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Days Gone Bye

from The History We Wrote by WHOA!TIGER

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One of the biggest challenges a songwriter can have is to pen a song in memory of someone else. Now, maybe that doesn’t seem as hard as it really is. Describing someone’s smile, or the way they move when dancing, maybe remembering a grandmother’s kitchen, and catching a whiff of freshly baked bread. These explore the memories we have of the person, those thoughts that pop into our minds when we think back in time. But when those memories are supposed to be more, when they’ve ended far too soon and are stripped from ever reaching fruition, there is a void left behind. And this song is meant to help fill that void. Beautifully crafted lyrics let the listener know that even though time passes, those feelings are still ever-present. Because the lesson is this: People shine on, even when they are gone. Their spirit, their light, their love . . . these are not simply gone along with the days that have pass by.

Love one another like you mean it . . . Love endures
I know
I’ve seen it


From Eric Wood:

On Halloween Night, 1994, the unthinkable happened. A plane bound for Chicago from Indy encountered a freak snowstorm and fell out of the sky and into a cornfield in northwest Indiana. All 68 passengers and crew perished. Among them was my lifelong friend Brad Stansberry.

In the weeks that followed, I searched for a sense of closure to my grief. Those weeks turned into months, months into years. Closure remained elusive and the loss left a wound that would never fully heal.

In 2013, I accepted an invitation to join Whoa!Tiger as a percussionist after sitting in with the band on a few gigs. The band also picked up a new guitarist and a keyboard player. The creative juices were flowing, and we started crafting new material – songs that would eventually materialize into the album, “The History We Wrote.”

Sometime in the fall of ’14, I came into a rehearsal late and heard the guys working on a new tune. Eric Tullis, also a friend of Brad’s (we all went to high school together), said he had been working on the tune for several years but could never get it off the ground. I recorded our preliminary sketch and felt compelled, for some reason, to take my first stab at writing lyrics. Before I knew it, I found myself writing about Brad. I had wanted to illustrate my grief a number of times over the years but could never find the words. Now they came freely. By late October, the song was done. I went to a memorial service marking the 20-year anniversary of the crash and presented the lyrics to Brad’s family.

The song begins with rain and a clap of thunder, symbolizing the storm that turned to snow and ice. A bell rings out throughout the intro, casting a pall over the lyrical keyboard. Fleeting memories and shadows growing long convey loss and season. The song concludes with hope of a reunion in the hereafter and a call to honor our passed loved ones by living and loving to the fullest.

lyrics

DAYS GONE BYE

Anytime since you went away
That I start my day
Without you on my mind,
I catch myself and I drift away
I go back to that day
When I was left behind.

Did you think when you said goodbye
And rose into the sky
That it would be alright?
Or did you know that our time was done
As the setting sun
Surrendered to the night?

You never notice 'til you're in it
A lifetime passes in a minute
A breath away from eternity
Your hopes and dreams before your eyes
Like fleeting memories as time flies
All them days gone by

Twenty years have come and gone
I try to carry on
That’s why I wrote this song
I feel the shadows, they are growing long
Like spectral fears they’re drawn
My peace of mind has gone

You never notice 'til you're in it
A lifetime passes in a minute
A breath away from eternity
Your hopes and dreams before your eyes
Like fleeting memories as time flies
All them days gone by

I look to the Stars
When I need inspiration
I can feel you among them
Shining on

How can anybody
Say this is forever?
One day I will see you
(And) we'll take up
Right where we left off

You never notice 'til you're in it
Our time on earth has got a limit
When it’s gone, it’s gone
Love one another like you mean it
Love endures – I know, I’ve seen it
Don’t let days go by

Love one another like you mean it
Love endures – I know, I’ve seen it
Say good-bye to days gone bye

credits

from The History We Wrote, released June 15, 2019

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WHOA!TIGER Indianapolis, Indiana

We're WHOA!TIGER, and we've been busy in the central Indiana original music scene since 2008.

Any fan of gutsy rock-n-roll and storytelling lyrics should find plenty to like in WHOA!TIGER. Inspired by the classic album-oriented bands of the 70's, we write contemporary original rock music, with a decidedly old soul.

All our recordings are here, so listen and enjoy! We appreciate your support! ... more

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