By December, the days are short, and the weather for much of North America is pretty chilly. With Christmas right around the corner, whether you’re in a tropical climate or surrounded by snow, we found three songs that celebrate all things winter.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band
“Colder Weather” came out by the Zac Brown Band in 2011. On their sophomore You Get What You Give record, the song is written by band members Zac Brown, Coy Bowles, Wyatt Durrette, and Levi Lowrey.
The song is about someone on the road who blames the separation from the woman he loves on the weather. “Colder Weather” says, “He said, ‘I want to see you again / But I’m stuck in colder weather / Maybe tomorrow will be better. Can I call you then?’ / She said, ‘You’re a rambling man / And you ain’t ever gonna change / You’ve got a gypsy soul to blame / And you were born for leaving.’”
Durette had the inspiration for “Colder Weather”. He was dating someone and planned to see her while on the road, but a snowstorm prohibited their actual meeting.
“It was pouring down snow,” Durette tells The Boot. “We were supposed to go to Kansas City the next day for some radio thing, but the radio people canceled. Instead, we just went on to wherever we were going next. I had to call her and tell her that I wasn’t going to make it. She was not a happy camper. She let me have it. I hung up the phone, walked on the bus, and wrote the chorus and the melody to the chorus.”
“If We Make It Through December” by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard first released “If We Make It Through December” on his 1973 Merle Haggard’s Christmas Present album. Surprisingly, he didn’t necessarily intend the song to be for the holidays. Four months later, “If We Make It Through December” became the title track of an album released in February of 1974.
“If We Make It Through December” says, “If we make it through December / Everything’s gonna be all right, I know / It’s the coldest time of winter / And I shiver when I see the falling snow / If we make it through December / Got plans to be in a warmer town come summertime / Maybe even California / If we make it through December, we’ll be fine.”
“Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell includes “Cover Me Up” on his 2013 Southeastern album. Written solely by Isbell, the song was inspired by Isbell’s relationship with his wife at the time, Amanda Shires. It’s Shires who convinced him to get sober.
“Cover Me Up” says, “So, girl, leave your boots by the bed, we ain’t leavin’ this room / ‘Til someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom / It’s cold in this house and I ain’t goin’ out to chop wood / So cover me up and know you’re enough to use me for good / Cover me up and know you’re enough to use me for good.”
Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic
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