Lines For Winter

This song was inspired by Mark Strand’s poem of the same name. I don’t actually remember writing it, so I couldn’t tell you anything about how it came together. It’s one of my favorites, though. The song is about the idea of making peace with yourself before you kick the figurative bucket, but it’s really open to interpretation—it’s probably about whatever you think it’s about, too.

One moment I always think of when I play this song is from the documentary Still Bill about Bill Withers. He’s walking along a beach and says something like, “I hope that, before I go, I’m able to accept everything.” I really relate to that sentiment. Self-love is something young people seem much more comfortable with than I ever was—that idea was pretty mockable when I was growing up, and I still can’t quite say the phrase without putting finger-quotes around it. So for me, self-acceptance is the next best thing, and I’ll gladly settle for that.