Released in 2020 as the gentle closing chapter of Paul McCartney’s McCartney III, “When Winter Comes” is one of the most intimate and quietly profound songs in his recent catalogue. Though recorded decades earlier during the Flaming Pie sessions with George Martin, the track feels astonishingly present — a small, acoustic meditation that carries the warmth and clarity of a handwritten note left on a kitchen table.
Unlike many of McCartney’s most celebrated songs, this one does not chase melodic grandeur or emotional drama. Instead, it leans into simplicity. Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, Paul sings with a softness that feels almost like memory. His voice — unvarnished, unadorned — brings listeners close, as though he were sitting across the room telling stories about the land, the seasons, and the quiet obligations that hold a life together.
On the surface, the song describes the everyday work of caring for a farm:
mending fences, protecting animals, preparing for winter.
But beneath these details lies a deeper reflection on responsibility — to loved ones, to one’s environment, and to the rhythms of time itself. Paul transforms practical chores into symbols of devotion, suggesting that love is expressed not only in emotion but in the work we do to keep life going.
The emotional heart of the song appears in its gentle refrain:
💬 “When winter comes, and food is scarce… we’ll warm our hearts together.”
The line speaks to more than changing weather.
Winter becomes a metaphor for difficult seasons in life — hardship, aging, uncertainty. Paul’s response is not fear or complaint, but a reaffirmation of companionship. The warmth the narrator promises is emotional, not physical. It reflects McCartney’s lifelong belief in partnership, resilience, and the sustaining power of quiet care.
Musically, the song carries the spirit of McCartney’s earliest solo work.
The fingerpicked guitar recalls Blackbird and Mother Nature’s Son, but the tone feels more grounded, shaped by decades of lived experience. There is no attempt to hide the slight rasp in his voice. Instead, it becomes part of the song’s authenticity — the sound of an artist who has grown older without losing tenderness.
The lyrics highlight small, unglamorous tasks: clearing weeds, fixing a broken stone wall, checking on chickens. What might seem mundane becomes almost poetic in this context. McCartney has always had an eye for finding meaning in ordinary moments, and here he turns domestic labor into a quiet act of love. The song suggests that caring for a small place in the world is a way of caring for one’s own heart.
What makes “When Winter Comes” especially moving is its placement in McCartney III.
After an album filled with experimentation, energy, and the creative spirit of isolation, this final track lands like a soft exhale. It pulls listeners back to essentials — warmth, work, companionship, the cycle of seasons. It feels like Paul closing a door gently and smiling to himself as he walks away.
Ultimately, “When Winter Comes” is a song of humble wisdom.
It celebrates the quiet responsibilities that shape a life,
the steady devotion that sustains love,
and the comfort of knowing that when the cold season arrives,
we need only face it together.