DeYarmond Edison is a band of young men with a propensity for sounding old. Their modern elucidation of the singer-songwriter style comes from having soaked up the soul of the past, as well as a vision of the limitless potential for the future of Americana music. They ring it out on their audiences with a mature variety of instrumentation, including piano, banjo, blues harp, vibraphone, pedal steel guitar, organ, an array of electric and cross-acoustic guitars, fretless bass, and a drum set from the 1930's.
The songs are born from seasoned songwriter Justin Vernon (a Bug Music Nashville-published writer), and expanded, colored and filled in by brothers Phil and Brad Cook (who have been with Vernon for nine years), Brian Moen, Joe Westerlund, and Christopher Porterfield. Their stunning list of influences bleed through into their music without ever taking over DYE's own handle on originality. With feet in the grave of the blues, ala Muddy Waters and Mississippi John Hurt, through to the birth of new Americana music from composers such as Bill Frisell and singers like Richard Buckner – without ever leaving behind the gospel of Mahalia Jackson, the high lonesome sounds of Ralph Stanley, the wickedness of Tom Waits, the sensibility of Bonnie Raitt, the R and B of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, the rock of Springsteen, tenderness of Jackson Browne and the hidden existentialism of John Prine. - From Volume One Mag
The band dissolved in 2006, with the Cooks and Westerlund going on to form Megafaun, and Justin Vernon leading Bon Iver. The band reunited to play two shows in their hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in October of 2007.
bones
DeYarmond Edison Lyrics
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They're always open to show me that they're still dead
And everyday it's harder still
I am footed and unfilled
Pain, I'm good with the ways there are to erase
And I'm pancaked on the floor, you can't see my face
Cuz it's buried like the moon
Sober morning's come too soon
Bruise, it's coming to the surface, like the vessel
It's been hidden for so long, you are the trestle
That's there to hoist me up
Now this world without you is fucked
Skin, and it's warm enough to hold you and keep you breathing
But it locks me out and makes me lose my needing
And how long to be alone
How will I carry these bones
And I'm so far from not caring
that I think I care too much
DeYarmond Edison's "Bones" is a haunting ballad about the aftermath of a failed relationship. Throughout the song, the singer is confronted with the physical reminders of his past love, in the form of bones lying in a trunk at the foot of his bed. The bones serve as a metaphor for the emotional weight that the singer carries with him, even after the relationship has ended. The singer is stuck in a state of limbo, unable to move on from his past and unable to fully grasp the present.
The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song. The bones are a constant reminder of the past, and even though they are dead, they still hold a powerful presence over the singer. The next stanza is about pain, and how the singer is trying to cope with it. He's pancaked on the floor, but the pain is buried so deep that his face is invisible. The third stanza is about the bruises that are coming to the surface. They've been hidden for so long, and the only way to deal with them is to rely on someone else for support.
The fourth stanza is about the singer's skin, and how it's warm enough to hold his former lover and keep her breathing. But at the same time, it's also keeping him locked out and making him lose his needing. He's alone, with nothing but his memories and the bones to keep him company. The final stanza speaks to the singer's sense of apathy. He's so far from not caring that he thinks he cares too much. He's stuck in a place where he can't move forward, and he can't go back either.
Line by Line Meaning
Bones, lying in a trunk at the foot of my bed
The remnants of the past are always present and visible to me, even when I don't want to see them
They're always open to show me that they're still dead
The past still haunts me, reminding me of what's gone and can never be regained
And everyday it's harder still
It gets more difficult every day to live with the memories of the past and to move on from them
I am footed and unfilled
I'm grounded and yet I feel empty, unable to fill the void that the past has left in me
Pain, I'm good with the ways there are to erase
I know how to cope with pain and how to make it disappear, even if only temporarily
And I'm pancaked on the floor, you can't see my face
I'm lying flat on the ground, unable to face the world or myself
Cuz it's buried like the moon
My emotions and feelings are hidden away, just like the dark side of the moon
Sober morning's come too soon
The harsh reality of sobriety and the morning light is always just around the corner, reminding me of my problems
Bruise, it's coming to the surface, like the vessel
My emotional pain is starting to show, just like a bruise that's starting to surface
It's been hidden for so long, you are the trestle
My pain and emotions have been buried for so long that you (the person I'm talking to) are the only one who can help me now
That's there to hoist me up
You're the only one who can lift me up and help me deal with my pain
Now this world without you is fucked
I'm lost without you and I can't see a future without your help, guidance, and support
Skin, and it's warm enough to hold you and keep you breathing
Being close to you is almost enough to forget my pain and to keep me going
But it locks me out and makes me lose my needing
Even though you're close to me, I feel like I'm locked out and I'm losing my ability to connect with you and to express my needs
And how long to be alone
I don't know how long I can bear to be alone, without anyone to talk to or to help me get through my pain
How will I carry these bones
I don't know how I'll be able to carry the weight of my past and my pain on my own
And I'm so far from not caring
I care deeply about my pain and my past, and I can't shake it off or forget it easily
Contributed by Brody T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.