Though born in New York, Peter's was raised in Boulder, Colorado, and then moved to Nashville in the late 1980s. There, she found work as a songwriter, composing hits for Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Anne Murray, as well as for Neil Diamond and co-writing songs with Bryan Adams. She has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Song, in 1995 and 1996, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2003.
Peters has released a string of studio albums of her own. The title track of her 1996 debut album The Secret of Life was later recorded by Faith Hill in 1999.
In the case of her new album, 'Blackbirds,' "juice" is certainly understatement. Recorded in Nashville, the album features a who's who of modern American roots music: Jerry Douglas, Jason Isbell, Jimmy LaFave, Will Kimbrough, Kim Richey, Suzy Bogguss and more. But it's not the guests that make 'Blackbirds' the most poignant and moving album of Peters' storied career; it’s the impeccable craftsmanship, her ability to capture the kind of complex, conflicting, and overwhelming emotional moments we might otherwise try to hide and instead shine a light of truth and understanding onto them.
'Blackbirds' is, in many ways, an album that is unafraid to face down mortality. But rather than dwell on the pain of loss, the music finds a new appreciation for the life we're given.
If anyone can open up that conversation, it's Peters. Inducted into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, she has long been one of Music City's most beloved and respected artists, known never to shy away from darkness and struggle in her writing. Martina McBride's recording of her stirring "Independence Day," a song that deals with domestic abuse, was nominated for a Grammy and took home Song of the Year honors at the CMAs, and her work has been performed by everyone from Etta James and Neil Diamond to George Strait and Trisha Yearwood. "If Peters never delivers another tune as achingly beautiful as 'On A Bus To St. Cloud,'" People Magazine wrote, "she has already earned herself a spot among country's upper echelon of contemporary composers."
'Blackbirds' follows Peters' 2012 album 'Hello Cruel World,' which NPR called "the album of her career" and Uncut said "establishes her as the natural successor to Lucinda Williams." If anything, though, 'Blackbirds' truly establishes Peters as a one-of-a-kind singer and songwriter, one in possession of a fearless and endlessly creative voice.
On A Bus To St. Cloud
Gretchen Peters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
And it's strange but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made
We were just getting to the good part
Just getting past the mystery
Oh and it's just like you, just like you
To disagree
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some and I love you some
But I miss you most
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
Gretchen Peter's "On a Bus to St. Cloud" tells the story of a love that has been lost but not forgotten. The singer reminisces on several occasions where she thought she saw the object of her affection. One time in St. Cloud, Minnesota with snow falling around him like a "silent prayer," another time on a street in New York City with "jazz and sin in the air," and once more on a cold L.A. freeway feeling "like going nowhere." Even in a New Orleans church, the singer got down on her knees to pray and wept in the arms of Jesus for the lover's choice to disappear.
Throughout the song, the singer remains emotionally conflicted. She reveals the intense feelings of love and hate she still harbors for her lost lover. She admits that even though she tries to forget him, he continues to haunt her like a shadow or a ghost. The song ends on a melancholic note as the singer sees him once again on the bus to St. Cloud, yet they just pass by each other like strangers in a silent prayer.
This song presents strong, honest, and thoughtful lyrics that showcase the depth of human emotions. Each verse tells a little story and adds another layer to the singer's pain, reminding listeners that we all have our struggles with love, loss, and moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
Traveling to St. Cloud, Minnesota by bus
I thought I saw you there
Seeing someone who resembles the person on the bus
With the snow falling down around you
The snow was falling heavily all around
Like a silent prayer
The snowfall gave the impression of a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
Recalling a previous encounter on a street in New York
With the jazz and the sin in the air
The atmosphere was filled with the sounds of jazz and the sense of sin
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
Recalling another past encounter on a cold LA freeway
Going nowhere
Feeling stuck and directionless
And it's strange but it's true
Feeling confused but acknowledging the truth
I was sure it was you
Thinking that the person seen is the actual person
Just a face in the crowd
Being just one of the many people in a group
On a bus to St. Cloud
Still traveling to St. Cloud, Minnesota by bus
In a church in downtown New Orleans
Being in a church located in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
Falling to one's knees and praying
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
Crying while in Jesus' embrace
For the choice you made
Being sad about the decision made by the other person
We were just getting to the good part
The good part was about to happen
Just getting past the mystery
Solving the mystery that surrounded the situation
Oh and it's just like you, just like you
It's typical of the other person's behavior
To disagree
To not agree with someone else's point of view
You just slipped out of view
The other person just vanished from sight
Like a face in the crowd
Being just one of the many people in a group
On a bus to St. Cloud
Still traveling to St. Cloud, Minnesota by bus
And you chase me like a shadow
Feeling as if the other person is always following around like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
Feeling as if the other person is figuratively haunting
And I hate you some and I love you some
Having mixed feelings of anger and love for the other person
But I miss you most
Feeling the most sadness when thinking about the other person
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
Still traveling to St. Cloud, Minnesota by bus
I thought I saw you there
Thinking that the person seen is the actual person
With the snow falling down around you
The snow was falling heavily all around
Like a silent prayer
The snowfall gave the impression of a silent prayer
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Catherine S. Todd
ON A BUS TO ST CLOUD LYRICS
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
Going nowhere
And it's strange, but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made
We were just gettin' to the good part
Just gettin' past the mystery
Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
To disagree
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some, and I love you some
But I miss you most...
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
James Sterling
God, what a beautiful song! So sad, evoking lost love, regret, and what could have been. It makes this 72 year old man cry when I hear it. As an old man your regrets are for the things that you didn't do and the things that could have been, not so much regrets for things that you did. Thank you Gretchen Peters for perfectly capturing the feeling and writing it.
Mario Tarradell
Magical. Thank you Gretchen Peters for writing such a stunning song.
Kenneth Halloran
There come moments in a person's life when something is so hauntingly beautiful, it just stops you in your tracks, and just like the line from this song, "you weep in the arms of Jesus for the choices you made" This song is that for me.
Richard Michalek
Ken, me too. I love the Trish Yearwood version, but when I noticed that Gretchen was the author I had to find her singing it. Ripped my heart right out.
Emma McCoid
The most amazing song I've ever heard live! I thought Tricia Yearwood was amazing until I watched the original artist Gretchen Peters sing it live! Amazing beyond belief ❤️
Nick Jarvis
I'm in the U.K. I've been lucky enough to have seen these guys in concert three times now. They've surpassed themselves every time. That said, this, for me, is still the definitive version of this song. Brings me out in goosebumps every time I play it.
Danielle Darnell-Lasher
Your voice is beautiful... This song has always brought the hair on the back on my neck, but your version is the MOST beautiful... Brings the hair on the back of my neck plus chills down my arms. Thank YOU... We need more of your beautiful voice... :)
Barnes Newberry
Do not neglect Jimmy LaFave's amazing version of this song. He made it his own. As Gretchen has so humbly said: "It is Jimmy's song. I just happened to write it."
Donald Cook
.
For myself , I do believe she is being remarkably self-effacing to state that . This song is crying out for the texture , timbre and that , what I can only attempt to describe as ... ' known ... unknowingness ' of a woman's voice , one who has known what all that not knowing quite what
happened ... will ever mean .
Barnes Newberry
@Donald Cook Gretchen may be self-effacing. She is a very good and humble soul, but she knew how much Jimmy LaFave loved the song and how he was so proud to deliver it in concert. And he always gave her full credit for writing it. It worked well for both of them, good friends as they were. I can appreciate and love both versions!