Mandolin Wind

Its a song about love sticking by your side in the face of long, debilitating death.

"The coldest winter in almost 14 years" is the toughest test of their marriage, fourteen years long.

"When the rain came I thought you'd leave 'cause I knew how much you loved the sun"

When things got tough with the cancer, he thought she'd leave because she couldn't stand to watch, she's a happy person, not one to tolerate decline.

"But you chose to stay, stay and keep me warm through the darkest nights I've ever known"

But, she chose to stay, and he's singing his gratitude for her steadfast companionship

"If the mandolin wind couldn't change a thing then I know I love ya"

If the sad, cold truth didn't dissuade her, then he's sure he loves her for it.

"Oh the snow fell without a break Buffalo died in the frozen fields you know Through the coldest winter in almost fourteen years I couldn't believe you kept a smile Now I can rest assured knowing that we've seen the worst And I know I love ya"

Hyperbole on how cold, how severe his condition is. It may actually be winter outside his deathbed... but the rest is self-explanatory here - she kept up a smiling face, terminal disease is the worst possible end to a marriage, so if she sticks through it, nothing could ever be worse.

"Oh I never was good with romantic words so the next few lines come really hard Don't have much but what I've got is yours except of course my steel guitar Ha, 'cause I know you don't play but I'll teach you one day because I love ya"

Sure, he'll teach her, someday.

"I recall the night we knelt and prayed Noticing your face was thin and pale I found it hard to hide my tears I felt ashamed I felt I'd let you down No mandolin wind couldn't change a thing Couldn't change a thing no, no"

Remembering the night of the diagnosis, how shocked and dismayed she was. He felt he let her down by having a terminal disease - which is somewhat common of a cancer patient, though he tried to mask his emotions for her sake - also very common of a terminal patient. And, it's terminal - nothing could change a thing.

It's a sad song, and not all that metaphorical, either. Maggie May gets all the attention, but I really like this one - in little, tiny doses, to remind me I survived cancer.

ha ha, to funny.

this is Rod's best song and not a post.

i love the site etc etc, but at times i really wonder about the posters...........of course no offense to you. You are checking out the right song ; )

Headphones . eyes shut. enjoy

Rod's best song, I dunno...it's certainly up there. But I can kinda understand why there arent more posts - I mean Rod is not exactly the first artist you think of when you think of good lyrics (i.e. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?... nuff said...) But the lyrics in this song are excellent (mandolin and wind are two words you wouldn't normally pair together but whoever thought of that, that was genius on their part (hey, maybe it was Rod...) All i know is that there are probably at least a few people in Britain looking out their window right now singing, "the coldest winter in almost fourteen years..."

Each to their own, but for me this is not only Mr Stewart's best song but one of the the stand out love songs of the popular era. May be it's the memories it invokes for me. The album was bought as a 'goodbye' gift from someone I was falling for and I still - nearly 40 years on - think about her when I hear the track. But it is also the simplicity, the brevity and the poetry. And yet when I saw him a couple of years ago, and Rod performed over 40 songs including a load of those American Songbook nonsense, and Mandolin Wind was nowhere to be heard. Ho hum. Maybe Shakespeare didn't like Romeo and Juliet (though actually I'm more of a Henry IV parts I and II kind of boy). KC