Born in Windsor, Ontario and raised in France and Kelowna, British Columbia, Fellows lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Guelph and Montreal before settling in Winnipeg in 1992.
In 1993, she formed her first group, Helen, with Barry Mirochnick, Paul James, and Chang. Helen broke up in 1995, and in 1996 Fellows teamed up with singer-songwriter Keri McTighe, Barry Mirochnick, Keith McLeod and Peggy Messing, to form Special Fancy. The group released one album, King Me.
In 2000 Fellows released her debut solo album, 2 Little Birds. This was followed by The Last One Standing in 2002, Paper Anniversary in 2005, and Nevertheless in 2007. These albums feature Leanne Zacharias (cello), Jason Tait (drums, vibraphone), Barry Mirochnick (drums, vocals), John K. Samson (vocals, guitar), Keith McLeod (mandolin), Monica Guenter (viola), Greg Smith (bass), Ed Reifel (percussion), and Cristina Zacharias (violin).
Fellows has performed with the Rheostatics, Veda Hille, The Mountain Goats, Kim Barlow, Old Man Luedecke, and The Weakerthans. She is married to The Weakerthans' lead singer, John K. Samson.
In 2006, Fellows and Samson recorded The Old House, an album intended only as a Christmas gift for friends and family, although they released two songs, "Taps Reversed" and "Good Salvage", for airplay on CBC Radio 3 in early 2007. Fellows and Samson also performed live on the network on March 17, 2007, to mark the final night of the network's terrestrial simulcast on CBC Radio 2.
Fellows also composes music for dance, film and television. She scored part of Clive Holden's Trains of Winnipeg film series, as well as collaborating with Tait and Samson on the associated album. In 2007, she wrote several songs for a dance piece by choreographer Susie Burpee; they were later included on her fourth solo album, Nevertheless, which was released on November 6, 2007.
Fellows has also toured as a member of The Pan-Canadian New Folk Ensemble with Kim Barlow and Old Man Luedecke.
Recently, she was artist-in-residence at Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum in Winnipeg (2009), and she has been writing songs for a new solo album, scheduled for release on Six Shooter Records in fall of 2010.
What Are Years?
Christine Fellows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This broken fencepost
Leans out of the yard
Curious, and heaves a little sigh of relief
You found your way back
Limping barefoot down the lane
Birds and crickets sing your name
A pair of shoes are swinging in the breeze
Where last you found them
I thought I wouldn't need them
I was leaving
As suddenly as you were seized
With all these terrible ideas
Can't fall asleep
Under the stars
Without the passing cars
Driving you inside
Or driving you away
Is solitude indeed the cure
For loneliness?
Oh I don't think so
I miss you too much
Unfurl a bed of chicken wire
Drag it over where the grass has grown up higher
And the wildflowers you used to tend with a loving hand
Now here they bend
All tangled up and overgrown
Couldn't make it on their own
Tangled up and overgrown
They couldn't make it on their own
Can't fall asleep
Under the stars
Wherever you are
Is gonna be too far away from me
Is solitude indeed the cure
For loneliness?
Oh I don't think so
I'd miss you too much
Is solitude indeed the cure
For loneliness?
The lyrics of Christine Fellows's song "What Are Years?" convey a sense of melancholy and longing for a lost love. The opening lines depict a broken fencepost that leans out of the yard, scarred by hatchet strokes. It's almost as if this fencepost represents a failed relationship, damaged irreparably by the actions of those involved. But then, the chorus introduces the idea of finding one's way back, like a wandering lover returning to the arms of their beloved. The singer of the song, though limping and wounded, has come back to the familiar surroundings of home, hoping for some solace in their solitude.
The second verse continues to paint a picture of a deserted landscape, with only the sound of birds and crickets singing the singer's name. The image of a pair of shoes swinging in the breeze adds a layer of sadness to the lyrics, as it suggests that the lover has left their home in a hurry, not even bothering to take their shoes with them. This verse also introduces the idea of terrible ideas seizing the singer suddenly, causing them turmoil and preventing them from falling asleep under the stars.
The final verse draws attention to the wildflowers that the singer used to tend to with a loving hand. They seem to be an allegory for the lost relationship, as they've become tangled up and overgrown, unable to thrive without the singer's care. The closing lines reinforce the idea that solitude may not be the cure for loneliness, as the singer can't imagine being away from their lost love for too long.
Overall, "What Are Years?" is a beautifully written song that captures the pain and heartache of losing someone you love. It's a reminder that sometimes, despite our best efforts, relationships can wither and die, leaving us feeling adrift and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
How many hatchet strokes have scarred
Wondering how many times this fence post has been broken and repaired
This broken fencepost
The fence post that is no longer whole
Leans out of the yard
The fence post sticks out over the edge of the yard
Curious, and heaves a little sigh of relief
The fence post is curious and relieved for some reason
You found your way back
The relief is likely due to the artist finding their way back home
Limping barefoot down the lane
The singer is walking down the lane with a limp and no shoes
Birds and crickets sing your name
The sounds of nature evoke thoughts of the person the singer is missing
Way up there in the trees
The shoes the artist left behind are up in a tree
A pair of shoes are swinging in the breeze
The shoes are swaying in the wind
Where last you found them
The shoes were left behind where the artist last found them
I thought I wouldn't need them
The singer left the shoes behind thinking they wouldn't be necessary
I was leaving
The artist was departing when they left the shoes behind
As suddenly as you were seized
The singer was suddenly overtaken by emotions
With all these terrible ideas
The emotions were troubling
Can't fall asleep
The singer is having trouble sleeping
Under the stars
The artist is outside at night
Without the passing cars
The artist can't sleep because there are no cars passing by
Driving you inside
The absence of cars is causing the singer to feel claustrophobic
Or driving you away
The absence of cars is making the singer want to leave
Is solitude indeed the cure
The artist is pondering whether being alone is a remedy for loneliness
For loneliness?
The artist is specifically questioning whether solitude can cure loneliness
Oh I don't think so
The artist doesn't believe that being alone can cure their loneliness
I miss you too much
The singer is missing someone they care about deeply
Unfurl a bed of chicken wire
The artist is laying out chicken wire
Drag it over where the grass has grown up higher
The singer is placing the chicken wire in areas where the grass is taller
And the wildflowers you used to tend with a loving hand
The singer used to take care of these flowers with care and affection
Now here they bend
The flowers are now drooping and bent over
All tangled up and overgrown
The flowers are intertwined and grown beyond control
Couldn't make it on their own
The flowers couldn't survive without the artist's attention
Can't fall asleep
The singer is still having trouble sleeping
Wherever you are
The singer is thinking about the person they miss
Is gonna be too far away from me
The distance between the artist and the person they miss is too great
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.