I caught the bus in Chinatown
And slept the whole way up I-95
The driver, cut and weaved so crazy, just his luck kept him alive
And I guess I believed his rhythm on that morning after New Year's Eve

And I remember Shanghai
How I wasn't sure just what was safe to eat
The chickens pecked and wandered at the barefoot ankles of
The children hawking figurines of workers smiling
What's the Chinese word for cheese?

Watched a sidewalk butcher
His instinctive understanding
Made the carcass snap and clarify
Beneath his nimble hands that held
The knife so long, so many times, the handles changed to
Shapes just like his fingers and his palms

And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore

And I, I am a passenger tonight
I watch the world
From his side

It's 2AM in Tokyo
And still too soon to call back to
The people who will soon begin the day I polished off and I will
Walk a mile amidst the neon lights that advertise but
I don't know just what they sell

I tell the taxi driver
To the park, a higher tone
And his gloves are pristine white just like the girls I used to know would wear
To dance their first cotillion
Every single one of them named Jennifer

I clutched at the same Christopher
I picked up at some country abbey
Long ago when I believed he'd keep me safe and make me happy
But it seems the luck he brings
Is not the common currency of penny in Japan

And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore

And I, I am a passenger tonight
I watch the world
From his side

And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
Anymore


Lyrics submitted by smileforthecamera, edited by Wheel, shaunsanderson

The Chinatown Bus Lyrics as written by Christian Rudder Justin Rice

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Chinatown Bus song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    the chorus is actually: "I, I am a passenger tonight, I watch the world From inside"

    anyhow, i love the cute details in all of the stories bishop allen sings. i'm seeing them in sf... yay!

    underratedon July 31, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the chorus is different depending on which version of the song you listen to. these lyrics are from the May EP not the album version.

    also does anyone else think it's "And slept the whole way up I-95", which is the interstate many of these buses travels on from DC to Philly and NYC.

    hewinsdon September 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the chinatown bus is a super cheap bus that leaves from chinatown in NYC and goes all over the east coast. i took it once from NYC to Boston, so chances are the 95 he's talking about is from NYC to DC.

    also, i think this version's chorus, "i am a broken glass...etc" along with the references to NYC, Tokyo, and Shanghai symbolize (for me at least) how this person's all over the world and isn't in one place long enough to form any real connections, and is disconnecting himself from those at home (like how he can't call his friends from tokyo because it's too early still, and how he's finished his day before they've even begun theirs.)

    i dunno, it resonates with me, and i really enjoy this song!

    mtdewjunkieon June 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "I clutched at the same Christopher" should be "I clutched at the SAINT Christopher" as in St. Christopher's Medallion which is traditionally worn for protection on journeys. Great song- great band.

    labrat2k2on July 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    common currency of a penny in japan

    finkle1388on August 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    乳酪

    that's the chinese word for "cheese." haha

    GoneSailingon August 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm fairly sure that the lyric: "I tell the taxi driver To the park, a higher tone" Is actually ""I tell the taxi driver To the Park-o, Hyatt-o" As in the Park Hyatt hotel, a famous Tokyo landmark hotel that featured in 'Lost in Translation' and a frequent destination for wandering tourists. The addition of the '-o' is a stereotypical Japanese pronunciation of Western words.

    shaunsandersonon January 14, 2015   Link

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