Album: London Calling (1979)

Charted: 27

License This Song 

• They say you stand
  By your man
  Tell me something
  I don't understand
  You said you loved me
  And that's a fact
  And then you left me
  Said you felt trapped
  Well,somethings you can explain away
  But the heartache's with me till this day
  Did you stand by me
  No,not at all
  Did you stand by me
  No way
  All the times
  That we were closed
  I remember
  These things the most
  I've seen all our dreams
  Come tumblin' down
  I can't stay happy
  Without you around
  So alone I keep the wolves a bay
  And there's only one thing I can say
  Did you stand by me
  No,not at all
  Did you stand by me
  No way
  You must explain
  Why this must be
  Did you lie
  When you spoke to me
  Did you stand by me
  No,not at all
  Now I got a job
  But it don't pay
  I need new clothes
  I need somewhere to stay
  But without all these things I can do
  But without your love
  I won't make it through
  Without you love
  I won't make it through
  But you don't understand my point of view
  I suppose there's nothing I can do
  Did you stand by me
  No,not at all
  Did you stand by me
  No way
  Did you stand by me
  No,not at all
  Did you stand by me
  No way
  Stand by me,no way
  Stand by me,not at all
  Stand by me,no way
  Stand by me,not at all
  Stand by me,no way Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 34

• Sunny Boy Kd from Riviera Beach FloridaI'm 61 years old. I still listen to the class. London Calling is the first album I ever heard from them. When I listen to the 1st song, I said what the heck is this and I've been a fan ever since. One thing I would like to know though what key on the harmonica was Mick Jones playing during the song?
• Mimi from ColoradoThe Clash is one of my favorite bands. A lot of people my age think I'm weird because I listen to this type of music and not rap.
• Taylor from Sydney, Australia One of the greatest Clash songs by far.
• Mark from Syracuse, NyIve read somewhere the name of this song is a reference to one of the band members that would take the train to see the love of his life only to be rejected every time he went there
• Derek from Great Barrington, Ma The day ithe album came out in Boston, I snapped it up. My girlfriend came over to my crappy little college apartment. She was beautiful, but not much of a music fan. Her favorite performers were Andrew Gold and the Bay City Rollers. I swear, when I cued up "TIV", she started to listen. "What song is that?" "Who is this band?" And she became a huge Clash fan. I don't know, exactly, what that means, but I think it means "Train In Vain" was a great song, at least.
• Dorian-michael from Decatur, Al"Trains" need no mention in the actual lyrics of "Train In Vain"; The Clash depict - with guitar, bass, drums and harmonica - an aural portrayal of "the essence" of a passing train so well that an actual lyrical mention would be downright tacky - and quite redundant.
• Dorian-michael from Decatur, AlA couple of people have posted that "the first North American pressing had the title scratched on the inner groove of the vinyl?" and "the word's (sic)'train (sic) In Vain' were actually etched in to (sic) the vinyl of the record to acknowledge the song'.
  
  I can assure you... not ALL of them! I bought the only copy of The Clash album, "London Calling", sold by our lone, local record store on the day it was released . When I got home, I was shocked and dismayed that "Train In Vain" (my new, ABSOLUTE favorite song at the moment) was to be seen NOWHERE on cover, sleeve, or album-label! I closely perused the discs and quickly noticed the "track bands" on the four album sides totaled one greater than the sum of the listed tracks. Though tempted to skip tracks - I didn't cheat.
  
  I immersed myself into "London Calling" while following along to the illustrated lyrics on the inner-sleeves and studying what may still be the "Greatest Rock Album Cover Ever" in all its clever, artful, "King of Rock'n'Roll"-referencing glory: equal parts Elvis-mocking and Elvis-homage. Engrossed in this unique, uber-creative music, I experienced the entire work, each song in proper sequence, until finally, with growing anxiety (What if the song's not on here?) and eager anticipation, I listened as "Revolution Rock" gradually faded out and was followed by several, trepidly quiet seconds punctuated only by vinyl's inherent, subtle-yet-ubiquitous, "snap-crackle-pop."
  
