it immediately...this band has great potential.....

DerekDavies: right on, and thank you for your amazing input! Have a nice day everybody!