Interpretations:Mrs. Train

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I don't think this song has anything to do with holocaust, marriage, drugs, or even trains. Who or what "Mrs. Train" is is irrelevant to the song. The song is about being afraid of standing out.

Here's this great and wonderful thing, this new train that just got made. John really wants to see it, but he doesn't want to stand out by being the first to go stand in line to look at it. Since nobody else wants to be the first one either, nobody heads the line and the line never forms.

Nobody even wants to be caught being the first one to notice that there's nobody in line to see "Mrs. Train," so the whole situation is ignored completely. John never gets to do what he wants to do (go see the train), because he's too afraid to be the first one to do it. Kind of interesting commentary on human nature if you ask me.

As near as I can tell, the only reason the song is "Mrs. Train" instead of "Mrs. Boat" or something is that it's easy to write music that sounds like a train and the Johns enjoy themed music.

-skoink (November 07, 2006)

I seem to be on my own in thinking that the song is about the holocaust. The narrator being on his way to a concentration camp. Regardless of whether this is true or not, this is what the song means to me. Yet another example of Linnell personalising an object, this song remains obscure due to being on the Back to Skull EP that preceded John Henry. Much better than many of the aforementioned album tracks, and indeed Snailshell, the dismal lead track of the EP, this is classic Linnell Giants. (Mr Tuck)

This song makes me think of some sort of paradoxical queue that contains at least one person, but somehow doesn't have a first person.

I think this song is about a kid who`s reluctant to visit his grandma because she`s old, slow, and is patient and takes her time[really it could represent any old woman named Mrs. Train.] The kid doesn`t have time for that; he`s hyperactive and wants to do stuff. None of his siblings want to see her either, so the line doesn`t have a first person in line, thus the missing head. Someone has to go first, but no one wants to be first[the ``missing head``]. Just my take, though.

Hey, that sounds pretty good.

I never really thought about what this song was about, but a friend of mine used to have it as his wake-up song on his cd alarm clock. It is a perfect song to wake up to...starts s-l-o-w, picks up speed as it goes along, and ends up rockin'. By the time the song's over, you are out of bed and your toes are tapping.

That's a good idea. My current alarm clock either doesn't wake me up at all, or wakes me up at a random time like 3:52 am. That's when it woke me up this morning, and I couldn't get back to sleep. I need a new alarm clock, and I might buy one of those cd alarm clocks just so I'll get out of bed (for once) and not just hit the snooze button twenty thousand million times. Mrs. Train would be the perfect wake-up song. Aurora Hawthorne

(In fact, several alarm clocks have a beeping pattern that starts slow and gradually increases tempo, just like this song does.) -anon

It's a train starting up and leaving the station.

When I listen to this song, I think about a freak show. Everyone is in line to see a woman without a head. I don't know about the thing about the train. Maybe she's as large as a train? ---Checkers Piece Face

Not so much an interpretation, but the song reminds me of "Rock Island" from "The Music Man" by Meredith Wilson -- another song (actually it's spoken rather than sung, but in a definite rhythm) that starts out slow but picks up the cadance of a speeding train as it goes along.

My intial thoughts when i first heard this song was that it's about a female psychologist, and it's being sung by possibly a male patient who really isn't ready to open up to her and Mrs. Train is fine with that because she is just doing her job and knows how its hard for some people "being comfortable with yourself, and being patient and taking your time are the things that Mrs. Train can understandand." The Patient of course would rather not have the session, even though he knows he'll be "happy when [he] finally take its hand."

I'm probably wrong though, so whatever...

I love this song. For a long time I assumed it was another strange TMBG song. However, while listening to it several months ago, a new idea suddenly struck me. While it may not be standard TMBG fare, goto urbandictionary.com and lookup the slang meaning for the word "train". Then listen to the song or read the lyrics and tell me it doesn't fit darn near perfectly. That said the increasing speed of the song reminds me of Sparkle by Phish. --The Great Puma - www.thegreatpuma.com 16:54, 25 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Let's not be coy. "Running a train" on someone means to gang bang them. That's what I immediately thought of when I first heard this song and thought to myself, well, here's yet another TMBG song with perky music and a scary dark lyric. Train also used to be drug slang, for cocaine. Cocaine makes sense with the tempo speeding up.

~ Christina Miller, September 2005

I would excercise caution applying the gang-band definition to this song. The entries for "train" are all very recent and give no indication of how long that usage has been employed. This song was written in 1994 by a band not well known for their use of urban slang. Although it's possible that's what this song is about, I don't think it's likely. The cocaine reference may be valid, however; after all, these guys were part of the '80's NY club scene, and They must have at least been aware of a certain magic white powder.
The interp I find more likely -- btw, this is largely taken from the now-defunct tmbg.org interpretation archive -- is that the song is about someone who is reluctant to get married. He doesn't "want to be first in line" -- as in standing at the center aisle next to the line of groomsmen -- "to see Mrs. Train" -- his bride-to-be, wearing a bridal gown with a long train. However, as she's walking down the aisle, he tries to talk himself into it: he's never seen anyone like her, and he knows that he'll "be happy when [he] finally take[s] her hand," i.e., take her hand in marriage. The "missing head" choruses that follow don't fit into this interp, but I think that those are just John and John excercising their typical, surreal writing style.
But hey, what do I know? Maybe it is about a gang-bang. Tutt 15:40, 17 Oct 2005 (EDT)MasterChivo

Well, I like the idea that the author was unaware of the slang meaning of "train" although the meaning is pretty old.

The marriage interp has the advantage of it employs the TMBG dream-like sliding around between visual and verbal - of course a bride is Mrs. Train, because she wears one, and "take her hand" is a set phrase for marriage. Much nicer than imagining Messrs Flansburgh and Linnell nervously waiting in line to for group sex. Also, the missing head could be the bride, because "head" subs for "Mrs. Train" as the song progresses. Head of the processional.

~Christina Miller October 2005

I just thought about the marriage thing this morning. I think you're right.

~The Walrus

If Mrs. Train and Mr. Narrator are possibly about to be married, then would it not seem strange that the title character is specifically called, from out of millions of possibilities, "Mrs." (indicating already-wife status)? I guess the interpretation could work, but most of the applications of the lyrics to specific situations only sort-of hinted at by the song usually just hover around the more thematic intention of the lyricist. Instead of marriage, I think it's about reluctance and unwillingness to take charge in general, whether it's to look at a shiny cool new train rolling by or to walk down the aisle to marry your lover. Although on the "Mrs." deal, you could use the word in the title character's name to argue either way; either you could say it signifies that she cannot go through marriage again in her current state and thus probably isn't related to a wedding, or that the lyricists inclusion in a seemingly important part of the song makes the issue of marriage stand out.

So, in conclusion, I don't think my response has a point. ~ magbatz 00:45, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I think it's what happens when you play the telephone game considering it goes from Mrs. Train to a missing head. -bubso

I think it's about a carnival. The music reminds me of a carnival or circus, and maybe Mrs. Train is a little train ride, or possibly, as someone else mentioned, a freak show attraction. ~Anna Ng hears your words.

I always got the idea that this song was about like a line at a book signing or autograph session. So I always thought off Mrs. Train, and Missing Head, as possibly being band names. John could be worried to talk to the band and what not. The taking the hand line could refer to handshake. The patient and taking your time stuff could also be saying bands are more likely to like someone who is not a obsessed freak.

The wedding interpretation could be right too, in any case is about a worried individual who doesn't want to be the first one to do something.

-HowardTCo

Mrs. Train

Interpretations:Mrs. Train

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