Perth.
Bon-Iver Lyrics


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I'm tearing up, across your face
Move dust through the light
To fide your name
It's something fane
This is not a place
Not yet awake, I'm raised to make

Still alive, who you love
Still alive, who you love
Still alive, who you love

In a mother, out a moth
Furling forests for the soft
Gotta know been lead aloft
So I'm ridding all your stories




What I know, what it is, it's pouring, wire it up
You're breaking your ground

Overall Meaning

In the opening of the song Perth by Bon-Iver, the singer talks about how he is tearing up across someone's face and trying to find their name. He then goes on to say that this is not a place and that he is not yet awake, implying that perhaps he is in a dream-like state. The repetition of "still alive, who you love" suggests that the singer is consumed by thoughts of someone they still love or who they have lost. They are still alive in memory, and the singer is clinging onto that.


The second verse of the song revolves around the singer's relationship with nature. They make a reference to the phrase "in a mother, out a moth" which might be viewed to describe the transformative nature of birth and death. The singer mentions "furling forests for the soft," which could be an indication that they are taking the necessary steps to move on and grow from their past experiences. Finally, they declare that they are "riding all your stories," suggesting that they are processing their own experiences and creating their own narratives that will help them move forward.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm tearing up, across your face
The singer is moved emotionally as they scan the face of their companion


Move dust through the light
The singer is looking around the room and sees dust particles


To find your name
The singer is either recollecting or searching for the name of their companion


It's something fane
The name is something familiar or recognized by the artist


This is not a place
The current location is not what the artist considers to be a proper setting for the two of them


Not yet awake, I'm raised to make
The singer is not fully alert and is still trying to create a connection between him/herself and their companion


Still alive, who you love
The person you still care about is still living and present in your heart. They might have separated, but the love still remains


In a mother, out a moth
This line can signify different things; one interpretation is that the artist compares a mother's womb to a cocoon and birth to metamorphosis. They further add that these two moments are short, and the next stage is where we turn to dust. So, the artist values these brief moments of life


Furling forests for the soft
The artist is using natural elements such as forests to represent how the world around us evokes emotions within us


Gotta know been lead aloft
This is an ambiguous line, but it could mean that the artist needs to know and understand that they are guided and supported during difficult times


So I'm ridding all your stories
The singer is trying to forget or eliminate all that they know about their companion


What I know, what it is, it's pouring, wire it up
The artist reflects on what they know about their companion or the world around them and feels overwhelmed. They want to suspend these thoughts and feelings or contain them


You're breaking your ground
The singer might be telling their companion that they are taking unnecessary risks or that their actions might hurt them.




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@perro_muerto

I'm tearing up, across your face
Move dust through the light
To fide your name
It's something fane
This is not a place
Not yet awake, I'm raised to make

Still alive, who you love
Still alive, who you love
Still alive, who you love

In a mother, out a moth
Furling forests for the soft
Gotta know been lead aloft
So I'm ridding all your stories
What I know, what it is, it's pouring, wire it up
You're breaking your ground



All comments from YouTube:

@mohammediradkhan6869

This song will live just the way Heath Ledger will live forever.

@yungleary

I heard he died

@freyrik

ImmorTTal(e)

@jessepinkman6183

Always rember leath hedger. Lived more than all concerend

@SkateAwayTheDay

@@jessepinkman6183 I love Mitch hedberg rip

@BloodandSoil990

​@@yungleary He's been dead since 2008. Where the hell have you been?

@user-mt4jx1lx3g

"perth" is one of the only songs that has me crawling back to it for emotional support.

It drops me to my lowest and induces nostalgia but at the same time it feels like a pat on the back of encouragement.

It's like rebirth, makes me want to keep on living life and to treasure every single moment.

I'm grateful that I am alive today.

@batosato

well said!

@ulascancakmak4051

A perfect description of the songs's spirit, thanks.

@Mighty_Atheismo

Damn... seldom does a YouTube comment go this hard. Well said

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