Songfacts®:

• "Brand New Gun" is the fourth song on the Canadian singer and songwriter's 2008 debut album, The Hold Up.
  
  When we interviewed Woods in 2016, he recalled what motivated him to write the acoustic song. "I'm talking about taking a train from Toronto to New York, which I used to do a lot because I was dating someone who lives in New York who was a teacher there," he said. "When you take the train from Toronto to New York, first of all, it takes so long and you almost go crazy every single time. And then the border is intense, so I'm talking about crossing the border on a train. I don't know why I'm talking about a brand new gun. Probably something that has to do with border control in America. I don't remember. I really like that song, but it's a weird one."
  
  The lyrics in the beginning of the song demonstrate the train ride he's embarking on:
  
  I wrote this on a train
  As I made my way
  In the rain over the border
  Running state to state
  
  And I know that her motions
  Say it's all in fun
  But she comes home shining
  Like a brand new gun
  Like a brand new gun
• The song is featured in the 2007 drama film, Numb, which stars Matthew Perry as a writer who is diagnosed with depersonalization disorder.