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The Cure — Jumping Someone Else's Train
Album: Staring At The Sea (The Singles)
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3216









Released: 1986
Length: 2:38
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Don't say what you mean
You might spoil your face
If you walk in the crowd
You won't leave any trace
It's always the same
You're jumping someone else's train

It won't take you long
To learn the new smile
You have to adapt
Or you'll be out of style
It's always the same
You're jumping someone else's train

If you pick up on it quick
You can say you were there
Again and again and again
You're jumping someone else's train

It's the latest wave
That you've been craving for
The old ideal was getting such a bore
Now you're back in line
Going not quite quite as far
But in half the time
Everyone's happy
They're finally all the same
Because everyone's jumping
Everybody else's train

Jumping someone else's train
Jumping someone else's train
Jumping someone else's train
Comments (191)add comment
 bagadonutz wrote:

Bought the album "Standing on a Beach (The Singles) in 1986.   Back in the day when they got zero air play - at least in my hometown.   Had only read of them and decided to buy this to see what the hype was about.   It did not move me in the least on the first listen and thought about trading it.     As the years passed this album got better.   35 years later - it is still in my collection and is a favorite of the next generation of listeners (my kids and their friends).   The music has a timeless quality to it.



Sometimes GREAT MUSIC has to grow on you!   Thanx RP!  
Lyrics sadly suiting for these days of Complying, Capitulating and Cancelling to "Save Face" - Preserve the Grey-scale Group-think, like an nodding NPC meme.
Hey Folks - Reminder: 
Conformity Kills... šŸ˜‰
Creativity, Critical Thought, Clarity, Consciousness.... 
They were huge here then... There was so much to love about the earnest vocals, spastic guitar and wacky rhythms in this one; it's utterly impossible to sit still to!
 justin4kick wrote:

Too funny!
 siqbal wrote:

In case anyone's wondering:

"The name of old man featured on the album cover was John Button, and he was at the time a retired fisherman. He also appeared in the music video for ā€œKilling an Arab.ā€ According to the bandā€™s 2005 biography by Jeff Apter, when asked why he agreed to lend his face to the bandā€™s media, Buttonā€™s answer was ā€œIf I can help these youngsters break through, after all, why not?ā€"

https://sonicmoremusic.wordpre...

I think we can all agree that Mr. Button achieved his objective.




Thank You for the info!
In case anyone's wondering:

"The name of old man featured on the album cover was John Button, and he was at the time a retired fisherman. He also appeared in the music video for ā€œKilling an Arab.ā€ According to the bandā€™s 2005 biography by Jeff Apter, when asked why he agreed to lend his face to the bandā€™s media, Buttonā€™s answer was ā€œIf I can help these youngsters break through, after all, why not?ā€"

https://sonicmoremusic.wordpre...

I think we can all agree that Mr. Button achieved his objective.
From 'Urban Dictionary:'
Jumping someone else's train:
Copying someone else's style, or just agreeing with what they say and believe to fit in.
LOVE THIS!
This is a happy Cure song.
 stevesaw wrote:

The Cure was one of the connections I could make with my eldest teenage daughter back in the early 2000's.  She 'let' me take her and her friends to HFStival in DC two years running. Thank you Cure, Interpol, Foo Fighters, etc! She reciprocated by taking me to see David Byrne, Tuneyards, etc later on. Thank you music.



It is beyond special the way that music can add to a bond with your children.  It's a memory and a shared  experience that lasts a lifetime.  Irreplaceable!
There is no cure for my addiction to the cure....
EXCELLENT!!!
So updated !
Gee this isn't Martha and the Muffins at all!
Box cars.  Are pulling.  Out of town. 
Bought the album "Standing on a Beach (The Singles) in 1986.   Back in the day when they got zero air play - at least in my hometown.   Had only read of them and decided to buy this to see what the hype was about.   It did not move me in the least on the first listen and thought about trading it.     As the years passed this album got better.   35 years later - it is still in my collection and is a favorite of the next generation of listeners (my kids and their friends).   The music has a timeless quality to it.
 TerryS wrote:

Damnit! There's a song withiin that comment.
 
Right? The lyric writes itself.

