From the recording The Old Man and the C Chord
The past few years have done a pretty good job of trying to pull us apart. But, as we (hopefully) come out the other side of this, I’m struck (and heartened) by how many relationships, families, and communities actually seem to have strengthened and become tighter – hell, I ended up getting married!
The “first day of spring” I’m referring to in this song isn’t the official first day of spring on the calendar. To me, the first day of spring is more of a moment of awareness that is unique to each person every year. It’s that moment when you become conscious that, after a long winter, life is everywhere again – it’s coming up from the ground, it’s growing off the trees, it’s the bugs all around your head, it’s the birds singing – the whole thing is vibrating! It always feels like magic to me, and even though it happens year after year, it always somehow manages to surprise and inspire wholly. I send this song out to my wife and best friend Julie - my favorite backyard dance partner.
Lyrics
Spring has come and it’s plain to see
pink flower blooming on a crabapple tree
blackfly are humming all around my ears
but the song of life is all that I can hear
Oh my baby, I love you
it’s been a long, dark year, but we saw it through
The cold winds blew and we had our fights
but we hold on until we make it right
We held on tight, what can I say?
It tried to take its toll on this thing that we got
But I’d be damned if I’d ever let you slip away
Chorus
Because there ain’t no brighter light
than a love that survives the darkest night
it shines like a fiery thing
it sounds like the song of life
on the first day of spring
Oh my baby, it won’t be long
we’ll be half cut dancing to a country song
in the backyard, where all the neighbors can see
It never made much difference to you or me
For every time, there’s a reason
hell, we did a lot of growing in that ice cold season
when the snow came down and the ground got hard
we kept the fire burning in our backyard
Oh we were Dancing in the snow on Christmas Eve
When you can make it shine on a long winter’s night
When the storm’s coming down
it’s bound to make you believe
Chorus