The Rankins come from a family of 12, all of whom would entertain the neighbours musically every third weekend as part of a ceilidh.
Five of the siblings began performing professionally in 1989. The Rankins released their own independent cassettes The Rankin Family (1989) and Fare Thee Well Love (1990) featuring original songs and a combination of traditional jigs, reels and Celtic folk songs. Their television debut was on the CBC variety show On The Road Again in 1989.
Their most successful album was EMI's re-release of Fare Thee Well Love in 1992, which went quadruple platinum, selling over 500,000 copies; the title track was one of the year's biggest Top 40 hit singles in Canada.
The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, 6 Juno Awards, 4 SOCAN Awards, 3 Canadian Country Music Awards and 2 Big Country Music Awards.
On September 17, 1999, the group issued a press release stating that they would no longer perform as a group in order to pursue independent interests and careers.
John Morris Rankin was killed in a car accident in Cape Breton on January 16, 2000.
Jimmy Rankin has continued to write songs and has released two solo albums: Song Dog (2001) and Handmade (2003).
In November 2006, it was announced that the four surviving Rankins — along with John Morris's daughter Molly — would be releasing a new album and reuniting for a cross-Canada concert tour.
On June 3, 2012, Raylene Rankin appeared on CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition where she spoke about her decade-long struggle with cancer. She died on September 30, 2012 at the age of 52.
Discography
* The Rankin Family (independent, 1989)
* Fare Thee Well Love (independent, 1990)
* Fare Thee Well Love [CD re-issue] (Capitol, 1992)
* The Rankin Family [CD re-issue] (Capitol, 1992)
* North Country (EMI, 1993)
* Endless Seasons (EMI, 1995)
* Grey Dusk Of Eve (EMI, 1995)
* Collection (EMI, 1996)
* Do You Hear...Christmas (EMI, 1997)
* Uprooted (EMI, 1998)
* Souvenir:1989-1998 (2003)
Cold winds
The Rankin Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So hard to let you go
No day passes me by
But I hear your voice
And I miss your warm smile
And the spring is blooming
And the snow has melted away
There's no sun shining
For cold winds chilled my bones
And tears filled my eyes
Our final farewell
Beneath that bitter winter sky
Time heals wounds
It'll see me through
But I'll need many more moons
To forget you
For cold winds chilled my bones
And tears filled my eyes
Our final farewell
Beneath that bitter winter sky
And if my broken wings ever mend
And I'm free to fly again
My wait in vain for joy will end
If we're joined again
Cold winds
in this song can be interpreted as a metaphor for the pain and sadness that the singer is experiencing after losing someone they loved. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is struggling to come to terms with their loss, even as time passes. The singer talks about how they still hear the voice of the person they lost and miss their smile.
The opening line of the song, "So hard to let you go," encapsulates the central theme of the song. The singer is struggling to let go of someone they loved but lost. They are still grieving and feeling the pain of their loss, even as the world around them begins to bloom and come back to life.
The final lines of the song, "If my broken wings ever mend / And I'm free to fly again / My wait in vain for joy will end / If we're joined again," suggest that the singer is still holding on to hope that they will someday be reunited with their loved one. Even though they are currently experiencing cold winds and tears, they believe that there is a chance for happiness in the future.
Overall, the lyrics of "Cold Winds" are poignant and moving, capturing the pain of losing someone we love and the hope that we might someday be reunited with them.
Line by Line Meaning
So hard to let you go
It is very difficult to move on and accept the fact that you have left.
No day passes me by
Every day is filled with thoughts and memories of you.
But I hear your voice
Your voice echoes in my head reminding me of the time we spent together.
And I miss your warm smile
I long for your comforting smile and the happiness it brought me.
And the spring is blooming
Nature is moving on and progressing, but I am still stuck in the past.
And the snow has melted away
The cold, harsh winter that reflects my current emotional state is over.
There's no sun shining
There is no happiness or light in my life without you.
Through the clouds hanging over me
My sadness and longing for you create a dark cloud that hangs over me constantly.
For cold winds chilled my bones
The emptiness and sadness I feel has penetrated so deep that it has physically affected me.
And tears filled my eyes
I cannot help but cry when I think of the memories we shared and the fact that you are gone.
Our final farewell
The moment we had to say goodbye and part ways forever.
Beneath that bitter winter sky
Our final goodbye was on a dark, cold winter day that reflects the sadness and bitterness I feel.
Time heals wounds
With time, it is possible to heal and slowly move on from the pain of losing you.
It'll see me through
Time is the only thing that can help me overcome the sadness and emptiness that your absence has brought.
But I'll need many more moons
It will take a long time and many more months before I can truly forget and move on from you.
To forget you
I desperately want to forget you and the pain your absence has caused.
And if my broken wings ever mend
If I am able to pick myself up and move on from this sadness...
And I'm free to fly again
...and regain my ability to be happy without you...
My wait in vain for joy will end
...I will finally be able to let go of the sadness and emptiness and find joy once again.
If we're joined again
The only thing that can bring me true happiness is if we were to be reunited.
Cold winds
The harsh, cold reality of your absence that I cannot escape from.
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@malcolmprice3654
A favourite of my late wife. Appropriate as a moving farewell.
@j85142
Great song indeed. Rankin music is the best !
@kirstentaylor1001
Love this song. <3
@antonaidh
Tha i boidheach!