Rose Cousins is a Canadian bluegrass/folk singer-songwriter. Born and raise… Read Full Bio ↴Rose Cousins is a Canadian bluegrass/folk singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, she is currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Beginning in 2002, she released two EPs prior to her full-length debut, If You Were for Me, in 2006. The album garnered her a nomination for best solo artist at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. She was also a winner in the 2007 Mountain Stage Newsong Contest, as well as winning best folk recording from both the Nova Scotia Music Awards and the PEI Music Awards, and Female Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards in 2008.

She followed up with The Send Off in 2009. The Send Off was produced by Luke Doucet, and features guest musicians including Kathleen Edwards, Melissa McClelland, David Myles, Jenn Grant and Tom Wilson.

In 2012, Rose released We Have Made a Spark. The album has 9 tracks, including 2 bonus tracks. It was produced by Zachariah Hickman and engineered by Matt Malikowski, Sean Cahalin and Roni Pillischer. The album was released on her own label, Old Farm Pony Records, the same label that houses her last two albums The Send Off and Miles to go.

Cousins has also appeared as a guest musician on albums by Grant, Joel Plaskett, In-Flight Safety, Two Hours Traffic, Matt Mays, Catherine MacLellan, Jill Barber, Matt Epp, Old Man Luedecke, Ruth Minnikin, The Olympic Symphonium and Craig Cardiff, and has performed live with Royal Wood, Daniel Ledwell, Rose Polenzani, Anne Heaton and Laura Cortese.

Official website: www.rosecousins.com

Lewis Lake
Rose Cousins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All the ice was frozen
On the lewis lake
It gets as hard as winters frozen ground
I was only waiting
You were only late
And I was there with no one else around

It's been a swan dive

From a straight life
Still it's a good night
For a good night

Lewis lake was frozen solid as a stone
And quiet as a field of winter snow
Lewis lake was frozen and I was walking home
I guess I knew that it was time to go

It's a long way

From the old days
It's a long way

Overall Meaning

from here

The lyrics of Rose Cousin's song Lewis Lake depict a moment in time where the singer is waiting for someone who is late, and she is alone and surrounded by the frozen lake. The metaphor of the frozen lake symbolizes the singer's own frozen state, where she is stuck in the present and unable to move forwards. The frozen lake also signifies the harshness of winter and the brutal reality of life, and how events can freeze us in place against our will. The lyrics also discuss the idea of change and how it can bring about a sense of loss, as well as the inevitability of moving on from the past.

The chorus of the song, "It's been a swan dive from a straight life, still it's a good night for a good night," encapsulates the theme of change and the acceptance that sometimes we must make a significant leap from what we once knew to move forward. The lyrics also juxtapose a sense of calmness and tranquility with the reality of life's impermanence, as she contemplates her journey from the past to her present.

Line by Line Meaning

All the ice was frozen
The ice on Lewis Lake was completely frozen

On the Lewis lake
The location being referred to is Lewis Lake

It gets as hard as winters frozen ground
The ice on Lewis Lake is as hard as the frozen winter ground

I was only waiting
The artist was waiting for someone or something

You were only late
The person the artist was waiting for was late

And I was there with no one else around
The singer was alone at Lewis Lake

It's been a swan dive
The singer's life has taken a major and sudden downturn

From a straight life
The artist's life used to be more conventional and predictable

Still it's a good night
Despite everything, it's a beautiful night

For a good night
A good night is possible on a beautiful night like this

Lewis lake was frozen solid as a stone
Lewis Lake was completely frozen and unmoving like a stone