Album: Goat's Head Soup (1973)
Play Video
  • And it sure been a cold, cold winter
    And the wind ain't been blowin' from the south
    It's sure been a cold, cold winter
    And a lotta love is all burned out

    It sure been a hard, hard winter
    My feet been draggin' 'cross the ground
    And I hope it's gonna be a long hot summer
    And a lotta love will be burnin' bright

    And I wish I been out in California
    When the lights on all the Christmas trees went out
    But I been burnin' my bell, book and candle
    And the restoration plays have all gone 'round

    It sure been a cold, cold winter, Lord
    My feet been draggin' 'cross the ground
    And the fields has all been brown and fallow
    And the springtime take a long way around

    Yeah, and I wish I been out in Stone Canyon
    When the lights on all the Christmas trees went out
    But I been burnin' my bell, book and candle
    And the restoration plays have all gone 'round

    Sometimes I think about you, baby
    Sometimes I cry about you, Lord
    Well, well, well, well, well, well, well
    Yeah, and I'll wrap my coat around you
    Yeah, I'll wrap my coat around you

    Yeah, and I'll wrap my coat around
    Baby, sometimes I wanna keep you warm
    Sometimes I wanna wrap my coat around you
    Sometimes I wanna but I can't afford you

    Sometimes I wanna wrap my coat around you
    Sometimes I wanna but I can't afford you
    Guess I wanna keep you warm, warm, warm
    Sometimes I wanna wrap my coat around you, Lord, I cry
    Sometimes if feels like Writer/s: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 11

  • Lawrence from Belfast, MaineWhere is Stone Canyon? Near Tucson?
  • Patrick Warpinski from Green BayGreat track
  • Cicero from Porto Alegre, BrazilI thank very much for the information about BLOOD RED WINE.
    I really love WINTER. I'm trying to play it on the piano but the rhythm is hard to keep. I loved to sing and play this song on the guitar. I was exactly searching for a piano score of this song when I discovered this nice site. (If anyone knows about a score, please tell me.) I think Carla Olsen has done us a good favour of keeping Mick Taylor playing The Stones in a jamming but careful style.
    New albums would be welcomed, Carla and Mick!
  • Paul from Boston, MaGoat's Head Soup came out during a period of Stones bashing in pop music publications including the eponymous Rolling Stone. Cameron Crowe in particular didn't like them: he preferred Steely Dan. Need I say more? While hardly their greatest album, Goat's Head Soup contains at least five songs any other band would have given their collective left nut to have recorded, of which Winter is arguably the finest.
  • Matt from Washington, Dc, DcThis song is 5:31 on Goats Head and 5:29 on the Remasterd version released in the past year. A tw0-second difference between tracks of 331 seconds and 329 seconds is just under one-half of one percent, but the original sounds closer to a ballad than the remastered. It's amazing that changing the tempo so slightly can have an effect, but it does. At :54 you can hear Mick snort, and on the remastered version it sounds more as you would expect to hear from an interview with Jagger.

    The lyric, "lights on all the Christmas trees went out" refers to a Los Angeles blackout that occured one December. People thought it would be remembered as LA's version of a New York City blackout, but it never stuck... LA is not NYC.
  • Matt from Washington, Dc, DcThis song is 3:31 on Goats Head and 3:29 on the Remasterd version released in the past year. A tw0-second difference between tracks of 211 seconds and 209 seconds is just under one percent, but the original sounds closer to a ballad than the remastered. It's amazing that changing the tempo so slightly can have an effect, but it does. At :54 you can hear Mick snort, and on the remastered version it sounds more as you would expect to hear from an interview with Jagger.

    The lyric, "lights on all the Christmas trees went out" refers to a Los Angeles blackout that occured one December. People thought it would be remembered as LA's version of a New York City blackout, but it never stuck... LA is not NYC.
  • Alastair from Stranraer, United KingdomAn outtake from the Beggars Banquet or Let it Bleed sessions called 'Blood Red Wine' was probably the genesis of the song. Some lyrics are the same as is the tempo. Carla Olsen did a cover version of 'Winter' on her album 'Truth' with Mick Taylor on guitar. Her twelve minute version draws to a close with Carla using some of 'Blood Red Wine' lyrics.
  • Craig from Melbourne, AustraliaOne of the most fantastic ballads the band has done. The strings make this song.
  • Jon-paul from Copenhagen, DenmarkExcellent song, no doubt. Lyrically, this track mentions an event that happened in Stone Canyon, California "where the lights on all the Christmas trees went out". Now, as we all know, Van Morrison also mentions something similar in the outro to "He ain't give you none" where he says "remember when we were down in the LA and the lights were out".

    Will somebody please put me out of my misery and tell what happened!!
  • John from LondonAgree with Dave great track. I think Mick Taylor was a fabulous addition to the group and its a sham he decided to leave.
    Still Great to see live
    John, London
  • Dave from London , CanadaGreat underrated track; Mick Taylor's solo is exquisite - one of my favorite Stones and Taylor solo's of all time (right up there with the outro solo from 'Sway') and it's Jagger on rhythm guitar, not Richards, who was too stoned to take part.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Pete Anderson

Pete AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Pete produced Dwight Yoakam, Michelle Shocked, Meat Puppets, and a very memorable track for Roy Orbison.

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.