Rudy's on a train to nowhere, halfway down the line
He don't want to get there, but he needs time
He ain't sophisticated, nor well-educated
After all the hours he wasted, still he needs time
He needs time
He needs time for livin'
He needs time
For someone just to see him
He ain't had no lovin'
For no reason or rhyme
And the whole world's above him
Well it's not as though he's fat
No there's more to this than that
See, he tries to play it cool
Wouldn't be nobody fool
Rudy thought that all good things comes to those that wait
But recently he could see that it may come but too late, too late, too late
All through your life, all through the years
Nobody loved, nobody cared
So dim the light, dark are your fears
Try as I might, I can't hold back the tears
How can you live without love, it's not fair?
Someone said give but I just didn't dare
I didn't dare, I didn't dare
What good advice are you waiting to hear?
Hearing's alright for them that's all there
Hearing's alright
You'd better gain control now
You'd better show 'em all now
You'd better make or break now
You'd better give and take now
You'll have to push and shove now
You'll have to find some love now
You'd better gain control now
Now he's just come out the movie
Numb of all the pain,
Sad but in a while he'll soon be
Back on his train
He don't want to get there, but he needs time
He ain't sophisticated, nor well-educated
After all the hours he wasted, still he needs time
He needs time
He needs time for livin'
He needs time
For someone just to see him
He ain't had no lovin'
For no reason or rhyme
And the whole world's above him
Well it's not as though he's fat
No there's more to this than that
See, he tries to play it cool
Wouldn't be nobody fool
Rudy thought that all good things comes to those that wait
But recently he could see that it may come but too late, too late, too late
All through your life, all through the years
Nobody loved, nobody cared
So dim the light, dark are your fears
Try as I might, I can't hold back the tears
How can you live without love, it's not fair?
Someone said give but I just didn't dare
I didn't dare, I didn't dare
What good advice are you waiting to hear?
Hearing's alright for them that's all there
Hearing's alright
You'd better gain control now
You'd better show 'em all now
You'd better make or break now
You'd better give and take now
You'll have to push and shove now
You'll have to find some love now
You'd better gain control now
Now he's just come out the movie
Numb of all the pain,
Sad but in a while he'll soon be
Back on his train
Lyrics submitted by cheeky_munkeys42
"Rudy" as written by Roger Hodgson Richard Davies
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song is from one of Supertramps earlier albums called "Crime of the Century." It's the album where they got another few of their hits, including "Dreamer," and "Bloody Well Right."
*IMPORTANT*
Basically, the entire album is a story. The first song, "School", talks about a kid named Rudy who hates the education system because it discourages free-thinking and creativity. The album then goes on to talk about how Rudy protests this in many different forms and to many people, including his friends, his parents, and his teachers. He becomes dissillusioned from society.
In "Rudy", Rudy has been put into a psychiatric hospital because he had a mental breakdown. The song itself talks about how Rudy has been let out and is able to co-exist in society, but is in a constant state of self-crisis. He tries to fit in, but really can't, and the line "He'll soon be back on his train," talks about how he eventually will accept that he will never fit in.
One of my fav Supertramp songs, so sad, so true. (Remember, this is based in Britain in the '70's.)
I'd pair it with "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" by Alan Parsons, with a similar theme of too much time wasted and not enough left. Both aren't easy to listen to when you see elements of your own life!
The TRUTH is, I was 15 and just loved this song. Also, the reference to the hospital is in the song "Asylum" on the same album; however both Davies and Hodgson have said that "Crime of the Century" isn't really a concept album (even though the songs all have unifying themes).
You know, I'd never heard "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" until you mentioned it, so thank you! Also, damn that's a sad song to hear, especially as I'm graduating Uni haha. But as the song goes, "the show must go on."
Thanks for the reply, I still love this site (even if Genius.com kind of surpassed it), and it was a nice reminder :)
The TRUTH is, I was 15 and just loved this song. Also, the reference to the hospital is in the song "Asylum" on the same album; however both Davies and Hodgson have said that "Crime of the Century" isn't really a concept album (even though the songs all have unifying themes).
You know, I'd never heard "Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)" until you mentioned it, so thank you! Also, damn that's a sad song to hear, especially as I'm graduating Uni haha. But as the song goes, "the show must go on."
Thanks for the reply, I still love this site (even if Genius.com kind of surpassed it), and it was a nice reminder :)
Particularly the closing lyrics:
"Now he's just come out the movie
Numb of all the pain
Sad but in a while he'll soon be
Back on his train..."
For some reason it just makes me think of some of my chronic psych patients I see in the ER.