Elegies to Lessons Learnt is I Like Trains' first studio album, and was released on 1 October 2007.

As with their earlier EP, Progress Reform

Progress Reform

Progress Reform is an EP by the Leeds-based post-rock group I Like Trains. The titles of the songs employ the same capitalisation format as the band's name, capitalising all letters except for i's. The EP's title is a reference to the lyrics of "The Beeching Report", which are concerned with the...

, many of the songs cover historical events. Each B-Side (indented here) tells a different aspect of the same story as its single.

• "We All Fall Down" is about the plague
  Great Plague of London
  The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
  
   epidemic of 1665 in Eyam
  Eyam
  Eyam is a small village in Derbyshire, England. The village is best known for being the "plague village" that chose to isolate itself when the plague was discovered there in August 1665, rather than let the infection spread...
  
  , Derbyshire
  Derbyshire
  Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
  
  , which killed 260 people and left only 83 alive.
• "Twenty Five Sins" is about the Great Fire of London
  Great Fire of London
  The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
  
   in 1666.
• "The Deception" tells of Donald Crowhurst
  Donald Crowhurst
  Donald Crowhurst was a British businessman and amateur sailor who died while competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Crowhurst had entered the race in hopes of winning a cash prize from The Sunday Times to aid his failing business...
  
  , who attempted to cheat in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race
  Sunday Times Golden Globe Race
  The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, held in 1968–1969, and was the first round-the-world yacht race...
  
   in 1968-1969, but disappeared from the race, presumed to have become insane and committed suicide.
  • "Joshua" is an instrumental telling the story of Bernard Moitessier
    Bernard Moitessier
    Bernard Moitessier was a renowned French yachtsman and author of books about his voyages and sailing....
    
    , another competitor in the Golden Globe Race, who abandoned the race while in a strong position to win and instead circled the globe one and a half times until he reached Tahiti
    Tahiti
    Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
    
    .
  • "Victress" tells the story of Nigel Tetley
    Nigel Tetley
    Nigel Tetley was the first person to circumnavigate the world solo in a trimaran.- The race :A native of South Africa, and a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy, he entered the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, which was the first non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race...
    
    , another competitor in the Golden Globe Race, who became the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo non-stop, but then sank 1,200 miles before completing the race.
• "The Voice Of Reason" refers to the attempted assassination of George III by James Hadfield
  James Hadfield
  James Hadfield or Hatfield attempted to assassinate George III of the United Kingdom in 1800 but was acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity....
  
   in 1800.
• "Death of an Idealist" is about the British MP
  Member of Parliament
  A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
  
   John Stonehouse
  John Stonehouse
  John Thomson Stonehouse was a British politician and minister under Harold Wilson. Stonehouse is perhaps best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death in 1974...
  
  , who faked his own death in 1974 and lived in Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  , to escape his burdening debt, before being found by Interpol
  Interpol
  Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
  
  .
• "Remnants of an Army" is about William Brydon
  William Brydon
  William Brydon CB was an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War and is famous for being the only member of an army of 4,500 men to reach safety in Jalalabad at the end of the long retreat from Kabul.He was born in London of Scottish descent...
  
  , the only European survivor of the Massacre of Elphinstone's Army
  Massacre of Elphinstone's Army
  The Massacre of Elphinstone's Army was the destruction by Afghan forces, led by Akbar Khan, the son of Dost Mohammad Khan, of a combined British and Indian force of the British East India Company, led by Major General William Elphinstone, in January 1842....
  
   on the retreat from Kabul
  Kabul
  Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
  
   in 1842.
• "We Go Hunting" is about Samuel Parris
  Samuel Parris
  Samuel Parris was the Puritan minister in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials; he was also the father of one of the afflicted girls, and the uncle of another.-Life:...
  
  , the Puritan Minister in Salem, Massachusetts
  Salem, Massachusetts
  Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
  
   during the Salem Witch Trials
  Salem witch trials
  The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
  
   of 1692 and father to one of the afflicted girls.
  • "More Weight" tells story of Giles Corey
    Giles Corey
    Giles Corey was a prosperous farmer and full member of the church in early colonial America who died under judicial torture during the Salem witch trials. Corey refused to enter a plea, and was crushed to death by stone weights in an attempt to force him to do so...
    
    , a farmer who was crushed to death by stone weights during the Salem Witch Trials, in an attempt to force a plea from him.
• "Come Over" is about Conrad Schumann
  Conrad Schumann
  Hans Conrad Schumann was an East German soldier who famously defected to West Germany during the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.-Early life:...
  
  , a 19-year-old East German soldier who defected by jumping across the Berlin Wall
  Berlin Wall
  The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
  
   while it was being built in 1961.
• "Spencer Perceval
  Spencer Perceval
  Spencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
  
  " tells of the only ever assassination of a British Prime Minister
  Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
  
  , from the point of view of the murderer John Bellingham
  John Bellingham
  John Bellingham was the assassin of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval. This murder was the only successful attempt on the life of a British Prime Minister...
  
  .
  • "I Am Murdered" is about the same assassination from Spencer Perceval
    Spencer Perceval
    Spencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
    
    's own point of view. The title consists of Perceval's last words.

"Victress", which was released before this album, alludes to the album title with the lyrics "I sing elegies to lessons I will never learn" which are sung during the second verse.

A DVD version of the album was released on 21 April 2008, and coincided with a tour and the release of "We Go Hunting" as a single.

Track listing

1. "We All Fall Down" – 6:12
2. "Twenty Five Sins" – 3:39
3. "The Deception" – 3:58
4. "Voice of Reason" – 5:00
5. "Death of an Idealist" – 3:25
6. "Remnants of an Army" – 3:57
7. "We Go Hunting" – 3:24
8. "Come Over" – 4:10
9. "Spencer Perceval" – 9:09
10. "Epiphany" – 2:18
11. "Death is the End" – 5:21

Singles

"We Go Hunting", released 21 April 2008

7" Vinyl

1. "We Go Hunting" – 3:24
2. "More Weight" – 4:04

"The Deception", released 10 September 2007

CD

1. "The Deception" – 3:59
2. "Joshua" – 4:43
3. "Victress" – 4:09

7" Vinyl

1. "The Deception" – 3:59
2. "Victress" – 4:09

"Spencer Perceval", released 26 March 2007

CD

1. "Spencer Perceval" – 9:14
2. "I Am Murdered" – 6:07

12" Vinyl

1. "Spencer Perceval" – 9:14
2. "I Am Murdered" – 6:07

Personnel

• David Martin – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
   and vocals
• Guy Bannister – guitar, keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  , vocals
• Alistair Bowis – bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Simon Fogal – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  
• Ashley Dean - Cornet
  Cornet
  The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...