Dead Man Winter is a solo project of America musician Dave Simonett, known … Read Full Bio ↴Dead Man Winter is a solo project of America musician Dave Simonett, known for being the frontman of Trampled by Turtles.

On a bleak, cold, frighteningly typical winter night in 2002, the last band I was in before Trampled by Turtles played our final show in a modified pizza restaurant-turned-venue in Duluth, Minnesota. The show ended, our band ended, glasses clinked cheers. We had plenty of help loading out our gear that night. So much, in fact, that someone walked away with my electric guitar and amp. They walked right passed the car where it was supposed to end up and went off into the frozen night, putting a giant period on the end of a what had been a short, struggling, but very necessary musical time for me.

I was now fully unemployed and sleeping indoors only by the good graces of friends willing to share a couch, and the loss of my instruments was more than a little devastating. Of the few possessions I still had, the one that now gained top billing was a cheap acoustic guitar collecting dust in a small room on Duluth’s central hillside. A few other musicians in town had similar instruments collecting a similar dust and we started what was our first acoustic band, Trampled by Turtles.

We’ve been able to stay together ever since and had some good fortune that escapes many more deserving and talented bands. Lately, though, the drums and amps ringing in the back of my head have been getting louder and the desire to play, write, and record in a way removed from what I’ve been up to has been getting stronger. Dead Man Winter was born out of these things.

I’d been renting a studio in Minneapolis, and with the help of some amazing people I set to the task of making a record. My partner in the dirty and thankless work of recording was local engineer, songwriter, producer, guitarslinger, and master of the vibe Erik Koskinen. We spent countless blissful hours exploring guitars, amps, mics, and players in the worn-in beauty and sanctity of Realphonic Studios. Without a doubt, countless more hours could have been spent but you can’t begin work on the next record until you put out the current one, so here it is.

The musicians that play on this album are dear friends – there’s not a one of whom would I’d hesitate to trust a song that I hold dear. In the end, the whole experience has reconnected me to that couch-surfing kid in Duluth trying to figure out what to do next in this big, terrifying, wonderful world and now, with a few more years behind me, it’s refreshing.

- Dave Simonett, 2011

Golden
Dead Man Winter Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Out here
So far from my home
And I miss you
So all alone
I scream to the sky that I'd take it all back
In the moonlight

Crawlin'lg

On my hands and my knees
And falling
Just as fast as I please
Your words were never as light as they seemed
But you're golden

Remember when the land offered love
And surrender to the fire from above

Is this some kind of joke, babe I've had about enough
Please forgive me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Golden" by Dead Man Winter suggest a feeling of isolation and longing for a loved one. The artist expresses his sadness and admits to missing his home while being so far away from it. He admits to feeling alone and isolated, and in this moment of vulnerability, he screams out to the sky, wishing he could undo his past mistakes. The lyrics showcase a feeling of deep remorse and a hope that one day he might be able to make up for his missteps.

As the song continues, the artist crawls on his hands and knees, suggesting a feeling of desperation and struggle. He admits to falling and suggests that the words of the person he misses were never as light as they seemed. Despite that, the artist regards his loved one as golden, as if to suggest that he still holds this person in very high regard, regardless of what has transpired between them. The artist then recalls how he remembers the land offering love and surrender and refers to a "fire from above." He seems to suggest that he has had enough and wishes for forgiveness in some form.

Line by Line Meaning

Out here
Being away from my comfort zone

So far from my home
Distance makes it harder

And I miss you
Feeling lonely without you

So all alone
No one to turn to for comfort

I scream to the sky that I'd take it all back
Feeling regretful and wishing to turn back time

In the moonlight
During a moment of introspection

Crawling on my hands and my knees
Feeling defeated and powerless

And falling just as fast as I please
Giving in to negative thoughts and actions

Your words were never as light as they seemed
Realizing that the words spoken were deeper than they appeared

But you're golden
Seeing the beauty in the other person despite the flaws

Remember when the land offered love
Thinking of a time where everything was simple and pure