In the album booklet, the sub-title for this song is “9 months before”, signifying that this song was written 9 months before the break up of the relationship between Björk and Matthew Barney.
It’s about someone who’s trying to get emotions out of another person. The whole song is emotionally about wanting clarity, wanting simplicity, and talking to someone who wants things to be really complex and foggy and unclear. And you saying, ok, I’ve got clarity: want it or not? So it’s sort of celebrating simplicity and clarity...
I was walking on a beach and I was walking back and forth and the lyrics came along without me really editing them. The strength of this album is really simplicity and the thinking out loud feeling. And I shouldn’t be too clever. It would work against it. So, I kind of just went with the first words that came… [they’re] probably the most obvious lyrics I’ve ever written.
It was very important that the strings were cyclical, this chord cycle that gives you this feeling it can go on and on in circles. It gives you this feeling of equilibrium, like the person who’s singing the song is showing some sort of harmony to someone as an example... It’s trying, in the most harmonious way possible, to prove a point [laughs]. Because I think staying emotionally open, it’s a choice. I think it’s equally hard for all of us, and we’re just all doing our best, but there’s also a choice: Do you want to try, and maybe fail... or is it your choice to not even try?
I’m mostly a singer, but I think the way I sing is I usually wait for a day that I’m kind of probably more impulsive than other days in one way or another [laughs]. So when I sing, I go to this place where it’s more similar to when I’m doing a concert — I will not have so much of my brain in there [laughs]. I’ll just warm up my voice, have a coffee and jump in the deep end, where you’re more a performer.
Stone Milker
Bjork Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Find our mutual coordinates
Moments of clarity are so rare
I better document this
Across the view is fears
All that matters is
And who has coagulated
Who can share and
Who has shot down the chances?
Show me emotional respect, oh respect, oh respect
And I have emotional needs, oh needs, oh ooh
I wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, oh ooh
What is it that I have
That makes me feel your pain
Like milking a stone
To get you to say it and
Who is open?
And who has shut up
And if one feels closed
How does one stay open?
We have emotional needs, oh needs, oh needs, oh ooh
I only wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, ooh
I'll show some emotional respect, oh respect, oh ooh
A juxtaposition in fate
Find our mutual coordinates
The lyrics to Björk's song Stone Milker are full of powerful imagery and thought-provoking ideas. The opening lines, "A juxtaposition in fate, find our mutual coordinates," suggest that fate is somehow bringing people together, but that they need to work together to find a way to connect. The idea of "mutual coordinates" implies that each person has a unique perspective that can help them navigate the world and find their place in it. This could be interpreted as a call for empathy and understanding, or as a plea for people to recognize their shared humanity.
The song then moves into a discussion of emotional needs and the difficulties of communication. Björk sings, "Moments of clarity are so rare, I better document this," highlighting the importance of paying attention to our emotions and finding ways to express them. She goes on to ask who is "open-chested" and who has "coagulated," suggesting that some people are more willing to share their emotions than others. She also asks who can "share" and who has "shot down the chances," implying that sometimes fear or insecurity can hold people back from connecting with others.
The chorus repeats the theme of emotional needs and the desire for synchronization: "Show me emotional respect, oh respect, oh respect, and I have emotional needs, oh needs, oh ooh, I wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, oh ooh." The final lines of the song return to the idea of finding mutual coordinates, suggesting that by working together and respecting each other's emotions, people can find the connections they need to thrive.
Overall, Stone Milker is a deeply introspective and philosophical song that explores the complexities of human emotion and our efforts to connect with one another.
Line by Line Meaning
A juxtaposition in fate
Two opposing destinies in life coming together in a unique way
Find our mutual coordinates
Discovering common ground to connect with one another
Moments of clarity are so rare
Realizing the truth in a situation is infrequent
I better document this
Writing down the experience to hold onto the memories
Across the view is fears
Anxiety overshadows everything in sight
All that matters is
The only thing that holds importance
Who is open-chested
Who is open and vulnerable
And who has coagulated
Who has become hardened and closed off
Who can share and
Who is capable of expressing themselves
Who has shot down the chances?
Who has neglected the opportunity to communicate?
Show me emotional respect, oh respect, oh respect
Give me the courtesy to understand my emotions and thoughts
And I have emotional needs, oh needs, oh ooh
I too require care and consideration for my emotional well-being
I wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, oh ooh
I desire a harmonious connection stemming from shared emotions
What is it that I have
What do I possess
That makes me feel your pain
That causes me to empathize with your discomfort
Like milking a stone
Attempting to extract something that is nearly impossible to attain
To get you to say it and
To persuade you to share your emotions
Who is open?
Who is transparent and expressive
And who has shut up
Who has become silent and closed off
And if one feels closed
And if one is not willing to communicate
How does one stay open?
How can one continue to be receptive and transparent with others?
We have emotional needs, oh needs, oh needs, oh ooh
We both have a fundamental need for emotional care and attention
I only wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, ooh
I aim to harmonize our emotions to achieve deeper understanding
I'll show some emotional respect, oh respect, oh ooh
I will demonstrate empathy and kindness towards your feelings
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@user-tj7xt3ph1l
A juxtaposition in fate
Find our mutual coordinates
Moments of clarity are so rare
I better document this
Across the view is fears
All that matters is
Who is open-chested
And who has coagulated
Who can share and
Who has shot down the chances?
Show me emotional respect, oh respect, oh respect
And I have emotional needs, oh needs, oh ooh
I wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, oh ooh
What is it that I have
That makes me feel your pain?
Like milking a stone
To get you to say it, and
Who is open?
And who has shut up
And if one feels closed
How does one stay open?
We have emotional needs, oh needs, oh needs, oh ooh
I only wish to synchronize our feelings, our feelings, ooh
I'll show some emotional respect, oh respect, oh ooh
A juxtaposition in fate
Find our mutual coordinates
@chloethesemoments
"Stonemilker"
A juxtapositioning fate
Find our mutual coordinate
Moments of clarity are so rare
I better document this
At last the view is fierce
All that matters is
Who is open chested
And who has coagulated
Who can share
And who has shut down the chances
Show me emotional respect
I have emotional needs
I wish to synchronize our feelings
What is it that I have
That makes me feel your pain
Like milking a stone
To get you to say it
Who is open
And who has shut up
And if one feels closed
How does one stay open
We have emotional need
I wish to synchronize our feelings
Show some emotional respect
@paigegoodwin3383
That’s the closest I will probably ever get to hanging out with bjork
@warriorcat258
😂❤️
@paigegoodwin3383
@k2 I am a lady.. who frequently hangs out with ladies. I think you're projecting lmao
@paigegoodwin3383
@k2 💖 get a life
@djfrozen4534
@k2 Hello
@camcoopa5307
just wait for the next album
@abxv_
This made me cry and I don't even know why. Like she's trying to comfort you for existing in a world where feelings are not being respected. I love Bjork <3
@jens2049
Same. Everytime I watch this
@rgva777
that's exactly what the song means 🥺😿💔🖤
@hallidreams4696
🖤🖤🖤