Trains Across the Sea

"Trains Across the Sea" is track two on Starlite Walker, after "Introduction II", written by Berman, 3:15 by MusicBrainz, recorded in June 1994 at Easley Recordings. Wikipedia says Berman said it was the first song he ever composed; a blog post says he wrote it as a student at UMass. No explanation from Berman was found. The FADER's Tal Rosenberg describes a setup followed by an unexpected turn, an image that beautifully corresponds to the same elegant manner of incremental decay, and John Lingan of The Ringer cites its lyrics about years of heavy drinking as a sign of Berman's self-deprecating humor. Far Out calls it an anthem signaling the wry wit of the later work.

Setlist.fm shows it in 37 setlists, tied with "Random Rules" for the most played of 107. Recorded live versions include La Sala Rossa in Montreal on September 3, 2008 and WFMU on Benjamin Walker's show on September 8, 2008. Bill Callahan opened Webster Hall in New York on August 22, 2019 with it, in tribute to Berman, and Stephen Malkmus played it solo at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow on September 13, 2019, which Stereogum said was as far as it knew the first time he had played it in concert. No video or samples were found.