The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. This album also included a unique cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane". Reed reportedly liked the Junkies' version of the song better than his own, and began performing their version in concert.
None of the band's subsequent albums have been hits outside of Canada, although the band has maintained a dedicated following and have continued to have chart hits in their native country. Following their 1998 album Miles from Our Home, Cowboy Junkies were dropped from their major label contract. They have continued to release albums on their own independent label, Latent Records.
Seven Years
Cowboy Junkies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
November's got her nails dug in deep
Haven't seen my son for seven years
And the chances are we'll never again meet
If truth be told I don't even know his name
If truth be told he doesn't even know my name
Although I never learnt to pray
But you don't need the light
And it's best to pretend
That you've seen the errors of your ways
The darkness in here
Is as heavy as a judgment
This darkness, heavy as a judgment
My dreams are now filled with Gilead trees
And other sights that I've never seen
They used to be filled
With the fears of tomorrow
And the horror that it might bring
His eyes felt to me
As cold as a stone mason's chisel
His eyes fell on me, cold
Like a stone mason's chisel
Strange how a mind can always recall
What the senses eagerly leave behind
I can remember his face, rage,
Disgust and distaste
But to my fear I have grown blind
Memories are just dead men making trouble
This memory is just a dead man making trouble
The lyrics of Cowboy Junkies' song Seven Years are haunting and poignant, capturing the sentiment of regret, loss, and hopelessness. The first verse sets the scene, describing a bleak and desolate environment where the sun has not been seen for seven days, and November's despair seems to have taken a grip. The following lines reveal the singer's pain and heartache for being unable to see his son for seven years, and the probability that they may never meet again. The pain of such loss is intensified with the admission that the singer does not even know his son's name, and vice versa. The sense of despair is further amplified with the mentioning of the singer's rosary beads, which he uses to fill the lonely hours, even though he never learnt to pray. He does not need light, but acknowledgement that he has seen the error of his ways.
The second verse expands on the theme of grief and loss, describing how the singer's dreams have become filled with visions of Gilead trees, and other sights that he has never seen. This is in contrast to his old dreams that featured fear of the future and the horror that it might bring. The references to the son's eyes that felt as cold as a stone mason's chisel emphasize the emotional distance between the two, making it seem as if they exist in separate universes. Lastly, the singer acknowledges the way memories can carry old wounds forward, as if the dead are making trouble by intruding on the present.
Line by Line Meaning
Haven't seen the sun for seven days
It's been cloudy and dark for a week.
November's got her nails dug in deep
The cold and gloomy November weather is affecting the singer.
Haven't seen my son for seven years
The singer has been separated from their son for a long time.
And the chances are we'll never again meet
It's unlikely that the artist and their son will reunite.
If truth be told I don't even know his name
The artist doesn't actually know their son's name.
If truth be told he doesn't even know my name
The son likely doesn't even know who their parent is.
I spend my spare time with my rosary beads
The singer finds comfort in religion despite not being particularly religious.
Although I never learnt to pray
The artist may not be religious or spiritual.
But you don't need the light
It's possible to find hope and strength in the darkness.
And it's best to pretend
Sometimes it's easier to pretend everything is okay.
That you've seen the errors of your ways
The alternative to pretending that everything is okay is to acknowledge one's mistakes.
The darkness in here
The interior landscape of the artist's mind or consciousness.
Is as heavy as a judgment
The interior darkness is oppressive and weighs on the singer like a guilty verdict.
My dreams are now filled with Gilead trees
The singer's subconscious mind conjures up images of nature that the singer may not have ever seen in person.
And other sights that I've never seen
Other images, events, or places that the singer may not have experienced but are present in their subconscious dreams.
They used to be filled
Previously, the artist's dreams were different from how they are now.
With the fears of tomorrow
The artist's old dreams were filled with anxiety about what might happen in the future.
And the horror that it might bring
The singer's anxiety and uncertainty about the future was fueled by the possibility of terrifying things happening.
His eyes felt to me
The singer's interpretation of the son's emotional or psychological state.
As cold as a stone mason's chisel
The son's eyes conveyed a sense of emotional distance and hardness.
His eyes fell on me, cold
The son's gaze conveyed a sense of indifference or even hostility.
Like a stone mason's chisel
The son's gaze felt sharp and cutting, like a tool used to sculpt stone.
Strange how a mind can always recall
The human mind has a way of obsessing over negative events and memories.
What the senses eagerly leave behind
While the senses may forget traumatic experiences, the mind can hold onto them for a long time and even replay or relive them.
I can remember his face, rage,
The singer can vividly recall the son's emotional state during a confrontation or incident.
Disgust and distaste
The son's emotional state was characterized by negativity and rejection towards the singer.
But to my fear I have grown blind
The singer has become desensitized or numb to the fear and anxiety associated with their situation.
Memories are just dead men making trouble
The past has a way of lingering and causing problems in the present.
This memory is just a dead man making trouble
Specifically, this particular memory continues to trouble the artist.
Lyrics © PAZ JUNK MUSIC INC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Michael Edward Timmins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Steve Doucette
Some juicy slide guitar licks and riffs on this one. 👍
bengalgangster
great song , by a criminally underated band!!