We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Shadow of a Love​-​-​2021 version

from My Back Pages, Revisited (With No Blonde) by Walter Ehresman

/

about

[A MESSAGE FROM WALTER]

FIRST APPEARED ON MY 1999 SOLO ALBUM, "HANDWEDGE FROM THE TRAP", AND THEN LATER ON THE LAST SNIPE HUNT ALBUM, 2002's "I SAW THE FUTURE (BUT THE DAMN TRAIN HIT ME JUST THE SAME)".

This song is a lot more mainstream than my usual fare, but I've still always had a soft spot for it. When I first recorded it, I used full instrumentation (including strings), and I played all the instruments and sang all the vocal parts. I had been wondering what it would sound like with a different lead vocalist, and so we re-recorded it for the last Snipe Hunt album a few years later, with Vic Ramirez taking all the lead vocals and he and I splitting the instrumental duties.

This song has been a mainstay of my solo acoustic sets over the years, and so I thought it would be nice now to record an unadorned version with just vocals and one 6-string guitar. And that's what you've got in your hands.

Click here for the original solo version: walterehresman.bandcamp.com/track/shadow-of-a-love-3

And click here for the Snipe Hunt version: walterehresman.bandcamp.com/track/shadow-of-a-love-2

lyrics

Shadow of a Love
(© 1997 Walter Ehresman)

He keeps it in that special place,
'cause he can't bear to see her face;
He opens it up anyway,
At least 100 times a day, and
all the years that brought him here just
fall away when she appears;
He folds it back up, turns away,
he's got a few more miles today to go--
it's just the shadow of a love we'll never know.

It's hard when you feel things so strong, but
every time you speak it's wrong--
the words they tangle up inside,
you've got to show what you must hide; and
she rode that string as best she could, much
longer than he thought she would, and
in the end, when things went bad,
she raged about what they might've had, but no--
it's just the shadow of a love we'll never know.

[chorus]
He's remembering a feeling
that for most of us will never come at all;
Just four aces in the dealin'; so if you get that hand...
you better take it all.

He checks into a cheap motel;
The dingy sheets, the musty smell;
The snow it flickers on the screen--
white noise drowning silent screams, and
he thinks about a thing so rare;
He turns to look but she's not there.
He pulls the picture out again,
it's faded now, but not to him--it glows;
It's just the shadow of a love we'll never know.

credits

from My Back Pages, Revisited (With No Blonde), released July 11, 2022
Walter Ehresman: vocals, 6-string acoustic guitar.

p. 2022 Walter Ehresman. Snipe Bog Records.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Walter Ehresman image

Walter Ehresman San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin , Walter Ehresman was an eccentric presence in the Austin music scene from the '80s until his 2015 move to Mexico. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist...and a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, expressed with fearlessly honest, socially-conscious lyrics. ... more

contact / help

Contact Walter Ehresman

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Walter Ehresman, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring interviews with LA music scene pillar Kamasi Washington, and new London-based duo Mrcy.

listen now