They released a demo, "The Winter's Near", in 2001 and their full-length (and so far only) album, "...Beyond My Grey Wake", in 2003.
Dust (aka Marco Benevento, currently involved with The Foreshadowing) has said that a new How Like a Winter album is a possibility. However, the band members live in different towns which makes getting together for rehearsal/practice very difficult. Thus the band's status is currently not known.
XCVII
How Like a Winter Lyrics
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From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year
What freezing have I felt, what dark days seen
With old December's bareness everywhere
And yet this time removed was summer's time
The teeming Autumn big with rich increase
Bearing the wanton burthen of the prime
After their Lord's decease
Yet this abundant issue seemed to me
But hope of Orphans, and unfathered fruit
For Summer and his pleasures wait on thee
And thou away, the very birds are mute
Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer
That leaves look pale
Dreading the winter's near
In these lyrics, the singer is comparing their absence from their loved one to the harshness of winter. The pleasure of the fleeting year, their loved one, has been absent from their life, and the singer feels a deep sense of freezing and darkness. Even though this absence took place during the time of warmth and abundance, it still felt like the bleakest of winter. The singer compares the absence of their loved one to a widowed womb after the death of her lord.
Even though the singer was surrounded by abundance, it only served as a reminder of the lack of their loved one. Everything around the singer seemed unfathered and without hope, like a fruit left without anyone to care for it. The summer held no pleasure for the singer, for their pleasure only existed in the presence of their loved one, who made everything else seem dull and lifeless. The birds, too, feel the absence of the loved one and do not sing with the same cheerfulness as they do in the presence of the loved one.
Overall, these lyrics are expressing the deep longing and sadness felt by someone who is separated from their beloved. Even though they may be surrounded by abundance and life, it all pales in comparison to the one thing they truly desire - the presence of their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
How like a winter hath my absence been
My distance from you has been similar to a winter season, a time of barrenness and coldness.
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year
Without you, the year's joy and delight have been short-lived and temporary.
What freezing have I felt, what dark days seen
I have experienced extreme coldness and darkness in my heart and soul due to our separation.
With old December's bareness everywhere
The desolation and emptiness of winter, represented by the month of December, are present all around me.
And yet this time removed was summer's time
Although I was absent during the winter, it was actually the summer season when I was away from you.
The teeming Autumn big with rich increase
Autumn, a season of abundance and growth, was flourishing when I was away from you.
Bearing the wanton burthen of the prime
Autumn was bearing the weight of its prime, with fruits and crops overflowing.
Like widowed wombs after their Lord's decease
However, this abundance felt hollow and meaningless, like a barren womb after the death of its lord.
Yet this abundant issue seemed to me
Despite the abundance, it seemed to me that it was only a glimmer of hope for orphaned and fatherless fruits.
But hope of Orphans, and unfathered fruit
It felt like a bleak future with no promise of guidance or nourishment.
For Summer and his pleasures wait on thee
The true warmth and joy of the summer season are dependent on being with you.
And thou away, the very birds are mute
Without you, even the birds are silent and lifeless.
Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer
If they do sing, it is with such a lackluster and dreary tone.
That leaves look pale
Their singing is so melancholic that even the leaves lose their vibrancy and color.
Dreading the winter's near
Allude to a sense of dread and impending doom as the winter season draws near and without the warmth and joy of a loved one.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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