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Porcupine Tree — Trains
Album: In Absentia
Avg rating:
8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 4935









Released: 2002
Length: 5:55
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Train set and match spied under the blind
Shiny and contoured the railway winds
And I've heard the sound from my cousin's bed
The hiss of the train at the railway head

Always the summers are slipping away

A 60-ton angel falls to the earth
A pile of old metal, a radiant blur
Scars in the country, the summer and her

Always the summers are slipping away
Find me a way for making it stay

When I hear the engine pass
I'm kissing you wide
The hissing subsides
I'm in luck

When the evening reaches here
You're tying me up
I'm dying of love
It's OK

When I hear the engine pass
I'm kissing you wide
The hissing subsides
I'm in luck

When the evening reaches here
You're tying me up
I'm dying of love
It's OK

(Always the summers are slipping away)
(Find me a way for making it stay)

Always the summers are slipping away
Always the summers are slipping away
Comments (654)add comment
O I love this track so much.  I have it on full volume 
This is the song I use to introduce Porcupine Tree neophytes to their musical greatness! 
Saw PT at a small venue in Boulder Colorado back in maybe 2010 or so. They were amazing live. I was right up at the stage. Huge fan ever since.
stop spam texts iPhone
stop spam texts iPhone
The best Song of the world?
When I saw Porcupine Tree in LA back in September 2022, Steven introduced his last song of the night, joking that other bands would conclude their show with one of their many anthems they have become known for. He lamented that unfortunately he didn't have any "big radio hits" and that what he was about to play was as big as he could manage. He went on to play this to close out the show. The perfect ending to a perfect show!
Just fixed my accuphase from knarzing keys and poties, and now This! Pure fun.
This
is
so
great.
2nd PT today after anesthesize (spelling correct??) - bring it on, RP! thank you! 🥰
Used to be folks here in the Comments section would complain that RP was playing Porcupine Tree tracks way too often. Yeah, well, too bad for them!
Mind the PT and the Steven Wilson websites for announced tours and go see them! 
There is no other song this great. There is no other song this neutral. Whatever emotion you feel draws you there. A complete masterpiece.
i love this track, and the production of the last hard section seems muddy to me…  
Oh I just love this track 
Man, I don’t think even the 11 button does this justice.  Need a 12 button!
Tin Pan Alley version:
 
(lively piano plays)

When I hear that chugga-chugga train, I'm in a honeyed kiss, feeling no pain
Its whistle's a-whistling, like a lovebird's song, with you, my darling, where I belong
 
(merry train whistle toots)
 


 SquiddlyDiddly wrote:
Sloppy drumming. . . needs to concentrate more. 

Careful; idiot_wind might start asking for royalties.  ; )

Such an incredible and very talented band. If Wilson would have hired someone else to sing I think this band would have been a worldwide sensation.
From PF's Pigs to PT's Trains...musical bliss!
I get chills when the drums kick in. Every time.
Saw them in London late last year - awesome, truly awesome.  The new members - bassist and guitarist - slotted in perfectly, whilst being different to previous members...a beautifully balanced band.
 Relayer wrote:

Back in 2002ish, I was getting excited about Yes touring again, and for part of the tour they announced the opening act was Porcupine Tree.  Who?  Then within a few days or weeks, I found Radio Paradise and heard a song that just blew me away; Blackest Eyes.  I ran in the house to check the computer to see who the band was....PT.  Hmmmm, I need to check up on this new (I thought was new) band. Then a few days later I heard Trains on RP.  Whoa.  

17 years later, I'm still listening to Radio Paradise non stop, and PT/SW have been my favorite/obsessed band since that day. 



that's really cool. i think i first heard them here on RP that year as well. i can see the symmetry of them touring with yes. couldn't at first, but it makes sense. i like it. hope it was a good tour.
 westslope wrote:

A rock song inspired by happy childhood events.   

