In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
As the spring is made alive the winter dies
And the final cries of creatures are long behind
And full of spirit the village starts again
With one more year for a man to change his ways
I used to feel things around me stir,
Grateful for all I received,
Taking in the sounds and ways of creatures upon the Earth
Great were the rivers I swam waning out the sun
As the winter dies the Earth is brought to life
And a thousand merchant ships sail to find
A worthy village to land and start again
With one more year for a man to change his ways
I used to feel things around me stir,
Grateful for all I received,
Taking in the sounds and ways of creatures upon the Earth
Great were the rivers I swam waning out the sun
I used to feel things around me stir
And hear the sounds of creatures upon the Earth
Grateful for all I received
Through the winter cold and spring
And the final cries of creatures are long behind
And full of spirit the village starts again
With one more year for a man to change his ways
I used to feel things around me stir,
Grateful for all I received,
Taking in the sounds and ways of creatures upon the Earth
Great were the rivers I swam waning out the sun
As the winter dies the Earth is brought to life
And a thousand merchant ships sail to find
A worthy village to land and start again
With one more year for a man to change his ways
I used to feel things around me stir,
Grateful for all I received,
Taking in the sounds and ways of creatures upon the Earth
Great were the rivers I swam waning out the sun
I used to feel things around me stir
And hear the sounds of creatures upon the Earth
Grateful for all I received
Through the winter cold and spring
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Absolutely beautiful song!
It is obviously full of seasonal imagery and could be taken as a simple description of how we have historically had to appreciate and make the most of practical opportunities when they came round (spring).
Part of the beauty of it is that the seasonal metaphor is so open to interpretation. Anything that goes through cycles of plenty and scarcity can fit. I always think of a very intense but short-lived relationship I had. Welcome to Dumpsville - population: me!
The chorus and emphasis seems to be from the perspective of someone in winter, looking back at how aware and grateful they were of everything the year gave them, particularly how far he was able to travel (swim). The fact that the singer starts with, "I used to..." suggests that winter has now made him incapable of such appreciation.
The verses consist of the singer acknowledging that WHEN winter dies, life returns, things can happen. However, the repeated line,
"With one more year for a man to change his ways"
indicates that the singer is unhappy with his previous ways, that he feels perhaps somehow to blame for how harsh winter comes again and again.
At the end of the song, there is a reversal - the singer states that he was "grateful for all [he] received [even] through WINTER cold and spring". Maybe he has had to experience enough winters to appreciate their value and not unduly fear their return...
@musicnmeaning Dumpsville ahah<br /> <br /> Such a lovely interpretation btw <3