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The Gates Are Swinging Open - Andrew Smith

by A Year of Song curated by Andrew Smith

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lyrics

The Gates Are Swinging Open

This song came out of a personal forest fire. We all know there are two sides to a forest fire story; one part is the destruction, devastation and sense of loss, and the other is all the new growth that emerges and is vital to the long term health of the eco-system. And so it has been with me. After having suffered “the venomous betrayal by the ones (we) called friends” and the shattering loss that came with it, I was faced with all kinds of new possibilities. “The gates are swinging open”. The difference with this particular trial by fire was that, unlike in my youth, I didn’t emerge with the same sense of reckless bravado. I had learned the hard way that “I can never tell if I am being welcomed into heaven or hell”.
I wrote this song with a sense of my own mortality and the brevity of life. “The cycle of migration” had returned me to the start, just like how we end up childlike - fragile and dependent - at the end of our lives. And so in the chorus I reach out with faith for something constant, something that transcends - “only your love”. Pain and loss causes us to reflect on the big picture, and can often free us to reach out for the love of God.

I wanted the musical arrangement to have that feel of a lonely voice calling out in a post-apocalyptic landscape. I think the vocal harmonies are key to communicating the darkness of the verses and then, by contrast, the anguished hope and beauty of the chorus line “only your love”.

"The Gates Are Swinging Open"
by Andrew Smith
words and music by Andrew Smith
(c) 2013 Andrew Smith


The gates are swinging open
But I can never tell
If I am being welcomed
into heaven or hell

Allegiance is for sale
It’s how we comprehend
A venomous betrayal
By the ones we called friend

Only your love

The road laid out before us
Is woven in the heart
The cycle of migration
Will return us to the start

Once again like little children
Knowing all that we have gained
Is falling through our pockets
As we stumble to the grave

Only your love

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released May 4, 2018

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A Year of Song curated by Andrew Smith Kelowna, British Columbia

Andrew Smith is a producer and singer/songwriter from Kelowna, BC.

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