Released: 2018
“Snowman” by Sia is a heart-rending ode to love and companionship, nestled in the context of a fleeting winter wonderland. This song paints a vivid imagery of a devoted relationship between the singer and a snowman, offering a metaphorical exploration of love’s ephemeral nature, and the intensity of connection that defies even the inevitability of change and decay.
Opening with the lines, “Don’t cry, snowman, not in front of me / Who’ll catch your tears if you can’t catch me, darling?”, Sia introduces the snowman as a fragile entity, threatened by the impending spring. The playful twist here is that a snowman can’t literally cry, but Sia is humanizing her icy companion, making its dissolution an emotional event.
The repeated phrase, “Don’t cry, snowman”, is not just about the snowman’s tears but also a plea for the snowman not to melt – a powerful analogy for the fear of losing a loved one. When she croons, “A puddle of water can’t hold me close, baby”, it vividly emphasizes this dread of loss, reflecting the inevitable fate of a snowman and the impermanent nature of relationships.
The chorus and its repeated phrases imbue the song with a sense of lasting commitment. “I want you to know that I’m never leaving / ‘Cause I’m Mrs. Snow, ’til death we’ll be freezing”, Sia sings, promising unwavering love. The phrase “’til death we’ll be freezing”, is a clever play on the traditional wedding vow “’til death do us part”, where ‘freezing’ takes double duty to signify both the cold nature of a snowman, and the permanence of their bond.
Lines such as “Yeah, you are my home, my home for all seasons” and “Let’s go below zero and hide from the sun” underline this pledge of love and loyalty, defying the inevitable cycle of the seasons, and showcasing the lengths she’d go to preserve their bond.
The track concludes on a poignant note with “My snowman and me, Baby”, the repeating line serving as a nod to their enduring relationship. This final phrase, after exploring sentiments of love, fear of loss, and the ultimate promise of unwavering loyalty, thus brings the song full circle, encapsulating the peculiar love story between a woman and her snowman.
In summary, “Snowman” weaves a narrative of love, fear, transiency, and defiance with poetic eloquence. It utilizes the ephemerality of a snowman’s existence to portray the human struggle to preserve love, casting an otherwise cheerful symbol of winter into a poignant metaphor of fleeting moments and the urgency to cherish them.
