The Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, USA.
<… Read Full Bio ↴The Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, USA.

Singer-songwriter John Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington, and moved to Anchorage, Alaska, during his elementary school years. He later returned to Seattle and formed both Bun Family Players and The Western State Hurricanes. Following the collapse of the latter, he acted as touring keyboardist for Harvey Danger.
In 2001, Harvey Danger singer/songwriter Sean Nelson suggested that he and Roderick record an album, with half of the songs penned by John and the other half by Sean. Death Cab for Cutie band member Chris Walla had recently opened the Hall of Justice studio in Seattle and agreed to help them record.

John recruited Joe Bass of Sky Cries Mary and Brian Young of Fountains of Wayne to flesh out several of the songs, and the album gradually evolved to feature only John's songs. After several months, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm was finished.

John traveled to New York, where he played solo shows and quickly began to write new songs, several of which would be included on the Long Winters's second album, When I Pretend to Fall.

While in New York, John was contacted by Barsuk Records — the label that would release The Worst You Can Do Is Harm — who made it clear that they wanted John to promote the release by touring. He returned to Seattle, where he was joined by Chris Caniglia, former Western States Hurricanes drummer Michael Shilling, and Eric Corson on bass. Thus, The Long Winters were born.

Sean Nelson offered to sing harmony vocals on a number of songs at the band's first live gig. He ended up casually performing with the band for their first few shows before committing to full-time enrollment.

The original trio responsible for The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (John Roderick, Sean Nelson, and Chris Walla) is often considered the original incarnation of the band. John and Sean, along with recruits Eric Corson and Michael Shilling (the drummer in Roderick's previous band, the Western State Hurricanes) are the core players behind When I Pretend to Fall, with Sean having replaced Chris Caniglia as the band's keyboardist. When I Pretend to Fall was released and John, Sean, Eric and Michael embarked on an ambitious series of tours throughout 2003 in support of the album. The band toured North America with Barsuk Records labelmates Nada Surf and Death Cab for Cutie, and later spent November touring Europe. Michael Shilling eventually quit in December of 2003, burned out by the hectic touring and lifestyle of the band.
With the best wishes of the Long Winters, Sean left in March 2004 to rekindle his former band.

At the time of Sean's departure, the Long Winters had begun rehearsing with Michael Shilling's replacement for the band's 2004 tours, former Death Cab for Cutie percussionist Michael Schorr. Confronted with a double blow to the band's line-up, John took the opportunity to reinvent the band — especially with an East Coast tour supporting The Pernice Brothers, a more fleshed out European tour, and a nationwide tour supporting the Decemberists that would take the band through the spring and well into the summer. Thus, the leaner three-piece version of The Long Winters was born, featuring John Roderick, Eric Corson, and Michael Schorr.

This extensive spring/summer 2004 tour took its toll on drummer Michael Schorr, who left the band shortly after its completion. John continued to do small promotional events and shows throughout the latter half of 2004 and 2005, often previewing a handful of new Long Winters songs.

The latest incarnation of the Long Winters features John Roderick on vocals, guitars, and keyboard, Eric Corson on bass and back-up vocals, and Nabil Ayers on drums. The Long Winters toured with Keane in October 2005 in support of an EP released on October 11th, 2005, titled Ultimatum. John Roderick did a solo mini tour through Europe in May 2006 to promote awareness for the third full-length LP, Putting the Days to Bed, which was released on 25 July 2006. In the fall of 2006 the band, now with guitarist/keyboard player Jonathan Rothman replacing Michael Squires, toured the USA, after which they joined Keane once again for a European tour. Listed among the hardest touring bands in music, the Long Winters begin 2007 with yet another European tour, followed by a month of shows in the USA and Canada.

Seven
The Long Winters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Your new haircut is so unfamiliar
But they only know you that way
Your new teases are so hilarious
Well I never thought I'd hear you say

That I did the driving and the falling knives
Seemed anything was worth a try
You never said it but I think I get it

And maybe you were right

That I miss you Seven
I miss you Seven

Did you see me the way I imagined
Every eyelash a picket or a wire
Did you tease me when I went out of fashion
And your interest in me had expired

Well I stopped
But how can I really stop
And stay stopped?

I miss you seven
(The distance helps me only so much)

Is it asking too much
Would you say that I
Am the last thing you want
To remember me by

I miss you seven
(The distance helps me only so much)

Overall Meaning

The Long Winters's song "Seven" talks about missing someone from the past, specifically referred to as "Seven". The person has changed physically, with a new haircut and new mannerisms, but the singer still recognizes them. They remember driving and experiencing hardship together, while also expressing regret for not fully understanding Seven's perspective at the time.

The chorus of the song is where the feelings of longing are most clear: "I miss you Seven, I miss you Seven". The lyrics also touch on the idea of perception in relationships, with the line "Every eyelash a picket or a wire", suggesting that the singer may have idealized the relationship in their head. The song ends with a plea to Seven, asking if they can at least be remembered by the person, highlighting once again the depth of the singer's feelings.

Overall, "Seven" is a poignant reflection on a past relationship, full of missed chances and unspoken feelings. It highlights the way people evolve and change over time, and how sometimes we are unable to fully appreciate those changes until it's too late.

Line by Line Meaning

Your new haircut is so unfamiliar
Your recent changes are so different from what I'm used to from you.

But they only know you that way
Others only know you for your recent changes.

Your new teases are so hilarious
Your recent jokes and jabs are very funny.

Well I never thought I'd hear you say
I'm surprised to hear some of the things you're saying.

That I did the driving and the falling knives
I took risks and made sacrifices for the relationship.

Seemed anything was worth a try
I was willing to do almost anything to keep the relationship going.

You never said it but I think I get it
You didn't directly express your feelings, but I think I understand them.

And maybe you were right
Perhaps you were correct in your actions or feelings.

That I miss you Seven
I really miss you, Seven.

Did you see me the way I imagined
Did you see me the way I hoped and dreamed?

Every eyelash a picket or a wire
Every little hope or possibility felt crucial and important.