Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Skinny Love
Bon Iver Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come on, skinny love, just last the year
Pour a little salt, we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in this moment, this order's tall

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines

Come on, skinny love, what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted
And then who the hell was I?
And I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?
Ooh, ooh
Woo, oh ooh

Overall Meaning

The song Skinny Love by Bon Iver is a heartbreaking ballad that is full of lyrical depth and meaning. The song is about a relationship that is coming to an end, and the two people involved are trying to figure out what went wrong. The singer is asking his lover to hold on to their love for just one more year, as he pours salt on their wounds, and they both try to figure out what went wrong.


In the first verse, the singer says, "Come on, skinny love, just last the year, pour a little salt, we were never here." This could mean that the singer is asking his lover to hold on to their love just until the year is over, and then they can go their separate ways. The line "pour a little salt, we were never here" could suggest that they are trying to forget that their relationship ever existed, despite the emotional pain it's causing them.


In the chorus, the singer tells his lover that he told her to be patient, fine, balanced, and kind, but he knows that it might not be enough to save their relationship. He suggests that their love is wasted, which could mean that they gave everything they had to the relationship, but it was not enough to keep it alive. In the last verse, the singer wonders who will love, fight, and fall behind his lover once their relationship is over, suggesting that she might not find someone who loves her the way he did.


Overall, Bon Iver's Skinny Love is a haunting reminder of the pain of love lost, and the difficulty of letting go. The song's lyrics describe the feelings of heartbreak when a relationship ends, and the struggle to move on.




Line by Line Meaning

Come on, skinny love, just last the year
The singer is pleading for his love to last, but acknowledges that it may be difficult given their current state.


Pour a little salt, we were never here
The singer is using salt in the context of purifying or cleansing, as if to erase their past memories together.


My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Repetition of the word my to emphasize the singer's personal emotions and experiences.


Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
The artist is in a dark place, surrounded by destruction, and unable to move forward from the past.


I tell my love to wreck it all
The artist is willing to destroy everything, including their relationship, to escape their current pain and circumstances.


Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
The singer wants to be free from the hold of his emotions and experience a raw, emotional release.


Right in this moment, this order's tall
The singer is overwhelmed with emotion and cannot control his impulses in the current moment.


And I told you to be patient
The artist has given advice to his love in the past, but is now uncertain if it was the right guidance or if his love even listened.


And I told you to be fine
The artist advised his love to be content, but wonders if his love will ever be truly satisfied.


And I told you to be balanced
The artist encouraged his love to be steady, but recognizes that life is unpredictable and challenging.


And I told you to be kind
The singer asked his love to be compassionate, but now feels as though his love has disregarded this request.


And in the morning I'll be with you
The artist promises to remain by his love's side, but knows that their relationship will be different moving forward.


But it will be a different kind
The singer acknowledges that the love they once shared will not be the same in the future.


And I'll be holding all the tickets
The singer will have control over the direction of their relationship and the decisions made within it.


And you'll be owning all the fines
His love will bear the consequences of any negative outcomes in their changed relationship.


Come on, skinny love, what happened here?
The artist is questioning how they reached their current state of broken love and loss.


Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
The artist is desperately clinging to hope for their love, even if it seems fragile or irrational.


Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
The singer feels weighed down by the pain and sadness associated with the destruction of their love.


And now all your love is wasted
The love that was once shared is now viewed as pointless and unfulfilling.


And then who the hell was I?
The artist is questioning his own identity and self-worth in the context of their failed relationship.


And I'm breaking at the britches
The artist is at his breaking point, unable to handle or endure the emotional pain he is experiencing.


And at the end of all your lines
The artist is at the end of his relationship, and is unsure of what the future holds.


Who will love you?
The singer wonders who will be able to love his love and fill the void he is leaving behind.


Who will fight?
The artist is asking who will put in the effort and work necessary to have a successful relationship with his love.


Who will fall far behind?
The singer is asking who will be left behind, not able to keep up with his love's pace or decisions in a new relationship.


Ooh, ooh
Interjection used to display the singer's distress and anguish.


Woo, oh ooh
Interjection used to display the singer's distress and anguish.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@zekkez

Totally agree, these are almost perfect too.

Ben Howard - Small things (Solo Session)
https://youtu.be/L3VMCHKwnH0

Kelly Jones (Stereophonics) Maybe Tomorrow
https://youtu.be/8T2lm1olIkM


Catfish and the Bottlemen covers The Killers - Read my Mind
https://youtu.be/dfi83HLLE8A



@elrrafaello

Lyrics:

Come on, skinny love, just last the year
Pour a little salt, we were never here
My my my, my my my, my my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My my my, my my my, my my
Right in this moment, this order's tall
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I'm holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines
Come on, skinny love, what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
My my my, my my my, my my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted
And then who the hell was I?
And I'm breaking at the breaches
And at the end of all your lines
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?



All comments from YouTube:

@ollyc167

sound engineer also nailed this performance

@shhtha

There's only a guitar and 1 mic 😂

@zab666

@@shhtha even simple setups can be screwed up easily by crappy sound engineers

@shhtha

@@zab666 Then they're not sound engineers

@TeamPill

@@shhtha facts

@bushkies

@@zab666 this is the truest youtube comment I've ever seen. I've witnessed countless 2 input setups be wildly messed up by people who think they know what they're doing

33 More Replies...

@abikeefe1398

He plays like he can still vividly feel the pain that caused him to write the song.

@KingOfCheezWiz

Its as though he sees them on his eyelids, and won't open his eyes for fear of losing them again.

@kageyama5957

@@KingOfCheezWiz why am I crying....

@lachietaylor3208

This clip is like a decade old

More Comments

More Versions