Band of Horses was formed by Ben Bridwell (guitar, vocals) and Mat Brooke (guitar) in 2004 after the break-up of their previous band, Carissa's Wierd. Rob and Creighton were formerly of the mathrock band The New Mexicans before joining Band of Horses. The group initially got attention from Sub Pop records after opening for Iron & Wine in Seattle area shows. In 2005, the band released their debut EP, Band of Horses Tour EP, which was sold exclusively at shows and on Sub Pop's website. Their debut full-length, Everything All the Time was recorded in 2005 with producer Phil Ek and released on March 21, 2006 to generally good reviews.
On July 13, 2006, Band of Horses appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman sans Brooke. As of July 25, 2006, Mat Brooke left Band of Horses to focus more on his other band, Grand Archives, who had also signed to Sub Pop.
The band's second album, Cease to Begin, was released on October 9 2007. The band has recently moved its base of operations from Seattle to Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Their album, Infinite Arms, was released in May of 2010.
Their album, Mirage Rock, was released in September 2012.
Their latest album, Why Are You OK? was released in June 2016.
Infinite Arms
Band of Horses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a dream
That I was your neighbor
About to give birth
And then everything
Was really hurt
And I was so lonely
I didn't see It's like
Twisting the plot
My friends and family
The little things I've got, I've got
When my thoughts drift to you
I love the morning
I like to listen
To 4am birdies
Begging to feed
Now there's something here before me
A figure, I think
Isn't there a warning
Or something to drink
My god, my god
When my thoughts drift to you
These mended bones
The storms approach
Ever so slowly
Out on the sea
There's an animal below me
Lack of control
Others came before me
Others to come, to come
When my thoughts drift to you
The lyrics to Band of Horses' "Infinite Arms" are haunting and dreamy, exploring themes of loneliness, pregnancy, and the depths of the ocean. The song starts with the singer's dream of being their neighbor, about to give birth, but then everything goes wrong and they are left feeling lonely. It's unclear what exactly went wrong, but the feeling of isolation is palpable. The lyrics then shift to the singer's love of the morning and 4am bird songs, before their thoughts once again drift back to the person they are missing.
As the song goes on, the lyrics become even more abstract, with mentions of mended bones, approaching storms, and an animal below them out on the sea. The lack of control mentioned could be a metaphor for the unpredictable nature of life, or perhaps for a specific situation the singer is going through. The song ends with the sad but beautiful realization that others have come before and others will come after, implying that the pain of missing someone or feeling lonely is a universal human experience.
Overall, "Infinite Arms" is a song that is open to interpretation, but at its core, it is a tribute to the complexity of human emotions and the beauty that can be found in loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream
The singer is about to depict a dream that he had
That I was your neighbor
In the dream, the singer was the neighbour of someone
About to give birth
The dream involved the presence of someone about to give birth
And then everything
Something happened next in the dream
Was really hurt
What happened caused a lot of pain and distress
And I was so lonely
As a result, the singer felt very lonely
I didn't see It's like
The singer is saying that the dream felt like living in a movie
Living in a movie
The dream felt surreal and like living in a fictional reality
Twisting the plot
The dream's story had unexpected twists
My friends and family
The singer's loved ones
The little things I've got, I've got
The singer appreciates the small things in his life
When my thoughts drift to you
The singer's thoughts are now focused on someone else
I love the morning
The singer enjoys the morning time
I like to listen
The singer enjoys listening to the sounds of the morning
To 4am birdies
The singer specifically enjoys the sounds of birds at 4am
Begging to feed
The birds in the morning are looking for food
Now there's something here before me
The singer is now describing something else in his surroundings
A figure, I think
The singer is unsure of what exactly he is seeing
Isn't there a warning
The singer is questioning if there should be a warning about what he may be seeing
Or something to drink
The singer desires something to drink
My god, my god
The singer is exclaiming in excitement or fear
These mended bones
The singer's bones have been repaired
The storms approach
There is a storm coming
Ever so slowly
The storm is approaching very slowly
Out on the sea
The storm is out on the ocean
There's an animal below me
The singer is above an animal in the water
Lack of control
The singer is feeling a lack of control in the situation
Others came before me
The singer is not the first person to experience this situation
Others to come, to come
The situation will continue to happen to others after the singer
When my thoughts drift to you
The singer's thoughts are once again focusing on the same person
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN BRIDWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind