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Chasing Rabbits

by Terra Spencer

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1.
Melt 03:51
MELT The snow’s piling high, the streetlight goes dark The afterglow omen of a disappeared spark The snowflakes are memories too heavy to lift With no will to move them I let my mind drift Each snowflake reminds me how warm your love felt I watch them as they fall down and wait for them to melt The summer was heaven, the winter is long Now we've lost the power to fix what went wrong Your name spelled in footprints the snowflakes erase They turn into teardrops that fall on my face Each snowflake reminds me how warm your love felt I watch them as they fall down and wait for them to melt I bury my treasures in a bank of mistakes My arms feeling empty with no angels to make Each snowflake’s a memory, its own time and place And I pray that the sunshine will take every trace Of these snowflakes, they remind me how warm your love felt I watch them as they fall down and wait for them to melt
2.
LUNENBURG MOON The church glowing golden, I remember your smile And the echo of footsteps as we met in the aisle And the music was gentle but it lifted us high It was just an old folk song, but it still made me cry We went to a party with some friends down the street The wine kept on flowing as we followed our feet To a house on the hillside while the town was asleep Every step on the staircase had a secret to keep All the words I remember And I remember the tune At the end of September And me and you and the Lunenburg moon Your hand I was holding, my heart skipping beats In the bed of a captain with sails for its sheets The room was so quiet, just whispers and waves In the darkness we drifted, two souls to be saved All the words I remember And I remember the tune At the end of September And me and you and the Lunenburg moon
3.
CHASING RABBITS When Cleo was a puppy she got sick and nearly died And the vet suspects it left her with some damage deep inside She can’t handle freedom in the woods or on the beach We know that she’ll go running so we keep her on a leash Deep down I know Cleo is an awful lot like me We tend to hide our troubles places people never see She’s a slave to being anxious, I’m a slave to my bad habits When I should be busy working I’m distracted, chasing rabbits In my dreams I try to catch them but they wake me up at night When I think of all the music and the songs I didn’t write I know I held myself back, no, I can’t blame anyone Every morning I make Cleo stop and walk instead of run Since we can’t handle freedom, our family keeps us close Though we take out our frustrations on the ones that matter most Then we cover them with kisses, or we hide our love away When the only thing they want is for us to sit, for us to stay Deep down I know Cleo is an awful lot like me We tend to hide our troubles places people never see And I wish that I could trust her, wish that I could let her go I would drop her leash and watch her chase the rabbits through the snow
4.
IN THE CITY The place that I come from has only one city The traffic lights through the windshield were festive and pretty Christmas shopping at Zellers and Sears when I was a kid I dreamed someday I’d live there, and for two years I did My mom cried, and Lady Di died the day I left for college Where I stayed up too late writing papers and faking my knowledge Of philosophy, history, lectures that I had slept through I had only enrolled just to say I had something to do I would walk through the wind and the snow of a winter Park Lane See the spring garden flowers grow in the Spring Garden rain The streets named for trees were a forest to me With no one to hear when I fell In the city that hid me so well A twenty-four hour IGA grocery store A two-bedroom apartment above that I couldn’t afford Video Difference, suspense, drama, and horror Like the night I called cops to bust into a locked bathroom door Where a scorned former boyfriend unbottled his feelings inside Talking madness and swallowing sadness to make it subside I tried to be cool and calm but I was terrified When they took him away I can’t even say if I cried I collected my thoughts, called collect from a public pay phone For my regular check-in and chat with my mother back home I was too stubborn to tell her that I was in trouble I pretended I only saw rainbows from inside my bubble I would walk through the wind and the snow of a winter Park Lane See the spring garden flowers grow in the Spring Garden rain The streets named for trees were a forest to me With no one to hear when I fell In the city that hid me so well Like a daisy making its way through a sidewalk crack The love of a friend called my heart and my heart called him back He would walk through the Commons alone at 3:30am With a sandwich he’d stolen, bologna or PB and jam A confessional booth at a Wendy's with burgers and fries We shared our mistakes over milkshakes and untied our lies He had flunked out of school, a secret he’d carefully covered There and then we decided that we’d rather study each other We would walk through the wind and the snow of a winter Park Lane See the spring garden flowers grow in the Spring Garden rain The streets named for trees where he walked next to me With no one to hear when we fell in love In the city he loved me so well
5.
TRAINING TO FLY I look overhead in the morning To the families of Canada geese In the grey autumn sky they are training to fly Broken Vs, incomplete victories And today while I make my way homeward I think of the snowbirds that sing Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m still in my shell Or I’ve started stretching my wings Then I feel the wind pushing forward I feel the pull of the sky The fear and the freedom of a free-falling bird That’s been waiting and training to fly I thought I would be like my mother Her babies kept safe in their nest With no thoughts in her mind to leave them behind Every day she gave them her best But a nest isn’t made for forever And my babies, I want you to know That it’s good to be grown and choose paths of your own And be brave wherever you go I feel the wind pushing forward I feel the pull of the sky The fear and the freedom of a free-falling bird That’s been waiting and training to fly I feel the wind pushing forward I feel the pull of the sky The fear and the freedom of a free-falling bird That’s been waiting and training to fly I've been waiting and training to fly
6.
Motherland 06:20
