Cam’s ‘Redwood Tree’ Laments the Quick Passage of Time [Listen]
Cam's new song "Redwood Tree" connects the singer to a much, much older living thing. A nostalgic meditation on life, the song arrived on Friday (May 29).
Co-written by Cam with Anders Mouridsen and Tyler Johnson, who also produced the track, "Redwood Tree" is a folky reflection on "time, and whatever way you spend it still feels like just a blink to a redwood tree," the singer explains. Redwood trees, which mainly grow in northern California, where Cam is from, are the largest trees in the world, and can live for thousands of years.
"I saw the world, you saw my parents grow old / You've got your roots, and I've got the wind / The wind in my soul," Cam sings. "Don't know what you have when you're young / But you'll know what you had when it's gone / The only thing left of what used to be is you ..."
In a press release, Cam explains that "Redwood Tree" was inspired by a redwood tree in the backyard at her childhood home. It was the singer's "climbing tree" as a child, she says, adding that she "[s]pent so many afternoons up there as a kid looking out and dreaming about the future."
"It feels like I’ve lived five lifetimes since then. I’ve done more than I can even remember, but still, part of me wishes I could’ve stayed put, to have that time at home," Cam reflects. "But you can’t be in two places once, and you couldn’t have known then what you know now."
"Redwood Tree" is the third song from Cam's forthcoming sophomore album, which is due out via RCA Records late this year. The singer dropped her major-label debut, Untamed, in 2015, earning ACM, CMA and Grammy nods for its single "Burning House."
"Diane" and "Till There's Nothing Left" have followed that project thus far.
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