The Weather Station is a Canadian folk music project of Tamara Lindeman, fo… Read Full Bio ↴The Weather Station is a Canadian folk music project of Tamara Lindeman, formed in 2006.

It is said that the Weather Station was born in a closet. One day, Tamara Lindeman sat down to make music she had never heard. Using her banjo, her voice, a borrowed microphone, and a selection of percussive household items, Tamara taught herself to write, then to record. Slowly she cut together her musical exploration of loss and everything that comes along with it.

The urgings of friends led to the assembly of a five piece band. With banjo, mandolin, violin, and other wooden wonders, they re-interpreted her music, both broadening it and strengthening it as they brought it out into the world of live performance.

This is music about landscapes, both broad and cramped; the running away and the running to; high winds and crushing distance; bracken and tundra and bush. This is music for the east coast, for urban confusion and rural absolutes. It began as music about sadness, but it has always been propelled by fierce determination.

This is music that Tamara Lindeman can no longer contain.

LOYALTY
The Weather Station Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well you called me – telephone ringing in the night.
And you asked me if I was alright –
like an afterthought, an oversight.

And I stood, so surprised,
trying to hold on to my pride.
So close, I could hear your low sigh.
I said I was fine. You said you were fine.

There's a loneliness – I don't lose sight of it.
Like a high distant satellite,
one side in shadow, one in light.
But I didn't mind to be alone that night, in a city.

I'd never seen – all these skyscrapers pooling on a prairie.
Built high and tall, as though they all compete
just to reach the darkness up above
that once here had been.

Somewhere – if there's a beauty you had seen in me.
That I wanted somehow to believe – drift of sentiment and memory.
That I couldn't have, I could not keep.

No, it never did belong to me; it was only ever another thing I would carry.
Still it held me, loyalty, to a feeling, to some glimpse,

of a love that was only ever a kind of distance.
That we could not cross. "Gather no moss."

Overall Meaning

The song “Loyalty” by The Weather Station tells a story about a phone call late at night. The singer receives a call from someone they used to have a relationship with, and they are asked if they are alright, but it feels like an afterthought. The singer tries to hold onto their pride while listening to this person on the other end of the line. Despite the loneliness the singer feels, they are still able to appreciate the beauty of the city and the skyscrapers as they try to keep their distance from the person who called.

The singer reflects on the loyalty they feel towards a feeling or glimpse of love, something that they could not have and could not keep, but it still holds them captive. It is a kind of distance that they cannot cross, and they start to repeat “gather no moss.” The song portrays the struggle of trying to remain distant from someone you care about but also feeling faithful to the emotions you shared with them. The lyrics suggest that it is not always easy to let go of the past, and the loyalty to memories can be just as much a burden as a comfort.

Line by Line Meaning

Well you called me – telephone ringing in the night.
The singer receives a call at night.

And you asked me if I was alright – like an afterthought, an oversight.
The caller asks if the singer is okay in a nonchalant manner.

And I stood, so surprised, trying to hold on to my pride. So close, I could hear your low sigh. I said I was fine. You said you were fine.
The singer feels caught off guard and tries to maintain their composure while the caller expresses their own well-being.

There's a loneliness – I don't lose sight of it. Like a high distant satellite, one side in shadow, one in light.
The singer acknowledges their loneliness as a constant presence, like a faraway satellite that occasionally moves in and out of shadow.

But I didn't mind to be alone that night, in a city. I'd never seen – all these skyscrapers pooling on a prairie. Built high and tall, as though they all compete just to reach the darkness up above that once here had been.
Despite feeling lonely, the singer finds some solace in the city's towering skyscrapers, which seem to stretch endlessly upward toward the darkness of the sky.

Somewhere – if there's a beauty you had seen in me. That I wanted somehow to believe – drift of sentiment and memory. That I couldn't have, I could not keep. No, it never did belong to me; it was only ever another thing I would carry.
The singer reflects on a love that they couldn't quite grasp or hold onto, but still carried with them as a memory.

Still it held me, loyalty, to a feeling, to some glimpse, of a love that was only ever a kind of distance. That we could not cross. "Gather no moss."
Despite the distance, the singer feels a sense of loyalty to the memory of that love, even though they both knew it could never be rekindled.

Writer(s): TAMARA LINDEMAN

Contributed by Luke C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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