MOTHERLAND The wash machine is just 1/4 full I only packed a few things for the flight Christmas socks and a sweater knit from homespun wool things to keep me warm alone at night The February wind is whipping round the 401 is closed down for the snow a call goes straight to voicemail the loneliest of sounds with three days left to kill until the show I never dreamed I’d land in Holland Landing In a country band with a rambling man I had no understanding of being away from day to day It isn’t something that I planned I miss my babies back in motherland You tell me everything is going fine we all agree the weeks are going to fly No matter how we listen things go missing across the line I lose my voice before I start to cry I tell you that the tour is going well The crowds are sweet, and people here are kind I ask about your homework but you don’t have much to tell I’m feeling every minute of the hour that I’m behind I never dreamed I’d land in Holland Landing In a country band with a rambling man I had no understanding of being away from day to day It isn’t something that I planned I miss my babies back in motherland I hope you find the valentines I hid I’ll bring a few treats home from the hotel We’ll bake that batch of cookies Just like we did when you were kids And in my mind, I still can find the smell I never dreamed I’d land in Holland Landing In a country band with a rambling man I had no understanding of being away from day to day It isn’t something that I planned I miss my babies back in motherland I miss my babies...
7.
MANITOBA MAPLE There is one tall tree A Manitoba Maple Rocking like a cradle When the wind and rain combine I watch through the window As the hurricane advances The maple bends and dances The power leaves the line My family tree is narrow No sisters and no brothers My father and my mother My children and my love I hope that I can give them The time and space and sunlight To be happy in their own right And reach for stars above When the Manitoba Maple's coming down And the branches die, we'll finally tie a yellow ribbon round But the roots run deep And we there keep the seeds of memories Nested in the branches of our family tree Musicians, cooks, and bakers, Painters and school teachers Pentecostal preachers On the promises they stand My grandma was a wonder When her time had come to part I sang her In the Garden 'Til she let go of my hand When the Manitoba Maple's coming down And the branches die We'll finally tie a yellow ribbon round But the roots run deep And we there keep the seeds of memories Nested in the branches of our family tree As the storm passes over The soft light of a candle Finds the pictures on my mantle The smiles on wedding days May we stay strong and steady Like a Manitoba Maple Rocking like a cradle With the strength to bend and sway When the Manitoba Maple's coming down And the branches die We'll finally tie a yellow ribbon round But the roots run deep And we there keep the seeds of memories Nested in the branches of our family tree Nested in the branches of our family tree
8.
Coyotes 05:20
COYOTES I set out with the sunrise on a set of worn-out skis My thoughts were hanging heavy as the snow upon the trees I was thinking of my granddad, how he'd given many warnings To watch out for coyotes in the woods on winter mornings With a dagger in my pocket that could kill me if I fell I made two lines like the highway through the trail I knew so well At the log bridge by the river, I heard a rustle at my back Caught a glimpse of the coyote that was following my tracks In her eyes a glow of amber, in a flash she lunged for me I stumbled in my skis, she ripped my snow pants at the knee With a mittened hand I wrestled, tried to free my granddad’s knife Drove it deep into the soft fur of the dog to save my life With a whimper she relented and the snow turned angry red She licked her wounded shoulder while my own leg pulsed and bled A shadow broke the sunlight in the corner of my eye A pack of young coyotes come to watch their mother die As her babies gathered round me, I could smell their puppy breath And my thoughts in that brief moment were of life instead of death As they tore me into pieces and licked my old bones clean My spirit grew so peaceful, the most at rest I’d ever been I thought of my own babies, running fingers through their hair, And all the times I had wronged them, caught my leg in my own snare I will see no fiery furnace, no box deep in the ground Just a pack of wild coyotes and their high and lonesome sound
9.
FEELS LIKE HOME Skyscrapers stoplights and barfights spill into the street I walk home at midnight I keep my eyes on my feet Loneliness dark and deep in the city that doesn't sleep No trace of your smile on the faces of strangers I meet I stare out the window, lost in the space of my bed The sounds from the sidewalk can't drown out the noise in my head The view can't compare to your eyes, the city can't sing lullabies All I hear is the echo of words that you said Home When I see your face I am in a place that feels like home I had big city lights shining bright in my small town dream I was blind with excitement, the future in high beam I thought I was ready to fly But I've been falling since we said goodbye And the stars in the sky they are farther away than they seem Home When I see your face I am in a place that feels like home It's the break in your voice when you call It's the photos on my bedroom wall It's the words of an old favorite song The feeling of where I belong Home's not a place that you stay It is someone that meets you halfway I will only be home when I'm standing with you Home When I see your face I am in a place that feels like home
10.
Saigon 05:51
I drive him to the airport, and he promises to call He tells me that in love there are just two ways to fall In and out of Vietnam There were times I saw him falling deep and down She had never seen a snowfall, felt the fresh air on her face So he buys a one-way ticket, flies her to his rented place And he sings her gentle music, brings her roses from the grocery downtown Say hi from Saigon With a sigh, and he is gone Gone to find the sun and try find someone to warm his heart Say hi from Saigon Where the evening meets the dawn Country man and city girl Holding hands but they are still a world apart They have no need for speaking on the sand beneath the sunset She makes him fancy dinners, sews him clothes, and learns his language Then she offers him her soul but keeps her clothes on under blankets in the dark Then she drive him to the airport when the roses lose their redness And returns to washing dishes, serving coffee to the tourists As he starts a new adventure and he doesn't know how deep he leaves a mark Say hi to Saigon With a sigh, and he is gone Gone to find the sun and try to find someone to warm his heart Say hi to Saigon Where the evening meets the dawn Country man and city girl Holding hands but they are still a world apart So I answer when he calls me after they have been together And he wonders if she'll be the one to stay with him forever To love him without judgement, and be faithful, kind, and true But there is more to love than what someone can do for you Goodbye to Saigon She will cry when he is gone Although she hides it well, her family can tell it from her eyes Goodbye to Saigon He is always moving on When the winter's over you ought to know a snowbird's gonna fly

