His extravagance, combined with tenderness and complimented by a whole lot of 'Funkiness', is enriched through years of recording with award-winning stars like Steve Vai, Cindy Lauper, Little Steven, Tina Turner and Billy Joel. A former member of he Pretenders, TM recorded on the platinum album "Get Close" and also produced and arranged, amongst others, the album "Tribute to Deep Purple According to New York" on which artists like Yngwie Malamsteen, members of Living Colour and Bernie Worrell (P-Funk) all participated. It was TM who contributed the compelling groove with his unmistakable style on Joe Cocker's mainstream classic "Unchain my Heart." Together with Narada Michael Walden he penned the billboard hit "I Should Have Loved Ya." (Source: http://www.tmstevens.com)
Africans In The Snow
T.M. Stevens Lyrics
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From my porch just to hear
My own voice echo in the canyon
When she appeared before me
Protected from the cold
Ringing with the echo in her heart
She walked up to the porch
And I sang a good bit further
I asked her to my living room
A place where we can warm our bones
She said, but I am warmed by the singing
And I can hear my husbandman
Returning from his labor
And I have no food on the table
As quick as she came earlier
She went back to the forest
With a trail of roses behind her
It snowed for many weeks
Until I couldn't see the forest
And the blush had faded from the roses
And while it dropped I worked a lot
To gather wood and keep it hot
And clear the porch off for singing
It was brighter than the other nights
The snow was filled with moonlight
There was not a sound in the canyon
So I sang softly o my old song
Building for a time so long
Until my echo traveled through the forest
And there she was standing there
The moonlight in her auburn hair
Completely protected from the cold
And all about her in the snow
Ruby red and black as coal
Roses had blossomed all around her
The song, "Africans In The Snow" by T.M. Stevens, is a story of a brief encounter between the singer and a woman who appears in the midst of a snowstorm. The singer is on his porch, singing to hear his own voice echo through the canyon, when the woman appears before him. She is protected from the cold and is ringing with the echo in her heart. Despite her warmth, she is hungry and lacking food, waiting for her husbandman to return from his labor. The singer invites her into his warm living room, but she declines, saying that she is warmed by the singing. She disappears back into the forest, leaving a trail of roses behind her.
Over the following weeks, it snows heavily, and the singer works hard to gather wood and clear his porch for singing. One night, as he sings softly, the woman reappears, standing in the snow with ruby red and black roses blossoming around her. She is completely protected from the cold, with the moonlight shining on her auburn hair. The song leaves the listener wondering about the mystery of the woman's appearance and what it all means.
The song explores themes of connection, hospitality, protection from the elements, and the beauty of nature. It invites the listener to contemplate the significance of chance encounters and kindness to strangers.
Line by Line Meaning
I was singing like a bird
I was singing loudly and joyfully
From my porch just to hear
I wanted to hear my own voice echo
My own voice echo in the canyon
I wanted to hear my voice bounce off the canyon walls
When she appeared before me
A woman suddenly showed up in front of me
Protected from the cold
She was bundled up to stay warm
Ringing with the echo in her heart
She was touched by the sound of my singing
She walked up to the porch
She approached me on the porch
And I sang a good bit further
I continued to sing for a while longer
Until we both sat there in silence
We stopped singing and sat quietly together
I asked her to my living room
I invited her to come inside my home
A place where we can warm our bones
A warm place for us to relax
She said, but I am warmed by the singing
She found warmth in the sound of the singing
And I can hear my husbandman
She expected her husband to return soon
Returning from his labor
Her husband was coming back from working hard
And I have no food on the table
She had not prepared any food for her husband's return
As quick as she came earlier
She left just as suddenly as she arrived
She went back to the forest
She returned to the woods where she came from
With a trail of roses behind her
There were scattered rose petals on the ground following her footsteps
It snowed for many weeks
There was a lot of snow for a long time
Until I couldn't see the forest
The snow was so heavy that it covered everything, including the forest
And the blush had faded from the roses
The color had faded from the rose petals that were on the ground
And while it dropped I worked a lot
I worked hard while it was snowing
To gather wood and keep it hot
I collected wood to keep a fire going
And clear the porch off for singing
I cleared the porch of snow so that I could sing on it
It was brighter than the other nights
The moon was particularly bright that night
The snow was filled with moonlight
The snow looked very bright under the moonlight
There was not a sound in the canyon
It was completely quiet in the canyon
So I sang softly o my old song
I sang my song softly
Building for a time so long
I had been practicing singing for a very long time
Until my echo traveled through the forest
My voice echoed through the woods
And there she was standing there
The woman appeared again
The moonlight in her auburn hair
Her hair glowed in the moonlight
Completely protected from the cold
She was still bundled up to stay warm
And all about her in the snow
There were roses blossoming in the snow around her
Ruby red and black as coal
The roses were red and black like coal
Roses had blossomed all around her
The roses had bloomed around her, even in the snow
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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