I have listened to Wilson in an interview express what struck me as surprise at how popular this song became with Porcupine Tree concert goers.

In Absentia was the best of the lot of a string of seven solid albums and several great EPs.


If you enjoy In Absentia, then the latest Closure/Continuation album is a must listen.  It easily figures among the top 3 Porcupine Tree albums.
best band you've never heard of!!
 blotto wrote:


what is C/C ?





Closure/Continuation - 2022 album by Porcupine Tree.
 westslope wrote:

Must add that the recently released C/C album ranks among the top 3 of my favourite Porcupine Tree albums.   Not sure what that means, I love them all as well as the EPs.  


what is C/C ?
this is honestly one of the best songs I've ever heard.
P Tree one of the best bands you've never heard of !!!
 westslope wrote:

....

In Absentia was the best of the lot of a string of seven solid albums and several great EPs.


Must add that the recently released C/C album ranks among the top 3 of my favourite Porcupine Tree albums.   Not sure what that means, I love them all as well as the EPs.  
 westslope wrote:
Thought briefly about seeing them in SF next month, but tickets run from $300 to $1200
 
F THAT.  No way would I pay that kind of money to see anyone, maybe $300 but no more. 
 
$35 general admission to They Might Be Giants, now that's what I call more than reasonable, and probably a very fun night.
that hand clapping....I keep hearing that Brubeck  square dance song!  

Its that crazy time...9/8? 

Sorry, I can't count. My downfall as a musician.  
 JiffyPark wrote:


If I'm not mistaken that is Buddy Rich - yes?
Porcupine Tree is exquisite.
 Greyerwrit wrote:

.......

Thought briefly about seeing them in SF next month, but tickets run from $300 to $1200


Yup, that is expensive.

The lads might make more money with this album and the tour than ever before. PT has graduated from narrow cult status.  Wilson has some smart managers. Somebody in the crew knows how to market, price discriminate, etc.  PT and Steven Wilson solo are all well beyond playing summer musical festivals.

I grew up on King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, Focus, ELP, Harmonium, Pink Floyd, Camel and similar and I still listen to all those bands (except maybe ELP).  Discovering/re-discovering King Crimson and Camel in recent years has been an absolute delight.

Porcupine Tree is even better. 
That acoustic part at the beginning is lovely.  The first part in decades that makes me want to sit down and figure out how to play it. 

Ten minutes later: there are several lessons on YouTube.  RP is introducing me to music that I feel is arcane, because I'm the center of my own universe.  Humbling to find out that many thousands of ears got there before me.
Thought briefly about seeing them in SF next month, but tickets run from $300 to $1200
 trudel314 wrote:
I see PT have reformed and are putting a new album out this year...something to look forward to.... I'd never heard of this band before I started listening to RP and it's among several pleasant discoveries/additions to my playlist.


US tour this fall.  Can't wait.  i love these guys, so talented.
 Stuff_n_Nonsense wrote:

Here's a good one.This band is on the depressing side but still good music. 



Maybe it's just me, but IMHO, most good music is on the depressing side.  
 corydon wrote:

I just listened to this song for the very first time in my life... and... I... think... it's...  a masterpiece :o)




I Agree! I felt the same way, first time I heard it!  
I just listened to this song for the very first time in my life... and... I... think... it's...  a masterpiece :o)
I see PT have reformed and are putting a new album out this year...something to look forward to.... I'd never heard of this band before I started listening to RP and it's among several pleasant discoveries/additions to my playlist.
well...its about time

its freezing outside, albeit sunny and snow

need some more of these guys
Excellent! I never heard of PT before hearing them on RP. Now, I like several of their tunes! Thanx RP!
A rock song inspired by happy childhood events.   

I have listened to Wilson in an interview express what struck me as surprise at how popular this song became with Porcupine Tree concert goers.

In Absentia was the best of the lot of a string of seven solid albums and several great EPs.
 Stuff_n_Nonsense wrote:

Here's a good one.This band is on the depressing side but still good music. 




