Runaway Train

Who it's for

Dave Pirner has said he wrote it about his own depression, the sense of being on a track you can't get off.

Feelings it meets

• Depression
• Feeling Stuck
• Living With Mental Illness

What it is

"Runaway Train" is a song by American alternative rock band Soul Asylum from their 1992 album Grave Dancers Union, released as a single in 1993. Singer Dave Pirner has said the lyrics first described his own experience of depression, using a runaway train as a metaphor for depression spiraling out of control, and that the song is meant to remind listeners they are not alone.

Where to find it

All major streaming services.

Before you start

Heads up: Depression; video shows missing persons.

Age: All ages

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all –Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers” (poem 314)