A Little Boy Named Train

A Little Boy Named Train

Green Day

Billie Joe’s son went to school with “Train,” who was raised by two women. Throughout the song, the narrator eludes to the general feeling of uncertainty surrounding this character. As a child, the character did not have control of his life, and was forced to roll with the punches, “like a rat inside a maze.” This carries strong meaning because this high degree of uncertainty isn’t usually part of a person’s life. Now, the only choice “Train” has is to accept what he’s been through, and wonder where he’ll be tomorrow. The song is completely summed up in these lines: “Don’t know where I come from / But I know where I have been.”