Get all 6 Terra Spencer releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Old News, Brick and Mortar featuring Stewart Legere, Chasing Rabbits, Raining On A Saturday, Boat Harbour, and Other People's Lives.
1. |
Melt
03:51
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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
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2. |
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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
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3. |
Chasing Rabbits
03:31
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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
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4. |
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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
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5. |
Training to Fly
04:44
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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
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6. |
Motherland
06:20
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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...
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7. |
Manitoba Maple
04:57
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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
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8. |
Coyotes
05:20
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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
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9. |
Feels Like Home
05:03
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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
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10. |
Saigon
05:51
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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
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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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