Dang, I walk away for a couple minutes and just catch the end of this. Oh, it's 2:38 long - dang.
 French_Ferdinand wrote:
Michael Dempsey is playing the bass on the incredible good song. One of Dempsey's most notable appearances was for Roxy Music: he appeared playing bass in the video for their hit single "Avalon".
 

Very interesting never knew that! Thx.
 Grayson wrote:
Gonna assume the man on the Staring At The Sea cover is/was a fisherman. Anyone know more about the fellow?
 
Retired fisherman John Button apparently:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Awesome that they were inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. Robert Smith looked endearingly like a dotty old aunt with his baggy dress and smeared mascara and lipstick and seemed genuinely surprised and touched by the recognition. Bless!
 Ulises wrote:

How perfectly droll.
 
Except R.E.M. sucks. Just whiney Michael Tripe (Stipe). The Cure is 1000 times superior.
The Cure was one of the connections I could make with my eldest teenage daughter back in the early 2000's.  She 'let' me take her and her friends to HFStival in DC two years running. Thank you Cure, Interpol, Foo Fighters, etc! She reciprocated by taking me to see David Byrne, Tuneyards, etc later on. Thank you music.
Gonna assume the man on the Staring At The Sea cover is/was a fisherman. Anyone know more about the fellow? 

And Mr. Bill, since all The Cure songs here eventually dissolve-devolve into discussions about Killing An Arab/Camus, go figure, maybe you could direct obsessive commenteers to THAT The Cure song. Jeez. 
The Cure ended this year's Hyde Park, London, gig with a medley of this and Killing an arab. What a fantastic gig! The whole (two hour!) gig appears on Youtube, so get watching.
Michael Dempsey is playing the bass on the incredible good song. One of Dempsey's most notable appearances was for Roxy Music: he appeared playing bass in the video for their hit single "Avalon".
 cosmiclint wrote:

I have no doubt that's true, but the book I read in high school in 1981 was also titled The Outsider.

 
I think I first read it (titled The Stranger) in 1980 or '81, but I had gotten my (old) copy from a used book store. 
what's not to like? Class.
I love this album. But not this song. :-( It killed the groove.
 NeilBlanchard wrote:
This seems like early R.E.M. speeded up about 1.5X.

 
How perfectly droll.
going to see them in June in Boston. So excited!!!
 Skydog wrote:
i may have to get this album/cd

 
Get it, GET IT!
Such a good riff and good bass line
The Cure are just not acknowledged as being as good as they are out there in musicland, thank goodness Bill and we know better

{as the umpteenth post in a few days after months of silence, anyone would think I must be software testing again and bored out of my tiny....}
i may have to get this album/cd
Bill's on a killer RHYTHM TRAIN ride tonight! The last 4 songs have had the same irresistible amped-up beat; my toes've been tappin'! 
This seems like early R.E.M. speeded up about 1.5X.
 mattrettig wrote:
Aw man, my ex-wife got this CD! Forgot how much it rocks! Need to buy it again—call it an alimony expense.
 
Damnit! There's a song withiin that comment.
Great little tune.
 radiocabeza wrote:
Am I the only one who thinks this song has the best bass line ever?

 
Nope!  That's reason this is one of my favorite Cure songs.
Am I the only one who thinks this song has the best bass line ever?
Aw man, my ex-wife got this CD! Forgot how much it rocks! Need to buy it again--call it an alimony expense.
 Proclivities wrote:

An English-language translation form 2012 had the title re-translated the title as The Outsider ...

 
I have no doubt that's true, but the book I read in high school in 1981 was also titled The Outsider.
 oldfart48 wrote:
is there a cure for this crap?

 
man, you ARE an old fart...

a seminal, seminal, record. 
 RandomousJam wrote:

...Another note - I'm interested in knowing where this book was referred to as 'The Outsider', I've always known it as 'The Stranger' or 'L’Étranger'.

 
An English-language translation form 2012 had the title re-translated the title as The Outsider for the following reason:

"In French, étranger can be translated as “outsider,” “stranger” or “foreigner.” Our protagonist, Meursault, is all three, and the concept of an outsider encapsulates all these possible meanings: Meursault is a stranger to himself, an outsider to society and a foreigner because he is a Frenchman in Algeria."
 RandomousJam wrote:

It is incorrect to say the protagonist (Meursault) shot 'the arab' for no good reason other than feeling hot and confused.

