I Believe in Winter

by @jonmeta · @joeblomberg

I Believe in Winter
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Liner Notes

I was planning on starting with a fast, happy song. That one is written but not recorded. Joe sent these lyrics yesterday, and the music came out on the piano in about 30 minutes. Nothing sophisticated. Simple triads in the key of C / Am, but that seems to let the raw emotion through.

People think about winter in different ways: for some it means being shut in and lonely; for some it's fun on the ski slopes. In this case of the person telling this story, it's respite from street violence.

Sounds: the Studio Piano in Logic Pro 11, played without a click track. Cello Moods and Gaelic Voices from Spitfire Audio LABS series (free!).

#guywithpiano #mournful #celtic

Lyrics

I wear cold wrapped around me
My blanket, my shield
I keep yesterday buried
My treasure, my field
I will pray for a snow storm
My safety, my sun
I believe in the winter
No bullet, no gun

I see snow fall on sidewalks
My shovel, my salt
I am warm when it’s freezing
My feeling, my vault
I wrap family around me
My daughter, my son
I believe in the winter
No bullet, no gun

I am glad for the silence in a short winter day
No children with pistols will come out to play
I am glad for the silence of a long winter night
No children will die in the frozen moonlight

I feel temperatures rising
My summer, my fears
I see hoodies on corners
My city, my tears
I miss winter streets, empty
My safety, my sun
I believe in the winter
No bullet, no gun

Comments

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I love this. The music is transportive and the lyrics are definitely not cookie-cutter. And that gentle vocal caps it all off just perfectly.
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Wow! What a take on winter
So sad that this would be a thing.
Beautiful write and execution of this song.
So great that you have all your toys at your disposal!
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What an amazing write and view of winter. I think this is so pensive and the music really brings out the emotions of the write. Great collab!
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Gorgeous piano arrangement. The vocals are full of emotion delivering such a poignant lyric. I love the line “no bullet, no gun”. Beautiful production!
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Great collab! What a story the lyrics tell.

The melody suits the melancholic lyric perfectly, and the piano and low strings carry the mood well.
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Oh my. This packs a punch in the most fundamental way. It hits deep down, and merges with the anguished groan inside us all at the violence we see every day on the news (and possibly - sadly - have experienced). Jon, your voice, (raw, a little rough, and wonderfully poignant), is at its most effective in a song like this. You and Joe are an estimable song-writing duo, and I have loved your collabs in other years. This is a worthy addition to the collection.
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Your damned right you let the raw emotion through. This is lovely, really moving. The lyric flows so perfectly...and when you get to the bullet/gun line, whoa, that hits with quiet force
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Oh my goodness what a gorgeous song from my two uncles. I sobbed in my coffee this morning listening to this. What a beautiful, haunting and heartbreaking anthem. This song is going to speak to so many people, especially in light that tragically so many of us have been close to gun violence. Always blown away and forever inspired by the talent you two possess. Thank you for putting this out into the world. XO
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A beautiful and sobering listen. After the school gun violence tragedy in my own community recently, this hits hard. The simplicity and minor key of the arrangement match the tone of the lyrics perfectly.
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Gorgeous. Tom Waits-y piano intro, and such a clear, precise melody. I really love the little pause between the phrases on the last line of each verse, that’s a classy touch. I found that initial line about wrapping cold around you like a blanket really compelling, and then obviously very sad how it’s then put in the context of street violence. Wonderful work both.
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That melody has such a Celtic feel about it. What a place the USA has become, if the narrator feels such longing for winter simply because there is less chance he, or his loved ones, will end up being shot. Between their obsession with guns and the rise of hate politics, it is hard to reconcile today’s America with the peace and love beacon of hope it was in the late 60s.

PS we must meet up one day Jon.
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Sometimes the simple setting is the best setting, as here. Economical and beautifully realised.
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always a treat to hear what you have done. fine lyric allowed to tell its truth! super stuff
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What a beautiful merging of music and melody and lyrics. Gosh, your piano playing is lovely. The song has a timeless and haunting quality.
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Holy hell this is gorgeous and haunting. You really gave voice and depth the those poignant lyrics. Well done guys...damn!
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How very lovely and poetic. I was grabbed from the first note on the piano until the last tone. Thank you for sharing.
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Fabulous, gave me chills.. I love the whole feel of it, the lyrics, the singing....
So well done and inspiring you two... I'll download that cello patch for sure. Thank you.
[FAWM]