Agreed!
Here's a good one.This band is on the depressing side but still good music. 
Thanks RP for playing them.

Album is in my mobile rotation, 
If it wasn't for a co-worker introducing me to RP, I probably would have never heard this great band (& another great Wilson). My life is a little more complete now...Tx!
Just a great song all around{#Bananajam}
Thanks, Bill, for playing this on my birthday! Still my favorite RP tune.
This song on RP ages ago was my gateway into PT and Steven Wilson.   Very favorite still .
seems I must have been a very new RP listener around the time this came out.   Thanks Bill. 
 meatmike wrote:
Not too sure what's actually going on in this song lyrically, but I sure do feel it!
 
There is quite a tradition of songs with meaningless lyrics (David Bowie, John Lennon) but Trains "Always the summers are slipping away" is longing to boyhood's endless hot summer weeks with nothing to do, I'd say
 JiffyPark wrote:
 

Buddy Rules!..Even Animal is stunned.
Good to hear the album version again. I've been listening to the live version from "Arriving Somewhere" a lot lately.
 siriusrising wrote:
I had two opportunities to see this awesome band and I missed both sadly. The first was in 1998 when I went with a friend to see Thunder play in London. My friend and I got drunk and missed the opening act which was Porcupine Tree. Thunder were great though.
Skip forward a couple of years when I went with the same friend to see Dream Theater. Same story, too long in the bar and we missed catching Porcupine Tree as the support act again.
 
Next time you two should try drinking with the band, at least that way if you miss the show so does EVERYBODY...
And I'm fixing a glaring problem on my end with my LOW 6 rating; +2 to the average rating of 8 and Long Live RP!!
Not too sure what's actually going on in this song lyrically, but I sure do feel it!
@siriusrising:

Alas demon alcohol.  Still drinking?  
I had two opportunities to see this awesome band and I missed both sadly. The first was in 1998 when I went with a friend to see Thunder play in London. My friend and I got drunk and missed the opening act which was Porcupine Tree. Thunder were great though.
Skip forward a couple of years when I went with the same friend to see Dream Theater. Same story, too long in the bar and we missed catching Porcupine Tree as the support act again.
Mark 10. 
Back in 2002ish, I was getting excited about Yes touring again, and for part of the tour they announced the opening act was Porcupine Tree.  Who?  Then within a few days or weeks, I found Radio Paradise and heard a song that just blew me away; Blackest Eyes.  I ran in the house to check the computer to see who the band was....PT.  Hmmmm, I need to check up on this new (I thought was new) band. Then a few days later I heard Trains on RP.  Whoa.  

17 years later, I'm still listening to Radio Paradise non stop, and PT/SW have been my favorite/obsessed band since that day. 
Great tune!
Masterpiece. Always a perfect 10.

I was listening to this for the first time in 2003, the day the space shuttle exploded, and that lyric, 'a sixty-ton angel, falls to the earth, a pile of old metal, a radiant blur', forever cemented to that memory...
 
RP made me like Porcupine Tree, oh the powers of internet radio and an open mind

(Well, more open than when this album originally came out, that's for sure...)
Wynton Marselis does a really neat  music education program in which he gets a room full of kids and his band plays in different times and he gets the kids to clap along
 lbaltz wrote:
I never tire of this song!  I miss PT...
 
 
Love the banjo bridge in the middle.  
 ick wrote:

You should watch some of his performances with King Crimson.  Talk about some interesting time and drumming concepts.  Evidently, he had a case of food poisoning for the Manchester show, didn't need the barf bucket provided luckily and incorporated it into one of his drum solos.
 
Meaning.... the barf bucket morphed into a percussion instrument?  Yes, that is so cool as well as so professional to not allow a little personal discomfort to get in the way.
 SquiddlyDiddly wrote:
Sloppy drumming. . . needs to concentrate more. 





