Pop Song 331 of 500 'Runaway Train' Soul Asylum' 1993 (You're not alone)

Pop Song 331 of 500 'Runaway Train' Soul Asylum' 1993

It's a sad and reflective song that reminds people that it's not all candy out there, but that they're not alone."

—Dave Pirner talking about the son

Dave Pirner, frontman of garage punk band Soul Asylum, suffered from a nervous breakdown after he thought he was losing his hearing.[9] He started playing an acoustic guitar, and one of the songs that came out of this was "Runaway Train". Pirner had been fascinated by trains since he was a kid, having watched Casey Jones, the American Western series about the adventures of railroad engineer Casey Jones and the crew of the Cannonball Express steam locomotive. Pirner would use a runaway train as a metaphor for the depression that was spinning out of control.

After Pirner spoke, the video continued with various shots of the band playing the song, and Pirner singing. Three concrete scenes are shown interspersed among the other images of the video. During the first verse, a child is shown witnessing his grandfather beating and eventually killing his grandmother, before fleeing in fear. During the second verse, a young teenage girl is pimped as a prostitute, and initially purchased by the aforementioned abuser. Later, she is dragged into a van by a gang; afterwards, she is picked up by paramedics and taken to the hospital, after getting beaten up. During the coda of the song, a small baby is snatched from his stroller by an older woman, with his mother running after the kidnapper's car.

Throughout the music video, various images of children running, or appearing with injuries from abuse, are shown. During the choruses, pictures of missing children would appear on the screen. After each picture was shown, their full name would appear in large capital letters on the screen, along with the year they had been "missing since...".

After the video, in an ending also not regularly shown, Pirner says in front of the camera, "If you've seen one of these kids, or you are one of them, please call this number," with the following screen showing a number one could contact. MTV cut this part out because they did not want to have the video confused with being a public service announcement. VH1 shows the UK version in its full length.

Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a blowtorch burnin'
I was a key that could use a little turnin'
So tired that I couldn't even sleep
So many secrets I couldn't keep
Promised myself I wouldn't weep
One more promise, I couldn't keep
It seems no one can help me now
I'm in too deep, there's no way out
This time I have really led myself astray
Runaway train, never goin' back
Wrong way, on a one way track
Seems like I should be gettin' somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Can you help me remember how to smile
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on Earth did I get so jaded
Life's history seems so faded
I can go where no one else can go
I know what no one else knows
Here I am just a drownin' in the rain
With a ticket for a runaway train
And everything seems cut and dry
Day and night, earth and sky
Somehow I just don't believe it
Runaway train, never goin' back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin' at the rain
A little out of touch, little insane
Just easier than dealin' with the pain
Runaway train, never goin' back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there
Runaway train never comin' back
Runaway train, tearin' up the track
Runaway train, burnin' in my veins
I run away, but it always seems the same