Songfacts®:

• This song tells the story of a girl, "very long ago, in a fairy book world" and a man she holds a dream-like affection for, always admiring him from afar. The girl in the song "believed in dreams" so the man visited her there, but never in reality. And the girl waits. Waits for years.
  
  In our interview with Glenna Bell, she revealed that the song was written about her aunt, a woman who inspired Glenna with stories of her life, with her powerful voice and music. After 81 years of life, Glenna's aunt passed away, and tucked into the folds of her purse was a black and white photo of a lover lost long, long ago. Glenna was moved by her aunt's unending affection for this man and her quiet longing. "These Days" was written for her aunt and her grief.
• It was in the wake of her aunt's death that Glenna Bell turned to music to navigate the world of sadness that the loss had created in the Orange Triangle of East Texas where both women were born. "These Days" is an understated track on Glenna's album Perfectly Legal: Songs of Sex, Love and Murder, yet cuts right to the heart. The empathy the song is sung with, the rich tones of sadness and the love evident in every careful phrasing makes this song a particularly special listening experience for anyone who ever missed someone.