(joke   Gavin Harrison is truly awesome)
 
You should watch some of his performances with King Crimson.  Talk about some interesting time and drumming concepts.  Evidently, he had a case of food poisoning for the Manchester show, didn't need the barf bucket provided luckily and incorporated it into one of his drum solos.
I love Porcupine Tree !
 idiot_wind wrote:
This is a great song.
 
That clapping in a different time (9/8?), reminds me of a Dave Brubeck song.
 
Nice to hear bands experiment. I mean, this is RnR, right?
 

The clapping reminiscent of Brubeck's "Unsquare Dance", which I think is in 7/4 time.    The clapping bit in this one is just 3/4 - waltz time.
This is a great song.
 
That clapping in a different time (9/8?), reminds me of a Dave Brubeck song.
 
Nice to hear bands experiment. I mean, this is RnR, right?
Sloppy drumming. . . needs to concentrate more. 





(joke   Gavin Harrison is truly awesome)
 kingart wrote:
Bump. 7 > 8. 
The drummer doesn't seem to be human.
 

 
 
gavin harrison was drummer on trains.
 SeriousLee wrote:
Where's the 11 button?

 
Or the 12!
I never tire of this song. Or any PT for that matter.
I just a seened Wilsons concert at the Ogden Theater in Denver last week.  Had trouble getting into it at first but then I synced up and it was fun. 


Good show  and a good value for $35
A VERY strong 8 - Most Excellent from me
Awesome Album   this song and 'the sound of musak'  are the best tracks on this
 SeriousLee wrote:
Where's the 11 button?

 
Totally agree....
Find me a way for making Natalizio stay.
Radio P is how I discovered Porcupine Tree, for which I'm eternally grateful as it pretty much resurrected my enjoyment of music which had lapsed. Lucky enough to see PT and Steven Wilson live a few times now. Anyway, for those who hanker after more PT'esque sounds may I commend The Pineapple Thief - saw them a week or so back with none other than Gavin Harrison on drums - was about 5m away - stellar. https://pineapplethief.com/
Where's the 11 button?
Probably the best bit of music I have found through RP.
Such a great album. Wilson needs to get PT back.
11/10


Great - always moving as the other pt songs played here

thanks 
 lbaltz wrote:
I never tire of this song!  I miss PT...
 

 
ditto x a gajillion
{#Daisy}
                                                                                             superplusgood

{#Good-vibes}
{#Meditate}
{#Good-vibes}
 westslope wrote:

I do not.  

His latest extended play  4 1/2 is stellar and I listen to it obsessively these days.   Nice jazz overtones.  A little Frank Zappa influence perhaps?  

 
Thanks so much for the pointer to 4 1/2!  Now obsessing over it myself :)  YARTLRP (yet another reason to love RP)
 
Bump. 7 > 8. 
The drummer doesn't seem to be human.
 
A happy childhood recollection.

Sweet.   
I never tire of this song!  I miss PT...
 
Brilliant!!
Magnificent!

Some of PT/SW work goes over my head - Saw him at the Corn Exchange Cambridge a while a go and that was cracking - somewhat dimmed for me as I had terrible flu and Terry Pratchett died that day.

But yes, this is why we love prog - shivers down the spine.
My FAVORITE! I love Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree! LOVE!
this was the first song I heard on Radio Paradise and the  first P.T. song as well!  made a donation right after song stopped..
This is one of the anthems of the 'first generation' of songs I discovered when I first discovered Radio Paradise about 15 years ago, and one of the many on that list that I never would have heard otherwise...
 Piranga wrote:
Not sure I know of a more creative musical talent than Steven Wilson.

 
I do not.  

His latest extended play  4 1/2 is stellar and I listen to it obsessively these days.   Nice jazz overtones.  A little Frank Zappa influence perhaps?  
 kingart wrote:
7 > 8. Aside from the music itself, the mixing and production is almost off the charts. 

