Whispering Pines

[Nefertiti]

Hi there.

1."Its winter calls"
What does 'its winter calls' mean? Is it a common usage? Is it OK to say "the sweats fall. the summer calls"?

2. Is 'dove' a symbol of sadness? or just for this song?

3. Whisperin' Pines, Whisperin' Pines
You're the one who knows
My darlin's gone, oh, she's gone
And I need your sym-pa-thy
Whisperin' Pines
(You)Send my baby back to me.

Does you refer to 'whispering pines' (i.e. personification)? How often do English speakers call their lovers babies?


4. "Hear their barking call of love"
Can birds bark? I thought only dogs barked.
What does 'call' mean here? Is it OK to say "hear their barking of love" with no meaning changes?



Thanks in advance.

__________________
The Song
WHISPERING PINES
Recorded by Johnny Horton



Words definitions (source: Cambridge)

still
noun

2 [u] LITERARY when it is quiet and calm:
In the still of the night, nothing moved.

coo
verb [i] cooing, cooed, cooed
1 When birds such as doves and pigeons coo, they make a low soft call.

[Buddhaheart]

1. The fall of the snowflakes signals the coming of winter.
2. No. It symbolizes peace & gentleness. It’s a peace emblem.
3. Yes. Very often.
4. A squirrel does bark. The lyric refers to squirrel and not bird. ‘Call’ here means shout, cry, a sound signal & etc. I suppose you could say "hear their call (or bark) of love".

[Naamplao]

Originally Posted by Nefertiti

Hi there.

1."Its winter calls"
What does 'its winter calls' mean? Is it a common usage? Is it OK to say "the sweats fall. the summer calls"?

The first thing you should realize about a song is that it is poetry put to music. When writing poetry, you take great pains to use visual creative language. Writing commonly used words and phrases is considered to be very bad form when writing poetry.

So no...this is not common language.

The snowflakes fall. Its winter calls

"Its" refers back to "snowflakes". So when you see snowflakes it is like winter is calling.

Originally Posted by Nefertiti

2. Is 'dove' a symbol of sadness? or just for this song?

Normally a dove is a symbol of "peace" but look at the line...

My heart is sad like a mourning dove

There is a bird called a mourning dove. It gets this name from its sad cry.

Originally Posted by Nefertiti

3. Whisperin' Pines, Whisperin' Pines
You're the one who knows
My darlin's gone, oh, she's gone
And I need your sym-pa-thy
Whisperin' Pines
(You)Send my baby back to me.

Does you refer to 'whispering pines' (i.e. personification)? How often do English speakers call their lovers babies?

When wind moves through pine trees it sounds like the trees are whispering.

Yes men sometimes refer to their female partners as "baby" or "babe" it is a common pet name

Originally Posted by Nefertiti

4. "Hear their barking call of love"
Can birds bark? I thought only dogs barked.
What does 'call' mean here? Is it OK to say "hear their barking of love" with no meaning changes?

See that squirrel up in the tree
His mate there on the ground
Hear their barking call of love

It is not "birds" that are barking. "Their" refers back to the squirrels. Their chatter can sound like a bark.

I hope this helps you. Just remember....don't take poetry or songs literally. There is often a lot of hidden meaning in the words.