Several hours prior to the shooting, 'the arab' attacked and maimed the protagonist's friend with a knife. And when he meets Mersault on a deserted beach, he brandishes a knife and flashes it menacingly.

So there were clearly other good reasons, self defense or revenge, take your pick.

Another note - I'm interested in knowing where this book was referred to as 'The Outsider', I've always known it as 'The Stranger' or 'L’Étranger'.





 
Camus' book is titled The Stranger.  And note the lyrical reference to it in the chorus, "I am the Stranger...."
 fredriley wrote:

Having heard the song and read The Outsider in my callow youth, I'd agree with that. In the book, which really isn't worth reading these days as it was very much of its time (IMO, of course), the protagonist shoots an Arab guy on a beach in Algiers (where Camus grew up) for no good reason other than he was feeling too hot and confused. A brief synopsis is on Wikipedia.

That the Cure sung about an existentialist novel fits in with their intellectual leanings/pretensions, and existential angst was a constant theme of tortured adolescents (including myself) in those days. The essence of existentialism, at least in Camus and Sartre, is that an individual makes his (and it's always a 'he') own truth and meaning in life, and that to be influenced in this individual construction of meaning by society and others is "bad faith". Or to put it in adolescent-speak: 'nobody understands me, and I don't care'.  If there'd been emos back in the 80s, they'd have been into Camus and Sartre for sure.

 
It is incorrect to say the protagonist (Meursault) shot 'the arab' for no good reason other than feeling hot and confused.

Several hours prior to the shooting, 'the arab' attacked and maimed the protagonist's friend with a knife. And when he meets Mersault on a deserted beach, he brandishes a knife and flashes it menacingly.

So there were clearly other good reasons, self defense or revenge, take your pick.

Another note - I'm interested in knowing where this book was referred to as 'The Outsider', I've always known it as 'The Stranger' or 'L’Étranger'.




These guys are so great. 
Weird!  I just played The Cure's 1st (U.S.) album, Boys Don't Cry, with this on it yesterday.
 suesblues wrote:

Killing and Arab's a brilliant song (haven't really thought about it's political correctness or otherwise) - I thought it was based on Camus' The Outsider' where the scene on the beach is a critical moment in his existential wranglings... 

 
Having heard the song and read The Outsider in my callow youth, I'd agree with that. In the book, which really isn't worth reading these days as it was very much of its time (IMO, of course), the protagonist shoots an Arab guy on a beach in Algiers (where Camus grew up) for no good reason other than he was feeling too hot and confused. A brief synopsis is on Wikipedia.

That the Cure sung about an existentialist novel fits in with their intellectual leanings/pretensions, and existential angst was a constant theme of tortured adolescents (including myself) in those days. The essence of existentialism, at least in Camus and Sartre, is that an individual makes his (and it's always a 'he') own truth and meaning in life, and that to be influenced in this individual construction of meaning by society and others is "bad faith". Or to put it in adolescent-speak: 'nobody understands me, and I don't care'.  If there'd been emos back in the 80s, they'd have been into Camus and Sartre for sure.
That baseline at the end just finishes off the song perfectly.
Classique!
after being spooked by this pancake make-up lipstick English weirdo for most of junior high, I grew up and came to realize that the Cure are the Shizz....and have tunes that stand the test of time. I reckon they're too cool for some people but for others, they epitomize it; wacky...Singles on the Beach is stellar.
is there a cure for this crap?
FAB.
 chadlymn wrote:
In my opinion, this is the best Cure song ever!!!!!  {#Dancingbanana}
 

Yup, agreed!
 Proclivities wrote:


This song pre-dates the existence of R.E.M., but there is a similarity.  This was before The Cure got into their Gothic personas.



 
The first Cure album is still their best.  It seems like that's the case for many groups.
This is a rare - very rare TEN!!  Brilliant song.
Oh yeah!!!
That_SOB wrote:
There's smoke flying out of my gerbil's running wheel.  . .
 
{#Lol} Go Gerbil go!!!

They've always denied it but the cover is Robert Smith without his makeup.


