Snow is Gone

Josh Ritter and band perform "Snow is Gone" at Vicar Street in Dublin, Ireland.

A gifted lyricist like Josh Ritter leads me in and out of his dreams. "Heaven is so big there ain't no need to look up/So I stopped looking for royal cities in the air/Only a full house gonna have prayer/."  One of Ritter's undeniable influences, the brilliant Bob Dylan, gets a more practical response from me "Life is sad/Life is a bust/All ya can do/Is do what you must/," useful words for surviving the day. Lucinda Williams knows the need to ache, to feel it "little angel/little brother/your bad habits and your attitude/." These old friends are accustomed to being around in dark quiet hours. I know my way around with them; it's comfortable, familiar. This morning, after a healthy dose of silence, I start by listening to the evocative "Snow is Gone" before joining the noisy world outside.

(lyrics by Josh Ritter)

Birds beneath my window dustying their wings upon the lawn

I hear them in the morning light giving last amen to a migratory song

They're never looking round for me—their eyes are on the sky or the ground below

But I'd rather be the one who loves than to be loved and never even know

Hello blackbird hello starling

Winter's over be my darling

It's been a long time coming

But now the snow is gone

You were beautiful when I first saw your feathers and confectionery airs

Like the earth it up and promised you the stars but you really didn't care

I sang in exultation pulled the stops—you always looked a little bored

But I'm singing for the love of it—have mercy on the man who sings to be adored

Hello blackbird hello starling

Winter's over be my darling

It's been a long time coming

But now the snow is gone

I'm underneath your window now—it's long after the birds have gone to roost

And I'm not sure if I'm singing for the love of it or for the love of you

But I've flown a long way honey hear my confession then I'll go

I'd rather be the one who loves than to be loved and never even know

Hello brown one hello blue one

Last night's feathers exchanged for new ones

Hello blackbird hello starling

Winter's over be my darling

It's been a long time coming

But now the snow is gone