Cold Blows the Wind

"Cold Blows the Wind" is a song by Ween from the 1997 album The Mollusk.

Song Details

Gene Ween found lyrics in a book for a song called "Cold Blows the Wind"; Ween wrote their own music to fit the lyrics.

Cover of the songbook that contained "Cold Blows the Wind"

Composition & Recording

Although the melody and chords of "Cold Blows the Wind" were written by Ween, the title and lyrics were not; they were taken directly from a song printed in a book that Gene Ween had, called Songs of England, Ireland & Scotland: A Bonnie Bunch of Roses. That song, in turn, was an adaptation of an English folk song called "The Unquiet Grave", which has been adapted and recorded by many musicians over the years. Rather than use the melody and chords as printed in the book, Ween wrote their own original music to fit the lyrics. The Mollusk liner notes credit the song facetiously as a "traditional Chinese spiritual". The lead vocals are sung by Gene Ween.

Much of the final mix of "Cold Blows the Wind" was taken as is from an early demo recording, made on the very first night of recording at their rented beach house, in the fall of 1995. That original version can be found on the semi-official The Mollusk Sessions, and differs mostly in some of the production details.

Dean Ween remembers that "Cold Blows the Wind" is the song that helped set the tone for the rest of the Mollusk recording sessions:

If any one song defines that record, it’s that song, and we did it on the first night. It totally encapsulated that stormy first night at the beach. It was raining, dark, and cold. It sounded nautical, scary, folky, and evil. That song was something we had never done before. It set us on this musical path of what was to come.

Live Performances

"Cold Blows the Wind" has been played live only a handful of times by Ween, most of them after the 2016 reunion. In fact, prior to that it had only been played a single time before a live audience, at a 2003 show on the Quebec tour. However, that same summer it also was included in a 7/22/2003 sound-studio performance for a live Internet stream, later released on the album All Request Live. In addition, Gene Ween has played the song several times during solo acoustic performances.

Lyrics

From Songs of England, Ireland & Scotland: A Bonnie Bunch of Roses:

Cold blows the wind over my true love
Cold blow the drops of rain
I never had but one true love
And in Camvile he was slain

I'll do as much for my true love
As any young girl may
I'll sit and weep down by his grave
For twelve months and one day

But when twelve months were come and gone
This young man, he arose
"What makes you weep down by my grave?
I can't take my repose"

One kiss, one kiss of your lily-white lips
One kiss is all I crave
One kiss, one kiss of your lily-white lips
And return back to your grave

"My lips they are as cold as my clay
My breath is heavy and strong
If thou wast to kiss my lily-white lips
Thy days would not be long"

"O don't you remember the garden grove
Where we used to walk?
Pluck the finest flower of them all
'Twill wither to a stalk"

"Go fetch me a nut from a dungeon deep
And water from a stone
And white milk from a maiden's breast
That babe bare never none"

"Go did^[sic] me a grave, both long, wide, and deep
As quickly as you may
I will lie down in it and take one sleep
For a twelvemonth and one day"

Song Themes

Love, Sung by Gene Ween