There's smoke flying out of my gerbil's running wheel.  . .
 garycha wrote:
...plenty sounded like this in 1979 in UK. Few still sound good today though. I recall as a student that Cure caused a furure with their song Killing An Arab offending a number of the Student Left wingers across the country. Ha, so tame now. I preferred the Cure before Goth was applied as their label. My 5 year old loves A Forest.
 
Killing and Arab's a brilliant song (haven't really thought about it's political correctness or otherwise) - I thought it was based on Camus' The Outsider' where the scene on the beach is a critical moment in his existential wranglings...  Having a Cure revival right now.  Agree they looked and sounded much better before they became Goth
...plenty sounded like this in 1979 in UK. Few still sound good today though.

I recall as a student that Cure caused a furure with their song Killing An Arab offending a number of the Student Left wingers across the country. Ha, so tame now.

I preferred the Cure before Goth was applied as their label. My 5 year old loves A Forest.
Definitely one of my all time fav Cure songs! Simply awesome - and to think it was '79. Very little sounded like this.
 Sasha2001 wrote:

Nailed it, as usual. Cure circa 1979. Can you identify Robert Smith?

The Cure Circa 1979 
 
But...... they look....... normal!!!

I just can't watch this.........

A masterpiece! Reminds me when I was 20 and we went with friends with the car, looking for girls   {#Dance}
NICE
 Proclivities wrote:


This song pre-dates the existence of R.E.M., but there is a similarity.  This was before The Cure got into their Gothic personas.
 
Nailed it, as usual. Cure circa 1979. Can you identify Robert Smith?

The Cure Circa 1979 
Oh yeah................. most e xcellent bra!
In my opinion, this is the best Cure song ever!!!!!  {#Dancingbanana}
Yeah, finally a different CURE song..about time..
Great early Cure song.  It's almost two different bands, then and now.  Both awesome.
 NeilBlanchard wrote:
The first couple of chords make me think of early R.E.M.

Neil
 

This song pre-dates the existence of R.E.M., but there is a similarity.  This was before The Cure got into their Gothic personas.


The first couple of chords make me think of early R.E.M.

Neil
This music is about bandwagon. 
 rowgal wrote:
After only 2hrs sleep in the past 28 hours, this set is exactly what I need to hear!  I found myself brushing my teeth while doing some 80's pogo dancing.  Now I am ready to face to world or at least the kindergarten car pool.  Once again, thank you Bill and Rebecca.{#Bananajumprope}
 

Kindergarten car pool...words that encircle the soul, perfecting a small frenzied hell. 
Pretty good song
Great song off a great album!{#Clap}
This post apparently contained an image that was dragged into the post editor. Sorry, but any text contained in the post after this point has been lost.
Not specific to just this song, but this bunch of songs is totally the energy booster I need now while I recreate 2 hours of work eaten by Windows. Good drum beats to help me keep typing and not bang my head against the monitor. Too much, anyway.
It's Boogie-Woogie, CURE style.......................
Sorta like Cure...
 Shaker wrote:
Radio Paradise has helped me to appreciate The Cure more.{#Bounce}
 

This.

And I never thought I would EVER appreciate the Cure.
 chadlymn wrote:
This is in my top 10 albums of all-time.  One of the best songs on the album!!  So many great memories of my carefree youth!!
 

Same for me!
This is in my top 10 albums of all-time.  One of the best songs on the album!!  So many great memories of my carefree youth!!


Radio Paradise has helped me to appreciate The Cure more.{#Bounce}
Hmmm, saw note below downstream. We're looping today. You can loop this song all you want. Wonderful tune.

Posted: Nov 14, 2007 - 13:01
Bill, your segues are truly amazing. Who would have thought THAT after Subterranean Homesick Blues?

And what is even more strange: who would have thought that it works??



{#Bananajam}SMELL THE HAIRSPRAY
After only 2hrs sleep in the past 28 hours, this set is exactly what I need to hear!  I found myself brushing my teeth while doing some 80's pogo dancing.  Now I am ready to face to world or at least the kindergarten car pool.  Once again, thank you Bill and Rebecca.{#Bananajumprope}
It's like Bill is reading my mind.
 
