"Runaway Train" is a song by American alternative rock band Soul Asylum, released in June 1993 by Columbia Records as the third single from their sixth album, Grave Dancers Union (1992).

The single earned a gold sales certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after selling 600,000 copies in the US.

Outside North America, it reached number two in New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland and peaked within the top five on the charts on several other European countries.

"Runaway Train" helped bring Grave Dancers Union to a multi-platinum level and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.

Its accompanying music video, directed by Tony Kaye, is notable for featuring images of missing people, most of them young children and teenagers.

The first line, "Call you up in the middle of the night" would refer to a friend of Pirner who lived in New York and was kind enough to answer him on the phone, no matter what time it was.

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Acoustic-anchored midtempo tune has a sweet, string-lined undercurrent that is the perfect embodiment of the song's cinematic, romantic lyrics.

"[16] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton said, "This track comes with a powerful video featuring shots of homeless children, putting a whole new slant on what would ordinarily be an ordinary love song.

[19] Pan-European magazine Music & Media described it as an alternative guitar-driven pop combo, "temporarily injected with a dash of country.

"[20] Matt Diehl from Rolling Stone declared it as a "lush country lament",[21] while another editor, Chris Mundy, called it a "beautiful acoustic ballad".

[22] Charles Aaron from Spin wrote, "Savoring the band's countryish metal clichés instead of fidgeting against them, Dave Pirner and crew pull off a subtly gripping rock anthem.

During the coda of the song, a small baby is snatched from his stroller by an older woman, with his mother running after the kidnapper's car.

[26] In 2006, guitarist Dan Murphy stated in an interview with Pasadena Weekly that some of the cases featured in the video had ended in tragedy: "Some weren't the best scenarios.

Then on tour, another girl told us laughingly 'You ruined my life' because she saw herself on the video at her boyfriend's house and it led her being forced back into a bad home situation.

His convicted killer, Stephen Daniel Hash, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and, in 2009,[30] was sentenced to 11 years in Folsom State Prison.

Also featured in the video, but still missing as of February 2021 were Christopher M. Kerze, Martha W. Dunn, Andrea D. Durham, Wilda M. Benoit, Byron E. Page, Kimberly S. Doss, Duane E. Fochtman, John F. Lango, Patrick S. Betz and Christina A.

"Runaway Train" was covered by Brent Smith and Zach Myers of American hard rock band Shinedown on their 2014 (Acoustic Sessions) EP[92] and English rockband, Smokie.

In 2019, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children invited Jamie N Commons, Skylar Grey and Gallant to cover the song for "Runaway Train 25" campaign.