Spilt Milk was recorded in London with Jimmy Hogarth, the sought-after British producer whose recent credits include Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt. Powerhouse songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger Eg White – Grammy Awards Record of the Year nominee for Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” – co-wrote most of this material. Singer and pianist Ed Harcourt also co-wrote two, including the climactic “Far From the Country,” an especially poignant and personal conclusion to the disc, about the physical and emotional distances one must bridge to keep love alive
For inspiration, Train turns to Aretha Franklin – “There is not a song that Aretha has sung or will ever sing that doesn’t just melt me” – along with blues/R&B cult figures like former Stax star/Raelette Mable John and Bob Dylan-favorite Karen Dalton. Says Train, “I wanted my album to offer glimpses of my influences, not sound like my influences. Jimmy, Eg and I are of similar backgrounds, we appreciate the same music; we have similar tastes. The arrangements are just what we felt the songs needed, they give the songs flavor but don’t try to steal anybody else’s style. I hope the album is a nod to the music I love, while still being modern.”
Music has been at the center of Train’s world since she was a toddler, when her mother encouraged her to play the violin. Train took to the instrument, but, more importantly, she also discovered an innate aptitude as a singer, with unerring pitch and a preternaturally mature delivery from a very young age. Says Train, “There’s depth to my voice and I think it comes from a lot of different places. But the way I sound today is the way I always sounded -- except in a tinier body.”
As an artist, Train could never simply be described as a product of her times and that has allowed her, on Spilt Milk, to create music that can arguably be called timeless. Her mom, who raised Train alone, fashioned what some might view as a sheltered existence for the young Train, keeping her away from television and pop radio. But what she really did was provide a fertile laboratory for Train to freely grow as a young woman and a singer, apart from the vagaries of trends. Train took music and ballet lessons and listened to classical music and opera, along with jazz and blues. Her violin training definitely came in handy: Train has arranging credits on three of her tracks and overdubbed strings on two of them.
Though born in New York City, Train was raised in Savannah, Georgia, and southern soul and gospel, which she sang in church and school choirs growing up, has had the most profound effect on her work. Almost as significant was the moment when, as a teenager, she unearthed her mom’s tucked-away stash of vinyl albums from the sixties and seventies: Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin. Say Train,” I remember hearing Janis Joplin’s records and thinking, what is that all about? We lived in downtown Savannah, in a house kind of like a New York City brownstone. When we had thunderstorms I would go up to the roof and scream at the top of my lungs because I wanted to make my voice raspier. God only knows what that’s done to me!”
By the time Train was 19, she was already singing professionally, albeit locally. A producer based in the south who’d spotted Train arranged to bring her up to New York City to showcase for Blue Note. The label chiefs offered Train a development deal – but her mom had other ideas. She insisted her daughter go to college first. Many a confident and headstrong young artist would rebel and go it alone, accept the deal and take their chances. But Train – reluctantly, she now admits – listened to her mom. She agreed to attend college in Athens, Ga., keeping her hand in music by joining a band and spending far more time rehearsing and gigging than hitting the books. And when she was ready to return to her career full-time, Blue Note was still waiting.
It was time well-spent, Train now realizes: “I know that at 19, I would not have made this record, which is the record I always wanted to make. This is the album that defines who I am. At 19, I don’t know what I would have put out. I believe everything happened for a reason. It took this amount of time for me to get here and to make this record. I always knew it would happen. “
Train made several trips to London over the course of two years, to write with Hogarth and White, but the actual recording moved quickly. In fact, Train was such a natural that some of the vocal performances they chose came straight from the song demos they’d originally done. Right before they were about to embark on their final sessions, though, a disastrous computer glitch during file back-up resulted in the loss of much of what they’d already completed. As Train recalls, “It was the perfect electronic storm.” Undaunted, she and her cohorts went back in and re-cut the vanished material with even more passion and determination, the setback turning out to be far more inspiration than challenge. Looking back, Train says, “I don’t think anything was lost. I don’t think there was this one magic moment that we could never recapture. I love what it is today.” And the experience provided her with an album title. “Don’t cry over spilt milk.”
Train’s confidence and faith in what she has created is part of what makes Spilt Milk so thrilling: “There’s just this magic thing that happens sometimes and you think, I want to sing this song for the rest of my life – I want to live in it, I want to bury myself in it, I want to wriggle around in it.. Every time I finished one, it was like, I can’t believe that, at this point in my life I finally have a song I would fight for, that I believe in 100% percent. And now I have all these songs together on an entire album that I feel this way about. For me, that’s my college degree.”
Waltz With Me Under the Sun
Kristina Train Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Away she blows
A little white feather sets off alone
She grins and spins
Her journey begins
Humming a lullaby in the sky
Where do dreams go
Do they scatter like ashes
Or live another lie
Come to me
When the day has sung
Will you waltz with me under the sun
From under the pillow
It slipped out the window
The dying dream
Was born again
To a feather it grew
White as snow it flew
Dancing away to the sun
Where do dreams go
After they die
Do they scatter like ashes
Or live another lie
Come to me
When the day has sung
Will you waltz with me under the sun
We walk with Gods daughter
By the devil in the water
Play with him
Wait in sin
Or she will sail above
The sea so high
Turn and wave a last goodbye
And kiss the waves and stars goodnight
One last parade
Where do dreams go
After they die
Do they scatter like ashes
Or live another lie
Come to me
When the day has sung
Will you waltz with me under the sun
Will you waltz with me under the sun
The song Waltz With Me Under the Sun by Kristina Train is a poetic reflection on the life cycle of dreams. The song begins with the imagery of a little white feather, a symbol of fragility and freedom, floating away on its own as its journey begins. The singer wonders where dreams go when they die, musing whether they scatter like ashes or continue to live on in some form. The lyrics "come to me when the day has sung" suggest a melancholic tone, as if the singer is waiting for something or someone, perhaps for the return of a lost dream or a lost love. The chorus repeats, "will you waltz with me under the sun", suggesting a desire for companionship and joy, a longing for a new beginning, and a sense of hope.
