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I thought of "Winter Ghost" while walking around downtown Northfield really late at night as 1993 became 1994. I had become aware of Trip Shakespeare and I wanted to write a song with their unique groove, their style of vocal harmony and their air of mysterious spookiness, romantic and sad.
Every so often I write a song that I am very happy with and this was one like that. For at least several months I thought it was the best thing I'd ever done. Like, not just the best *song*, but actually the single best thing I'd ever done in my life. I would sometimes think, when I looked back on sad things that had happened to me, "Well, if that hadn't happened I would never have written Winter Ghost. Thank God everything played out just the way it did."
Original solo version appeared on the 1994 tape Mellby 324: Fake Rock Star, which I did not make any effort to distribute widely. People who heard the album were like, "Are you ok? No, really, are you ok?" and I get why, but I'm ok now, thank you. A more heavily promoted version from three years later with Kaptain Karl and Ericka Mars singing appears on Great Uncle Helmer's seemingly unavailable old man will travel album.
I ran out of time to do any more overdubs so this recording functions as a bit of a breather from the three somewhat elaborate productions elsewhere on this livestream EP.
Lyrics:
There is a ghost that haunts your town
Strolling by the river walking tall around
Jacket, boots and laces all leather brown
18 shades of blue ever since he came down
Winter ghost
You can see right through
Winter ghost
18 shades of blue
Sitting in the square on a dark winter's day
Where she sat with him when the trees were on display
Where he moved to show her and she moved to go away
He glides into the river where he still must die today
Winter ghost
You can see right through
Winter ghost
18 shades of blue
On New Year's Eve, he may walk down your street
Hands in his sides and his eyes at his feet
And if you see him, he will make you cry
He sings a song, "No one as sad as I"
For New Years' Eve is the night that he died
Winter ghost
You can see right through
Winter ghost
18 shades of blue
Winter ghost
You can see right through
Winter ghost
18 shades of blue
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