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December Rose

from Never Came Down by Allister Bradley

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about

A friend of mine sends email messages with a quote at the bottom of each one. I was taken with the romance of one such quote, which read (loosely remembered) "God gave us memory so that we may have roses in December". For those of you living in warmer climates, you may be able to grow outdoor roses year-round, but here in Canada this quote retains all of its romance. Perhaps I'll record a version for those of you in the southern hemisphere, called "June Rose". Hmmm, doesn't have the same ring to it...

I sat on the quote for a few years before actually writing the song, and in fact the song was a difficult one to finish. It was not recorded in the Barber Shop sessions in New Jersey because I wasn't convinced that it was finished. After heading back to the drawing board for another month, I finished the song the night before heading into Andrew Kolu's recording studio for the Guelph recording session in November of 2009.

After training my voice to reach a high F# for "Still Wild", I punished myself by writing a high G into this song. Like I tell my singer/songwriter friends, "you can blame the songwriter for making you work so hard", but it sucks when it's your own fault...

lyrics

December Rose

I've always known everything dies
Just as a rose in the hold of a winter's night
All of its colour just bleeds away
Silently fading into black

The dream is the same every time
The one where your hand is a breath too far from mine
No way to stop you from falling
Helpless to ever bring you back

All I need is to remember
And I can have the smell of roses in December

CHORUS:
You're the angel that saved me, the spirit that prays for me
The voice I hear when I’m all alone
You’re the memory that lingers, on my breath and my fingers
The greatest love I’ll ever know
You’re with me everywhere I go
You’re my December Rose

The winters used to swallow me whole
A bitter reflection of the ice down inside my soul
Years of hiding from everything
Left me with no safe place to go

You brought me a picture of a rose
To help me remember the sun and to give me hope
You lifted me up from under
The weight of those years of heavy snow

You showed me how I could remember
So I could have the smell of roses in December

CHORUS

All I need is to remember
So I can have the smell of roses in December

CHORUS

Copyright 2009 Allister Bradley.
All rights reserved.

credits

from Never Came Down, released July 15, 2011
Written and arranged by Allister Bradley (SOCAN)
Produced by Allister Bradley

Drums and Percussion Recorded by Andrew Kolu at VNG Productions, Guelph, Ontario

Piano, Bass Guitar, Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Vocals Recorded by Allister Bradley at Left Side Studio, Kitchener, Ontario

Mixed by Allister Bradley at Left Side Studio, Kitchener, Ontario
Mastered by Peter Letros at Wreckhouse Mastering, Toronto, Ontario

Photos by Brian O'Brien
Illustrations by Paul Montgomery
Art Design by Allister Bradley

Drums and Percussion: Adam Bowman
Bass Guitar: Matthew Lima
Electric and Acoustic Guitar: Dave Thompson
Lead and Backing Vocals: Allister Bradley
Piano: Allister Bradley

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Allister Bradley Wellesley, Ontario

Singer/Songwriter/Pianist/Producer/Engineer and many more things to many more people, Allister still can't decide what he wants to be when he grows up. His music can perhaps be described as modern folk, since it contains rich storytelling and imagery, but it might be mistaken for Smooth Jazz, Roots or AC. You decide.

Any way you describe it, Allister's music will reach deep within and satisfy ... more

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