The second verse describes the revival of a dying dream, this time in the form of the little white feather growing into something new, and dancing away towards the sun, as if the dream has transformed into a new possibility. The third verse adds a layer of contrast between good and evil, represented respectively by God's daughter and the devil in the water. The singer faces a choice: to either play and wait in sin or to sail above the sea with God's daughter and say goodbye to the waves and stars. The song ends with a final chorus, repeating the same questions and desires from the beginning.
Overall, the song paints a rich landscape of imagery that invites listeners to reflect on the power of dreams, the inevitability of their loss, and the hope for new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
There she goes
Someone or something is leaving or moving away.
Away she blows
The person or thing is moving further and further away into the distance.
A little white feather sets off alone
A small, delicate feather is being carried by the wind, moving on its own journey.
She grins and spins
The feather seems to be happy and playful as it moves through the air.
Her journey begins
The feather's adventure has just started.
Humming a lullaby in the sky
The feather seems to be singing a soothing song to itself as it travels through the air.
Where do dreams go after they die
This line poses the question of what happens to our hopes and aspirations when they don't come true.
Do they scatter like ashes or live another lie
The artist is suggesting that unfulfilled dreams may either be forgotten entirely or continue as false hope.
Come to me when the day has sung
The artist is hoping for the return of a lost dream or possibility when the time is right.
Will you waltz with me under the sun
The artist is asking someone to share a joyful moment together.
From under the pillow
Something has been hidden or stored away for safekeeping.
It slipped out the window
The hidden object has been lost or escaped from its hiding place.
The dying dream was born again
The idea that was once lost has been given a new life and vigor.
To a feather it grew
The new idea has taken on a light and delicate form.
White as snow it flew
The idea has transformed into something pure and beautiful and is moving through the air.
Dancing away to the sun
The new idea seems to be moving towards the light and warmth of the sun, possibly towards a brighter future.
We walk with Gods daughter
We are all traveling through life, sometimes with a higher power at our side.
By the devil in the water
There may be obstacles or challenges to overcome along the journey, represented by the devil in the water.
Play with him, wait in sin
The singer suggests that we have a choice to either engage with or ignore the obstacles along the way.
Or she will sail above the sea so high
If we choose to stay above the negative influences and temptations, we can soar high above them.
Turn and wave a last goodbye
As we continue on our journey, we may have to say goodbye to certain people, situations, or dreams that no longer serve us.
And kiss the waves and stars goodnight
The artist is saying goodbye to the beautiful world around them as they move into a new phase of their journey.
One last parade
This line represents the end of a chapter or significant moment in the singer's journey.
Will you waltz with me under the sun
The artist is still inviting someone to share a special moment of joy with them.
Contributed by Cooper A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@argiskelton7292
There she goes
Away she blows
A little white feather sets off alone
She grins and spins
Her journey begins
Humming a lullaby in the sky
Where do dreams go
After they die
Do they scatter like ashes
Or live another lie
Come to me
When the day has sung
Will you waltz with me under the sun
From under the pillow
It slipped out the window
The dying dream
Was born again
To a feather it grew
White as snow it flew
Dancing away to the sun
Where do dreams go
After they die
Do they scatter like ashes
Or live another lie
Come to me
When the day has sung
Will you waltz with me under the sun
We walk with Gods daughter
By the devil in the water
Play with him
Wait in sin
Or she will sail above
The sea so high
Turn and wave a last goodbye
And kiss the waves and stars goodnight
One last parade
Where do dreams go
After they die
Do they scatter like ashes
Or live another lie
Come to me
When the day has sung
Will you waltz with me under the sun
Will you waltz with me under the sun
@Mneertje
oh my god, this song is so strong and sung with so much heart that it makes me cry over and over again.
@guido342
Kristina Train could sing the Phone Book and I'd be hooked, amazing voice and phrasing. Hugely underrated and under-recorded artist.
@samferguson1645
Yes I agree David.
@welshyyyyy
Totally agree, I've messaged her a couple of times over the last few years in Instagram asking when a new album is due but unfortunately nothing. A huge talent, and her version of this is just glorious 😍
@ColinDevlinMusic
A really beautiful song and and an absolutely gorgeous arrangement. If there's any justice it will be nominated for an Oscar in 2014.
@lozena4
This song is a masterpiece. Kristina Train's vocal interpretation is gorgeous.
@justMe-rd4sw
you said it Perfectly😂
@sandrarogers1657
Fantastic Arrangement and words, I Love it, kristina Train you are a beautiful singer
@cindyprince6402
I want to listen over and over again to this. What a beautiful song!
@cydniedonat7635
What a silky sexy voice. Listening is like the waves lapping gently at your feet while the dun sets.