--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And there's a metal train that's a mile…" description: "\"And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long til it reaches and kills the driver, provid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png" --- # And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the… ![“And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long til it reaches and kills the driver, provided that he's a good conductor.” quote by Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png) > “And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long til it reaches and kills the driver, provided that he's a good conductor.” [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A surreal image of a massive train and a lightning strike illustrates the absurdity of waiting for an inevitable disaster, highlighting how fate can be both distant and imminent. **In simple terms:** Absurd fate and delayed danger. Key Takeaway Patience can be fatal when danger is inevitable. Themes absurdism fate danger time inevitability dark humor Mood darkly humorous thoughtful ironic Type aphoristic surreal philosophical When to use this quote - waiting for a crisis - anticipating disaster - being a good conduit for harm - long journeys - dangerous occupations Key Concepts metal train lightning bolt conductor driver Practical Applications - creative writing - thematic analysis Questions to Reflect On - What does the train symbolize? - How does the conductor’s role affect the outcome? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conductor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) ## Related quotes > [A good conductor ought to be a good chauffeur; the qualities that make the one also make the other. They are concentration, an incessant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-rachmaninoff/a-good-conductor-ought-to-be-a-good-chauffeur-the-qualities-that-make/) [Sergei Rachmaninoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-rachmaninoff/) > [Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/another-secret-of-the-universe-sometimes-pain-was-like-a-storm-that/) [Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [Lightning Bolt and Hella are two bands I listen to, and there's a lot of finger tapping going on there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marnie-stern/lightning-bolt-and-hella-are-two-bands-i-listen-to-and-there-s-a-lot/) [Marnie Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marnie-stern/) > [Truth be told, there wasn't a single one of them who didn't deserve a lightning bolt from the Almighty. Everything else was straight mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-duran/truth-be-told-there-wasn-t-a-single-one-of-them-who-didn-t-deserve-a/) Mike Duran > [“Falling in love is like getting struck by a lightning bolt.  It comes out of nowhere.  And you’re never the same afterwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-brent/falling-in-love-is-like-getting-struck-by-a-lightning-bolt-it-comes/) [Cora Brent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-brent/) > [He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/he-has-the-attention-span-of-a-lightning-bolt/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [My name is Bolt, Lightning Bolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/my-name-is-bolt-lightning-bolt/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [“You changed him, Grace, like a God damn lightning bolt to the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-zolendz/you-changed-him-grace-like-a-god-damn-lightning-bolt-to-the-heart/) [Christine Zolendz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-zolendz/) > [You look at Vladimir Radmanovic, this guy is cut from stone. As if Michelangelo was reading and a lightning bolt flashed before him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walton/you-look-at-vladimir-radmanovic-this-guy-is-cut-from-stone-as-if/) [Bill Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walton/) > [Once you let go of the idea of waiting for a magical lightning bolt of genius to hit, you can really get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/once-you-let-go-of-the-idea-of-waiting-for-a-magical-lightning-bolt/) [Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/) > [A song is an emotional lightning bolt - a good one, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/a-song-is-an-emotional-lightning-bolt-a-good-one-anyway/) [Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/) > [Both the 'Gregor' series and 'The Hunger Games' are what I call lightning-bolt ideas. There was a moment where the idea came to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/both-the-gregor-series-and-the-hunger-games-are-what-i-call-lightning/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Your shadow stealthily leaves nothing of where you go, like a poisoned needle that sews together my footsteps. Your light pliantly strikes the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/your-shadow-stealthily-leaves-nothing-of-where-you-go-like-a-poisoned/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [“...that lightning bolt was mine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/that-lightning-bolt-was-mine/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“A lightning bolt can be summoned with the command—/summon LightningBolt 29.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herobrine-books/a-lightning-bolt-can-be-summoned-with-the-command-summon/) [Herobrine Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herobrine-books/) ## More by Bo Burnham > [The strange thing with Wikipedia is that the first article that ever gets written about you will define your Wikipedia page forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/the-strange-thing-with-wikipedia-is-that-the-first-article-that-ever/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [“Well, man, you know what they say." No, I don't. I don't know what they say. I don't even know who they are. Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/well-man-you-know-what-they-say-no-i-don-t-i-don-t-know-what-they-say/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Women are like fingers and toes because they're easy to count on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/women-are-like-fingers-and-toes-because-they-re-easy-to-count-on/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I do think that stand-up comedy in general heavily favors masculinity and so I like to act a little feminine onstage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-do-think-that-stand-up-comedy-in-general-heavily-favors-masculinity/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Most of my songs make fun of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/most-of-my-songs-make-fun-of-myself/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I write about what I know: teenage dating, overly charged sexuality, all the things that make you uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-write-about-what-i-know-teenage-dating-overly-charged-sexuality-all/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [People give me money and I don't know why, my real collection plate is an empty cup held by a homeless guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/people-give-me-money-and-i-don-t-know-why-my-real-collection-plate-is/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Comedy doesn't really matter that much; I know that. I treat it like an adult - I don't treat it like a child or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/comedy-doesn-t-really-matter-that-much-i-know-that-i-treat-it-like-an/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I've always liked the format of YouTube, sharing things for free, which is a nice exchange between people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-ve-always-liked-the-format-of-youtube-sharing-things-for-free-which/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Comedy is very strange to me and I don't fully understand it's purpose or function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/comedy-is-very-strange-to-me-and-i-don-t-fully-understand-it-s/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I don't really care about capitalizing on momentum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-don-t-really-care-about-capitalizing-on-momentum/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [If your belief is hateful towards people, I couldn't respect that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/if-your-belief-is-hateful-towards-people-i-couldn-t-respect-that/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [When life gets you down, make a comforter!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/when-life-gets-you-down-make-a-comforter/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I grew up listening to Steve Martin and Robin Williams, so I didn't ever intend to be a musical comedian. I sort of stumbled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-grew-up-listening-to-steve-martin-and-robin-williams-so-i-didn-t/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) [Explore all 258 Bo Burnham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) ## More Conductor quotes > [I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-don-t-feel-that-the-conductor-has-real-power-the-orchestra-has-the/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [The success of our operas rests most of the time in the hands of the conductor. This person is as necessary as a tenor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-verdi/the-success-of-our-operas-rests-most-of-the-time-in-the-hands-of-the/) [Giuseppe Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-verdi/) > [I was afraid to board a streetcar because of the conductor; I was afraid to enter the Kabuki Theater for fear of the usherettes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-was-afraid-to-board-a-streetcar-because-of-the-conductor-i-was/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [“When you are waiting for a train, don't keep perpetually looking to see if it is coming. The time of its arrival is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-waiting-for-a-train-don-t-keep-perpetually-looking-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I admire Tom Ades: he's a brilliant conductor, and he gets just the right hard, brilliant sound from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-admire-tom-ades-he-s-a-brilliant-conductor-and-he-gets-just-the/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [New York for a long time was a kind of conductor's graveyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/new-york-for-a-long-time-was-a-kind-of-conductor-s-graveyard/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [Zeal, the blind conductor of the will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/zeal-the-blind-conductor-of-the-will/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Monet was like a conductor. He painted with quite a straight arm and used bold strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/monet-was-like-a-conductor-he-painted-with-quite-a-straight-arm-and/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [Today's parents have little authority over those others with whom they share the task of raising their children. On the contrary,most parents deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/today-s-parents-have-little-authority-over-those-others-with-whom/) [Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/) > [I knew that I'd lived in New York too long when, a few years ago, I was on a subway going downtown, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-knew-that-i-d-lived-in-new-york-too-long-when-a-few-years-ago-i-was/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [Sympathy wanting, all is wanting; its personal magnetism is the conductor of the sacred spark that lights our atoms, puts us m human communion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/sympathy-wanting-all-is-wanting-its-personal-magnetism-is-the/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [I'm a conductor of revivals. The only minister in the whole package. Little Richard, the evangelist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-m-a-conductor-of-revivals-the-only-minister-in-the-whole-package/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [Direction is the most invisible part of the theatrical art. It's not like the conductor in the symphony orchestra performance because he's standing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/direction-is-the-most-invisible-part-of-the-theatrical-art-it-s-not/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [“pulled out my Valery Gergiev trump card and said I would have to call him about getting another hotel. There are many ways in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/pulled-out-my-valery-gergiev-trump-card-and-said-i-would-have-to-call/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) [Browse all 248 Conductor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long til it reaches and kills the driver, provided that he's a good conductor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bo Burnham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile-long-and-at-the-very-back-end/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conductor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile-long-and-at-the-very-back-end/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/bo-burnham-1313_conductor_and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile_18438.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long…” — Bo Burnham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bo Burnham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And there's a metal train that's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile-long-and-at-the-very-back-end/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile-long-and-at-the-very-back-end/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```