 
Almost?    {#Cheesygrin}
7 > 8. Aside from the music itself, the mixing and production is almost off the charts. 
Not sure I know of a more creative musical talent than Steven Wilson.
10 10 10 10 10 :-)
from 8 to 10
PSD >> Porcupine Tree .. glorious. I loved this song the first time I heard it and it's only grown on me over the years.
 houston wrote:

Tell you what, when blasting down a mountain on a bike this is perfect motivator to push a bit harder, a bit faster  

 
I bet! LOL!

I'm the guy that stays quiet in the bush so I can hear the bears coming......  Or the crazy, wild-eyed mountain bikers!  {#Cheesygrin} 
 Propayne wrote:

In the latest issue of Prog Magazine, Wilson says he sees some new Porcupine Tree in the future {#Cheers}

 
... on the condition that the band mates contribute to the writing.

I hope it happens. 
 westslope wrote:
You know why Porcupine Tree has yet to be resurrected?  Relayer has not tried hard enough yet.  Yuck, yuck. {#Cheesygrin}

Relayer:  How about lobbying keyboardist Richard Barbieri directly?    Ask Richard if he would be interested in a new Porcupine Tree album and tour and if he would be willing to accommodate some new album/tour musician mates.

 
In the latest issue of Prog Magazine, Wilson says he sees some new Porcupine Tree in the future {#Cheers}
 westslope wrote:

I run.   

I tried walkmans about 30 years ago in an urban environment and decided that I did not want to get hit by a car (again).

For running trails, music in the ears is a major distraction.

Love this music but would strongly suggest that folks do not run with music in their ears. 

 
Tell you what, when blasting down a mountain on a bike this is perfect motivator to push a bit harder, a bit faster  
You know why Porcupine Tree has yet to be resurrected?  Relayer has not tried hard enough yet.  Yuck, yuck. {#Cheesygrin}

Relayer:  How about lobbying keyboardist Richard Barbieri directly?    Ask Richard if he would be interested in a new Porcupine Tree album and tour and if he would be willing to accommodate some new album/tour musician mates.
It doesn't get much better than this. Ahhhhhh...
Relayer,

I would not bet on PT getting back together.  

The commercial interest is obvious.  A PT formation headed by SW with maybe a few other musicians thrown in would have great audience appeal.   

Artistically, it is behind him.  Maybe two keyboardists would work?  If Barbieri cannot stomach jazz, I just don't see PT coming back. 
Come on Steve, let's get PT back together again.  Your solo music is amazing, but I prefer the edginess of PT albums.
 ShaunJ wrote:

On Steven's current tour they are playing PT Trains periodically. Other PT songs (Lazarus, Sleep together, How Is Your Life Today?) 

 

I saw SW Saturday in NYC - Great great show
 Chrisjea wrote:
Very Nice

 
On Steven's current tour they are playing PT Trains periodically. Other PT songs (Lazarus, Sleep together, How Is Your Life Today?) 
Very Nice
 snoozie wrote:
I LOVE this song. Haven't heard it in a while. Reminds me of the 2 PT concerts hubby and I attended on consecutive nights in Chicago. Awesome show.

 
I'm going to see Steven Wilson in concert in a few weeks.  Can't wait.


 On_The_Beach wrote:
This CD was my introduction to PT and is still my favourite.

 

My favorite is Signify
After listening countless times to this, it's just dawned on me... that's quite a Jethro Tullesque first few bars to the track. {#Notworthy}
 akdavey wrote:
Howzabout another track from this artist? The grooves are a bit worn on this one?

 
Looks to me like they have played 53 different PP Tree songs from the playlist. You must be missing the others.
The lyrics have potential, but turn out not to do the musical arrangement justice. Especially annoying is the nonsensical
I'm kissing you wide
the meaning of which, despite its frequent use in rock music lyrics, defies the English language and injures the ears.