The Wine

Album: Vesper (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Leonard Mynx is a singer/songwriter from Oregon. He told Songfacts: "This song is an apparition. It filters through the murk and comes out clean. It is a sieve. It was written in a flop house in Portland. There were no decorations on the walls. No art. The room was a hyperbaric chamber. The outside world didn't exist. I had to create one. 'Put My Little Shoes Away' is an old traditional song. It is about a young boy who dies of Scarlet Fever. He begs his mother to 'give his toys to all my playmates, but put my little shoes away.' Someday his baby brother can wear them. Both of these songs deal with nobility in the face of tragedy. America falls and rises. There is no set tradition, but we are steeped in customs. We wear our hair in hopes of the future. We recorded 'The Wine' on a 96 degree day in May. It was done in a flash. No need to beautify it. We left it raw. 'When Jesus comes to save us, there'll be Hell to pay.' No one thinks of the price of their deeds. We are mostly one dimensional. Anything beyond that scares us. We call it crazy. We feed it pills. The noble child begs us to put their little shoes away."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.