With some mild success with singles during the mid-late 1960s, Bunyan released the LP, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970. This consisted of songs written while traveling in a horse drawn gypsy cart. Critics panned the album and a discouraged Vashti soon disappeared from the music scene. However, by the 2000s her work had finally been finding an audience among contemporary artists and fans of folk music.
In 2002, she was invited by Piano Magic musician Glen Johnson to sing guest vocals on his song "Crown of the Lost", her first recording in over 30 years. After guesting on Piano Magic's album 'Writers Without Homes', she released her critically-acclaimed second album, Lookaftering, 35 years after its predecessor.
In 2006 she collaborated with Adem and began to tour for the first time, accompanied by various musicians including Jo Mango and Gareth Dickson. She collaborated with Animal Collective on the Prospect Hummer EP. Vashti also sang with Devendra Banhart on his album Rejoicing in the Hands.
Bunyan's cover of the late John Martyn's "Head and Heart" appeared on the 2011 tribute album, Johnny Boy Would Love This...A Tribute to John Martyn.
Winter Is Blue
Vashti Bunyan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some are just sleeping, In spring they’ll go on
Our love is dead, Nothing but crying
Love will not find even, One more new morning
why must I stay here, Rain comes I’m sitting here
Watching love moving, Away into yesterday
Fires are now burning, And life has no reason
I am alone, Waiting for nothing
If my heart freezes, I won’t feel the breaking
Why must I stay here, Rain comes I’m sitting here
Watching love moving, Away into yesterday
The lyrics of Vashti Bunyan's Winter Is Blue depicts a sense of melancholy and despair. The first line, "Winter is blue, Living is gone," suggests a bleak and desolate feeling that is usually associated with the winter season. It also hints at the concept of something being dead or gone. This sets the tone for the rest of the song. Bunyan uses metaphors to compare the state of the singer's emotions with the desolation of winter. The line, "Our love is dead, nothing but crying," shows the hopelessness and despair of heartbreak, and the inability to find new love.
The chorus, "Why must I stay here, rain comes, I'm sitting here/Watching love moving, away into yesterday" portrays the struggle of coming to terms with the end of a relationship. The repetition of the phrase, "Watching love moving away into yesterday" emphasizes the feelings of loss and nostalgia that accompany the end of love. The singer is unable to move on from the past and is trapped in a cycle of sadness.
Winter is Blue was written and recorded by Vashti Bunyan in 1966 at the age of 21. However, it wasn't released until 1967 and received little to no attention at the time. It wasn't until her comeback tour in the 2000s that the song gained recognition and popularity.
Line by Line Meaning
Winter is blue, Living is gone
The singer describes the winter season as melancholic, and how life seems to be absent during this time.
Some are just sleeping, In spring they’ll go on
Although some things may seem dead during winter, the singer believes that they will come back to life in spring.
Our love is dead, Nothing but crying
The singer laments the end of a romantic relationship, and how it has resulted in nothing but tears.
Love will not find even, One more new morning
The artist feels that there is no hope for their love to be rekindled, and that it has reached a permanent end.
why must I stay here, Rain comes I’m sitting here
The artist questions why they must stay in this state of heartache and loneliness, while it is raining outside.
Watching love moving, Away into yesterday
The singer observes how their love is slipping away into the past, despite their efforts to hold on to it.
Winter is blue, Everything’s leaving
The singer reiterates how winter represents a time of loss, where everything seems to be disappearing.
Fires are now burning, And life has no reason
The artist sees fires burning and feels that life is meaningless without the warmth of love and companionship.
I am alone, Waiting for nothing
The artist acknowledges their solitude and how they are waiting for something that may never come.
If my heart freezes, I won’t feel the breaking
The artist expresses that they have become so numb to the pain of heartbreak that they may not even feel it anymore.
Contributed by Lily M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ix Ypsilon
◇ Winter is Blue:
Der Winter ist trüb
Das Leben ist fort
Manche schlafen nur
Im Frühling werden sie wieder aufwachen
Unsere Liebe ist tot
Nichts als weinen
Liebe wird sich nicht an einem
neuen Morgen einfinden
Warum muss ich hier bleiben?
Regen zieht heran, ich sitze hier
Beobachte wie gelebte Liebe
Den Weg ins Gestern nimmt
Der Winter ist trüb
Alles geht
Feuer brennen jetzt
Und das Leben hat keinen Grund
Ich bin allein
Auf nichts wartend
Wenn mein Herz gefriert
Werde ich das Brechen nicht fühlen
Warum muss ich hier bleiben?
Regen zieht heran, ich sitze hier
Beobachte wie Liebe
Den Weg ins Gestern nimmt
jennyrays
It's 2AM and I'm sitting in the dark.. Listening to this and getting goosebumps. So pure and powerful. I feel like she's here in the room, singing to me.
Richard Williamson
This unforgettable, soul-deep music might never have entered our consciousness without the internet. I'm constantly amazed at how many great musicians are producing songs that are attainable on indie folk channels. Back when Vashti was first trying to be heard, the industry was controlled by moguls, fat cats and exploiters of young talent who tended to corrupt and crush young souls. There is a special place in heaven for people like Vashti who can make life worth living.
Janet Pretty
So so grateful i found her.
She is my go to..This song , love song, and i want to be alone.My absolute favourites.Her and nick drake, are my daily background music👌
mycrazeee
Her voice is so calming and beautiful.
jim40135
It is but this is a very very sad song :,(
The Letter 'H'
This song has a wonderful melody- theres a beautiful little key change in the second line of the verse from G# mixolydian to G# Ionian and back again (she sings a G natural and then an F#)
Definitely taking this idea :)
Roger Johansson
💕
superwolf76
"If my heart freezes, I won't feel the breaking." One of the best lines. This song!!!!!
ilovemypiano
Am I the only one who thinks this is her best song? Such a lovely melody.
mervelerden biri
her voice's so magical 😍