about

Chasing Rabbits is the second album from Nova Scotian funeral director - turned-singer/songwriter Terra Spencer. Set in a snowglobe of sparkling piano, cinematic strings, and the heartfelt storytelling that has become Terra's signature, the album features rich harmonies from Halifax duo The Bombadils, Bela String Quartet, and some of the city's most acclaimed instrumentalists. It is a diary of family life and wildlife, leaving and longing, and the meaning of home.

“Sometimes when you’re walking on a dark street at night you catch a vignette unfolding in a lighted window and the whole story’s there. In the moment. The songs on Terra Spencer’s new CD Chasing Rabbits, are like that, replete with seamless, shifting, arrangements and angel band horns. They are each complete stories, compellingly wrapped in a blanket warm voice. This is an artist who knows both sides of the heart well, who has seen enough of life to still reflect kindly, if keenly, on its continuous unfoldings. ” - David Francey

Terra gratefully acknowledges the support of Music Nova Scotia and the Province of Nova Scotia.

credits

released November 13, 2020

Terra Spencer - music & lyrics, vocals, piano, guitar, bass
Sarah Frank - harmony vocals, violin
Luke Fraser - harmony vocals, mandolin, electric guitar
Adam Fine - electric and double bass
Jordi Comstock - drums and percussion
Andrew Jackson - trombone
Sarah Kasprzak - French horn
Steve Reid - trumpet
Anna Wedlock - In the City string arrangement, violin
Anthony Rissesco - second violin
Alex Bates - viola
Catherine Little - cello
David Campbell - pedal steel
Kimm Kent - Deer Spirit drum
Lil Thomas - electric guitar
Scott Ferguson - djembe
The Kasprzaks - Home Choir

Produced by Terra Spencer.
Recorded and engineered by Lil Thomas at Sonic Temple in Halifax, NS
In the City recorded and engineered by Mike Hastings at Sonic Temple
Mixed and mastered by Scott Ferguson at FMP Matrix in Dartmouth, NS
Layout and design by Shayla Obrigewitsch

Terra gratefully acknowledges the support of the Music Nova Scotia Investment Program and The Province of Nova Scotia.

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Terra Spencer Windsor, Nova Scotia

Raised on the mud banks of the Avon River, award-winning Nova Scotian funeral director-turned-songwriter Terra Spencer has won over audiences in Canada, the UK, and Germany since her 2018 debut. She has already crafted a catalogue of startlingly intimate songs, marrying fingerstyle guitar, gospel piano, and her butterscotch voice with sly humour and '70s wood-paneled warmth. ... more

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