  Then... a freight-train of musical bliss overtook me as that railroad, locomotive-chug drumbeat heralded those beautifully deliberate guitar notes - stabbing emphatically from my stereo speakers: bont-dount bont-b'dou-dont / bont-dount bont-dou-dont... "Train In Vain"! Yes! Of course it's on there - it's the single - and, here, I doubted "Train In Vain" in vain.
  
  So!... My runaway train-of-thought, finally pulling up alongside the platform now - after having gone quite the long, meandering, way 'round - arrives at this simple terminus: I was quite the Clash-enamored lad who studied that wonderful, vinyl-masterpiece thoroughly. I can say with total certainty that, scratched into the surface of the outro-groove area between the last tracks and the labels, were, NOT the words; "Train In Vain" - but a surprising and unusual gibe - seemingly aimed at taunting their biggest cross-genre, "punk vs. metal/hard rock" rival. Starting, at one word per album side, on side one; "TEAR...", side two continued; "...DOWN...", "...THE..." followed on side three, and side four concluded: "...WALL!" Was it coincidence that Pink Floyd's huge and epic "The Wall" album had just been released two weeks earlier? How snotty and cheekily "punk" of "the only band that matters!"
• Niles from Belpre, OhI agree with Rahul
• Rahul from Chennai, Indiadefinitely 'one of the best' clash songs.....
• Adam from South Pasadena, Israelthe live version is sick
• Kevin from Reading , PaIt's a longstanding belief that Joe Strummer disliked this song because it was too pop for the "Only Band that Matters." I find this a little hard to believe, because the "Londong Calling" was, for the Clash anyway, a fairly poppy album, so the song doesn't sound so out of place, as it might on some other efforts. Maybe Strummer was just jealous that Jones got the spotlight on this one.
• Pat from Reading, Mai just got back from bass lessons and i learned this song. Paul Simonon is the best non-solo bassist ever.
• Allie from Pine Knob, MiHarmonica, drums, piano and bass= an awesome song that doesn't rely on a big guitar part, something you don't really hear that much anymore,good singing, his voice quivers a bit!!!=)
• Peter from Buffalo, NyThis song is featured in the EA sports video game "NCAA '06"
• Joe from Chicago, Arawesome song by an awesome band..... and the lyrics are really good as well i love this song and i love the london calling album......they have other really good albums but london calling is the best.......by the way not that it matters (because it really dosen't) but this song was in you me and dupree :P
• Brandi from El Paso, TxThis is such a great song and such a great band that they are truely an influence on my life. Paul Simonon is totally hot in his younger days. Long live the Clash!!!
• Jim from Dayton, OhThe band "Garbage" sampled the drum intro for the song "Stupid Girl".
• Devin from Rancho Cucamonga, CaActually, The Clash refrenced two songs. The first, "Love In Vain" by Robert Johnson and Ben E. Kings famous song "Stand By Me" That's echoed in this songs chorus.
• Joshua from Twin Cities, MnThe song also features a fairly obvious response to Tammy Wynette's country hit "Stand By Your Man" from the previous year (a la Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" whose second verse responds to two different Neil Young songs).
• Nathan from From The Country Of, Canadamy favourite Clash song
• Ralph from Newton, MaThough they don't get airplay anymore, I remember "I Fought the Law," "Clampdown" and "Police on my Back" at the time getting some airplay on the rock (as opposed to top 40) stations.
• Sara from Pakenham, Australiathe guy that said that the clash only have 3 songs that get mainstearm radio airplay.....i think u got the 3 song wrong scrap train in vain 4 london calling..
  -sara
• Ace from Kingston , CanadaI agree wiht what the guy said below me, they have SO MANY GOOD SONGS! and they dont get noticed,thanks god for the young generation like me that knows good music when he hears it eh!! aha, but i love this.. it is kind of on the same lines of the Queen Song "Save Me" i dontmean the music but the meaning, the clash ARE a great band
• Roger from Los Angeles, CaThe Clash were one of the great bands in the history of rock. Unfortunately only 3 of their songs really got any real mainstream radio airplay, this song, Rock the Casbah, and Should I Stay or Should I Go. Those songs all had a jangly top 40 feel to them that their other songs didn't have. It is unfortunate because they have so many other better songs than these three.
• Mark from Los Angeles, CaHere's are thoughts on the meaning of the title:
  
  Johnny Black:
  The meaning of the song's title is equally obscure. Sometimes it seems as if every little boy who once dreamed of growing up to be a train engineer became a songwriter instead. Throughout popular music, from blues to country to disco to rock, songs about trains are almost as common as songs about cars: Chattanooga Choo Choo, The Midnight Special, Mystery Train, Love Train.
  