Better than the average Cure song.
Yes. Goodlike.
From start to finish, this song just ROCKS.  My all-time favorite Cure piece.
I really don't care for The Cure anymore, ever since, oh, 1987 or so. I guess I grew up.
But this track at least reminds me of what I enjoyed in their music when I were a lad...
And no, it's not the vocals.

I still like "A Forest" though.
Great blast from my past - what a track! Amazing bass work.
 Grizzly_old_man wrote:
When my daughter was quite young I would play this album along with several others from the era on a pretty regular basis. One after noon we were playing cards while a stack of albums was playing and when this tune came up she put her cards down and looked at me and said, "They really aren't talking about trains are they". That was my first clue that she was growing up.
 
My daughter is five, and she's mystified by the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

"Why can't he stay or go?" "Why will there be trouble?" These are the questions I get.

Quite the rarity - a decent Cure song.
Great song. I love the percussion train thing at the end.
the guitars here remind me a bit of what Pete Buck was doing on the Chronic Town EP.  Late 70's, early 80's: something in the air
Grizzly_old_man wrote:
When my daughter was quite young I would play this album along with several others from the era on a pretty regular basis. One after noon we were playing cards while a stack of albums was playing and when this tune came up she put her cards down and looked at me and said, "They really aren't talking about trains are they". That was my first clue that she was growing up.


Great story, thanks for that! 


...this is a favorite of mine...
Zeito wrote:
Attacking other peoples furnaces. Luckily I have a Lennox furnace and not a Trane, so I don't have to worry about Robert Smith sneaking into my basement and jumping my furnace.
Thanks. That was classic. Made me laugh out loud this morning. -dave
andrewimft wrote:
I'm not sure what it's really about; my interpretation is it's about people pretending to be hip and following the latest fads and not being genuine, but I'm not sure. Mostly I just love the music, which is absolutely great classic Cure and just jumps off the stereo and rocks.
I think you've pretty much nailed it.
Glockman45 wrote:
What IS Robert singing about then?
Lyrics:
Don't say what you mean You might spoil your face If you walk in the crowd You won't leave any trace It's always the same You're jumping someone else's train It won't take you long To learn the new smile You'll have to adapt Or you'll be out of style It's always the same You're jumping someone else's train If you pick up on it quick You can say you were there Again and again and again You're jumping someone else's train It's the latest wave That you've been craving for The old ideal Was getting such a bore Now you're back in line Going not quite quite as far But in half the time Everyone's happy They're finally all the same 'cause everyone's jumping Everyone else's train Jumping someone else's train Jumping someone else's train Jumping someone else's train
I'm not sure what it's really about; my interpretation is it's about people pretending to be hip and following the latest fads and not being genuine, but I'm not sure. Mostly I just love the music, which is absolutely great classic Cure and just jumps off the stereo and rocks.
Glockman45 wrote:
What IS Robert singing about then?
Attacking other peoples furnaces. Luckily I have a Lennox furnace and not a Trane, so I don't have to worry about Robert Smith sneaking into my basement and jumping my furnace.
ah yes, the Cure at their best
What IS Robert singing about then?
mandolin wrote:
...awesome segue from subterranean homesick blues...
seconded.
When my daughter was quite young I would play this album along with several others from the era on a pretty regular basis. One after noon we were playing cards while a stack of albums was playing and when this tune came up she put her cards down and looked at me and said, "They really aren't talking about trains are they". That was my first clue that she was growing up.
That felt gooooood!
Old school stuff here.
Super SONG from a super Band
Annoying accent...
one the best songs of the cure - EVER
Hey - earlier we had that saccharin sweet Cure. Now, the real deal. Thanks.
Bill, your segues are truly amazing. Who would have thought THAT after Subterranean Homesick Blues? And what is even more strange: who would have thought that it works??
jjbix wrote:
ugh.
double ugh
NeilBlanchard wrote:
Wow, I thought this was R.E.M. (until the singer started, anyway)! And I guess it precedes the R.E.M. debut by a year or two...
Early Cure influenced the sound of early REM. Compare The Cure's "Fire In Cairo" to REM's "Boxcars" (from the Chronic Town EP).
ugh.
Those good old'days!