Story Behind The Song
The trees in the Ravenswood neighborhood, where I used to live in Chicago, were all infected with the Asian Longhorned Beetle and had to be removed.
These were gigantic 100 year old trees that created a canopy over our street. Every single one came down,except for mine right in front of my house.
The removal was quick, effective, with a military expertise. It was truly remarkable.
I came inside after all the trees had fallen and wrote this song.
Song Description
Equating the removal of trees from your childhood neighborhood to war and watching your youth disappear.
Song Length |
4:41 |
Genre |
Folk - Contemporary, Pop - Lullaby |
Tempo |
Very Slow (Under 70) |
Lead Vocal |
Female Vocal |
Mood |
Poignant, Peaceful |
Subject |
Plants, Forest, War |
Similar Artists |
Sarah Mclachlan |
Language |
English |
Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
It was a cold February morn
I had to see it
I bundled up and went out
It looked like snow falling down
It was the limbs of the trees I grew up with
Falling to the Ground
One by one they went
As the rain fell upon me
And numbed my mind
Never in my lifetime will I
a shade like theirs
ever find.
We all take for granted
What we throw away
And only when it's gone
Do we realize what we miss
It seems such a simple thing
To fight this plague
Only now, in the devastation,
Do I resist
It's like a great battle
Only one side can win
And although you can't hear them
You know when the screaming begins
They are helpless to their cause
It's for the best we pray they know
And I have to thank god for the soldiers
Not making it slow.
We all take for granted
What we throw away
And only when it's gone
Do we realize what we miss
It seems such a simple thing
to fight this plague
Only now, in the devastation, do I resist
As the soldiers pillaged
They pass my tree by
The one I used to climb
When i was only four feet high
The others knowing full well
How to escape the fray
They vanished before my eyes
As their spirits flew away
We all take for granted
What we throw away
And only when it's gone
Do we realize what we miss
It seems such a simple thing
To fight this plague
Only now, in the devastation,
Do I resist
It was a cold February morn
I had to see it
I bundled up and went out
It looked like snow falling down
It was the limbs of the trees I grew up with
Falling to the Ground
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