The Tube Station...At Midnight.
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Are there any songs out there that, whenever you hear them, elicit a strong emotional response from you for no readily apparent reason? I'm talking about something, in the lyrics mainly, that strikes a chord with you even though the words might not have any relevance to your daily existence. It could be simply the way the singer phrases the words, or maybe there's a story being told that affects you deeply even though you've never experienced what's being described.I've got one. (You saw that coming, didn't you? Clever clogs!)It's "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" by The Jam. Now, I've never been down in a tube station at midnight, although I imagine it can get a bit frightening down there when the crowds have dispersed and one's in that cavernous, echoey place virtually alone. Nor have I ever been mindlessly attacked by a drunken clutch of hooligans. (Is 'clutch' the correct collective noun for a gathering of hooligans? 'Gang' is so pedestrian.)Nevermind...every time I hear this song, my eyes well up and I have to stifle my sobs (how embarrassing).If you haven't yet heard it, the song tells the story of a man who's apparently had a late night at his job and is on his way home to the missus. It starts with a somewhat poetic description of the surroundings (just to get you in the mood, you see):The distant echo of faraway voices boarding faraway trainsto take them home to the ones that they love and who love them forever.The glazed, dirty steps repeat my own and reflect my thoughts.Cold and uninviting, partially naked except for toffee wrappers and this morning's papers - "Mr. Jones got run down" - Headlines of death and sorrow, they tell of tomorrow - "Madmen on the rampage"...Sounds pretty bleak, no? That's nothing. Our man has just bought his ticket and all of a sudden there's hate-filled voices behind him:"Hey boy!" they shout, "Have you got any money?"And here's where I start to really feel for this guy. He's obviously scared sh*tless, and the way Paul Weller rushes out the next lines you just know our man believes he's blagging for his life:"I've a little money and a take-away curry, I'm on my way home to my wife, she'll be lining up the cutlery, you know she's expecting me, polishing the glasses and pulling out the cork..."Okay, I'm getting upset just typing this. I know it reads a bit dry, but if you hear it...Anyway, to make a long post even longer, the thugs end up beating the crap out of the guy and that's not even the end of it:The last thing that I saw, as I lay there on the floor, was 'Jesus Saves' painted by an atheist nutter, and a British Rail poster read 'Have an Away-day - a Cheap Holiday - Do it Today!'I glanced back on my life, and thought about my wife'cause they took the keys and she'll think it's me...!At this point I've lost it, because not only is this guy on the floor half-conscious and bleeding, but all he can think about now is that these thugs are on their way to his house where his unsuspecting wife is waiting for him and there's nothing he can do about it!Now, when I first heard this brilliant piece of work I didn't understand some of the references, like Wormwood Scrubs and pulling out a plum (that plum business is still questionable - I believe it's the type of ticket our man purchases), but it's just the combination of the music, the words and the story itself that affects me.If you've followed me this far into this admittedly long, self-indulgent post, I thank you, and I hope you'll give the song a listen if you've never heard it. It really is great. You'll have to excuse me...I have something in my eye.
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