  With the Clash, however, things are never quite what they seem â?? and no train is mentioned in the song. Mick Jones, who wrote most of it, offers a prosaic explanation: The track was like a train rhythm, and there was, once again, that feeling of being lost.
• David from Montreal, CanadaThis song was definitely a last minute addition - can you believe that the first North American pressing had the title scratched on the inner groove of the vinyl?!!! It was not on the album cover any where. They did not want to release it as it was too commercial. But the label convinced them in the end last minute.
• Dan from Pacific, MoShould I Stay Or Should I Go went to #1 in 1991.
• Johnny from Oakland, CaGarbage used the drum line from Train In Vain for their song "Stupid Girl", and in a gracious gesture credited Strummer/Jones with writing the song.
• Jackie from Fairfield, CtWhen the album came out, since there was no time to redo the packaging, the word's "train In Vain" were actually etched in to the vinyl of the record to acknowledge the song.
• Chris from New York, NyThe song was written and recorded in one day. The N.M.E. had requested a song to include in the tabloid as a single sided flexi-disc to coincide with the album's release. The catch was that N.M.E. wanted an exclusive, a song that someone could only get with their paper. The Clash agree, but had no out-takes from the session to contribute. So, they rushed into the studio and wrote and recorded the whole thing on the spot in one day. After all that (kissing ass to the music press), the N.M.E. flaked out and changed their minds. The publisher didn't want to pay to have the flexi-disc pressed and copped out. The album cover and the labels for the LP had already been printed. The albums had not, however, been pressed yet. The band really liked the song and didn't want to toss it so they squeezed it on to the end of the album anyway. Hence the unlisted track...
  
  But this still doesn't explain why it is titled "Train In Vain"...
  
  Now, someone that really has the scoop needs to share that one.
• Adam from Jupiter, FlWasn't the catchy intro to this song copied at the beginning of a mid-to-late 90's alternative song? (Stupid Girl by Garbage?) Every time I heard the song on the radio I got excited because I thought it was Train in Vain.
• Jon from Cardiff, WalesWas also covered live by the Manic Street Preachers, a recording of which they used as a B-Side.
• Audrey from Boston, MaAnnie Lennox did an amazing cover of this song, which later showed up in the Ashley Judd movie "Someone Like You".
• Matt from London, EnglandNot intentionally hidden. The song was brought into the studio and indeed to the attention of the band after the copy for the cover had been approved and gone to press.

More Songfacts:

All ApologiesNirvana

When the Christian band DC Talk covered Nirvana's "All Apologies" at concerts, they would change the line "Everyone is gay" to "Jesus is the Way."

Hot For TeacherVan Halen

The voice of Waldo in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" video was the late Phil Hartman of Saturday Night Live Fame.

The Way We WereBarbra Streisand

"The Way We Were" was the first of five Hot 100 #1 singles recorded by Barbra Streisand. She is the only artist ever to receive an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy as well as record a #1 single and album.

Red Red WineUB40

UB40's cover of "Red Red Wine" was a minor hit when first released in 1983, but it went to #1 five years later when radio stations in Phoenix started playing it.

The Man Comes AroundJohnny Cash

The idea for "The Man Comes Around" came to Johnny Cash from a dream he had where he was in Buckingham Palace and the Queen said to him, "Johnny Cash, you're just like a thorn tree in a whirlwind."

Addicted To LoveRobert Palmer

The models in Robert Palmer's iconic "Addicted To Love" video were chosen in part because they couldn't play music, so they're all playing and moving to different rhythms.

Editor's Picks

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.