Winter Coat
Paul Kelly and The Messengers Lyrics
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Walking through cold city streets like lovers do
Stopped inside a market
Kissed behind a stall
Someone said you'd better move on
If you're not buying at all
Then I saw the winter coat hanging on the rack
Hanging on my back
So you helped me try it on
It was just my size
Then you bought that coat for me
After haggling over the price
Now when it's chilly
Up in these cold, cold hills
I just put on my winter coat
My winter coat
Keeps me warm
Years have come along
Years have gone
Some friends have risen
Some have moved on
And my old winter coat still hangs by my front door
Holding all the stories
I don't remember anymore
And when it gets freezing
Up in these cold, cold hills
I just put on my winter coat
My winter coat
Keeps me warm
My winter coat
My winter coat
My winter coat
My winter coat
Paul Kelly's song Winter Coat is a reflection on the passing of time and the way objects can hold memories and emotions. In the opening verse, Kelly recalls a time when he and his lover were walking through the city, stopping to kiss behind a market stall. The lyrics are tinged with a sense of melancholy, as Kelly notes that somebody tells them to move on if they're not buying anything. However, his attention is caught by a winter coat hanging on a rack, and he tries it on with the help of his lover. They haggle over the price, and eventually, she buys it for him.
The winter coat becomes a symbol of the love they shared, a memory that he cherishes even as time passes and their relationship ends. Kelly notes that the years have come and gone, friends have come and gone, but the coat still hangs by his front door, holding stories he can no longer remember. Yet whenever it gets cold, he puts on his winter coat, and it keeps him warm, both literally and emotionally.
Overall, Winter Coat is a poignant meditation on the way that objects can hold meaning and memories long after the people and events associated with them have passed. The winter coat becomes a symbol of the love and warmth that the singer shared with his partner, and of the way that even small moments can have significance in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
We were lovers once long ago
We used to be in a romantic relationship a while back
Walking through cold city streets like lovers do
We used to walk together through chilly streets of the city and enjoy each other's company
Stopped inside a market
We paused inside a marketplace
Kissed behind a stall
We had a moment of intimacy behind a stall in the market
Someone said you'd better move on
If you're not buying at all
An individual warned us to leave if we were not making a purchase in the store
Then I saw the winter coat hanging on the rack
I noticed a winter coat hanging on a rack
I thought about that winter coat
Hanging on my back
I contemplated owning that winter coat and having it on my back
So you helped me try it on
It was just my size
Then you bought that coat for me
After haggling over the price
You assisted me in trying on the coat that was appropriately sized for me, and then, after negotiating the cost, purchased it for me
Now when it's chilly
Up in these cold, cold hills
I just put on my winter coat
My winter coat
Keeps me warm
When it gets cold in the hills, I put on my winter coat as it keeps me warm
Years have come along
Years have gone
Some friends have risen
Some have moved on
With the passing of time, people have changed and departed from my life while others have remained
And my old winter coat still hangs by my front door
Holding all the stories
I don't remember anymore
My old winter coat remains hanging by the front door, containing stories from the past that I have forgotten
And when it gets freezing
Up in these cold, cold hills
I just put on my winter coat
My winter coat
Keeps me warm
When it gets freezing in the hills, I still depend on my winter coat to keep me warm
My winter coat
My winter coat
My winter coat
My winter coat
Reinforcing the significance of my winter coat has in my life as a source of warmth and comfort
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Maurice Kelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richendaandcraigmills757
One of our ballroom dance teachers danced to this last Saturday night as a solo routine and it had some of the audience all teary eyed. Such an emotional song.
@rick_fortune
In My Opinion, this is his best song. Big call for a man who's written some of the best Australian songs ever...
@rick_fortune
Still listening to this 8 years later. Brilliant, brilliant songwriter.
@MsPoppsie
I'm from the snow covered hills of Batlow.
I need my winter coat....
@complexlittlepirate3589
Agreed. Minimal and perfect.
@edsmith6953
A truly amazing song
@aussybuck
Awesome, awesome song :) Paul Kelly is a master.
@timothysmith8667
Man what a masterpiece just a total masterpiece great song great song awesome
@blackwingvalleylover
Brilliant lyrics and tune-so beautiful
@theobaudelaire7400
It's so beautiful that he references the love without ever directly mentioning it. Long ago, just as in the song, a woman I loved bought me a winter coat in Melbourne. When it's chilly, I put on that winter coat and I'm still wrapped in her...