Teary Eyed Songs - Runaway Train - Soul Asylum

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Soul Asylum released Runaway Train as a single in June of 1993 from their 1992 album Grave Dancers Union. The song made it to the top five of many charts across the world and in 1994 it won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The video shows many missing children but lead singer Dave Pirner said it was written about his experience with depression. The first time I heard this song I was on a short period of homelessness and mostly living out of my car and a few friend’s couches. A friend of mine had this CD and let me have it because I was obsessed with this song. I wasn’t sure what it was about it that drew me into it. It didn’t make me tear up back then, I just loved listening to it. A couple weeks later I meet a girl who I ended up marrying. I think I finally realized what this song was trying to tell me. This verse… “Can you help me remember how to smile Make it somehow all seem worthwhile How on earth did I get so jaded Life's mystery seems so faded” About a year into our relationship I was listening to this song, just sitting around our place and I burst into tears and when she asked why I started the song over and when it got to this verse I pointed, she heard it, we cried. Although it ultimately didn’t work out with her in the end, it was probably the best 10 years of my life. She pulled me up and gave me reason to carry on, she made it worth while again. Although it went bad in the end, we left friends and we still talk often. She gave me three great kids and a reason to live. Since then, every time I hear this song it brings tears to my eyes.