The name 'Bon Iver' (pronounced "bon ee-VAIR") is a play on the French phrase 'bon hiver' meaning 'good winter'. Vernon independently released Bon Iver's debut album For Emma, Forever Ago in 2007, most of which was recorded during a four-month stay in a remote cabin in Wisconsin.
While in high school and college Vernon founded the indie-rock bands Mount Vernon and DeYarmond Edison in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he still resides.
According to the For Emma Songfacts, after the break-up of De Yarmond Edison, Vernon retreated to his father's log cabin, out in the woods of north-east Wisconsin to hibernate for three snowy months. There he collected his thoughts and formulated them into a suite of songs, For Emma, Forever Ago . The album was originally self-released in late 2007 in a run of 500 copies and sold out instantly.
The album garnered critical acclaim, and was picked up by the indie-rock label Jagjaguwar, which gave the album a proper release on February 19th, 2008. The album was released in the UK and Europe by iconic indie 4AD on May 12, 2008.
When released in the UK, For Emma, Forever Ago received 5/5 and "Album of the Month" reviews in both MOJO and Uncut magazines. It is currently the third highest rated album of 2008 on review-aggregator site Metacritic, with accolades from publications including The Village Voice, The Hartford Courant and The A.V. Club.
The group's second album Bon Iver, Bon Iver was released on June 17, 2011 to universal acclaim. It was named by Pitchfork Media as the best album of 2011 on their annual list. At the 2012 Grammys, the album won Best Alternative Album and the group was awarded Best New Artist, despite having debuted in 2007.
www.boniver.org
29
Bon Iver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the stair up off the hot car lot
Sun shine hard on the video spot, hm, mm, mm
Sure as any living dream
It's not all then what it seems
And the whole thing's hauled away
A womb, an empty robe, enough
Para-mind, para-mind
Hallucinating Claire
Nor the snow shoe light or the autumns
Threw the meaning out the door (Now could you be a friend)
There ain't no meaning anymore (Come and kiss me here again)
A womb, an empty robe, enough
You're rolling up, you're holding it, you're bent prize
Canonize, canonize
Motor up and yeah, you're own, ooh
And yeah, your own, your own
Fold the map and mend the gap
And I tow the word companion
And I make my self escape
Oh, the multitude of other
It comes always off the page
I hold the note, you wrote and know
You've buried all your alimony butterflies
Sub find, some night
The lyrics in Bon Iver's "29" revolve around the theme of perception versus reality. It suggests that appearances can be deceiving and that things are not always what they seem. The first verse talks about sharing smoke and the sun shining hard on the video spot. This can be interpreted as an attempt to escape reality or to create a false reality through the use of substances and media. The line "Sure as any living dream, it's not all then what it seems" reinforces this idea that things are not always what they seem, and that sometimes our perception of reality can be clouded by our desires and illusions. The line "And the whole thing's hauled away" is a metaphor for the fleeting nature of these illusions and the consequences that come with chasing them.
The second verse introduces the character of "Hallucinating Claire," who could represent the singer's desire for someone or something that is elusive or unattainable. The lines "There ain't no meaning anymore, come and kiss me here again" suggest that the singer is aware that there is no real substance to this desire, but continues to pursue it nonetheless. The line "And yeah, your own, your own" can be interpreted as a sense of ownership over one's illusions and desires.
The third verse talks about "folding the map and mending the gap" which can be interpreted as an attempt to escape or hide from reality. The line "Oh, the multitude of other, it comes always off the page" suggests that there are many different paths and options available, but ultimately they are all just illusions. The line "You've buried all your alimony butterflies" can be interpreted as a metaphor for letting go of past desires and illusions in order to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Sharing smoke
Two people are smoking together
In the stair up off the hot car lot
They're smoking in a staircase near a parking lot on a hot day
Sun shine hard on the video spot, hm, mm, mm
The sun is shining brightly on a nearby video equipment, humming a sound.
Sure as any living dream
This experience is real and tangible, like a vivid dream
It's not all then what it seems
Things are more complex than they appear
And the whole thing's hauled away
The moment is fleeting and will soon be gone
A womb, an empty robe, enough
Life and existence without a purpose or goal
You're rolling up, you're holding it, you're fabric now
You're taking control and shaping your life
Para-mind, para-mind
An ambiguous statement without clear meaning
Hallucinating Claire
A reference to a person who may or may not be real
Nor the snow shoe light or the autumns
The beauty of nature is no longer meaningful
Threw the meaning out the door (Now could you be a friend)
The meaning of life is not important anymore, and the artist seeks companionship
There ain't no meaning anymore (Come and kiss me here again)
The singer acknowledges the lack of meaning but still seeks intimacy
You're rolling up, you're holding it, you're bent prize
The singer is taking control of their own fate, despite the ambiguous or uncertain rewards
Canonize, canonize
An ambiguous statement without clear meaning
Motor up and yeah, you're own, ooh
Take control and own your own life
And yeah, your own, your own
Reinforcing the theme of taking ownership of one's life
Fold the map and mend the gap
Let go of the past, and work to repair what has been broken
And I tow the word companion
The singer seeks companionship and connection
And I make my self escape
The artist is taking steps to break free from their current situation
Oh, the multitude of other
There are many other people and experiences in the world
It comes always off the page
Real life experiences are often more vivid and meaningful than anything written on a page
I hold the note, you wrote and know
The singer remembers and understands a message left for them by someone else
You've buried all your alimony butterflies
The other person has moved on from old memories and feelings
Sub find, some night
An ambiguous statement without clear meaning
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.,
Written by: Justin Vernon, Brandon Burton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NJatTheDisco
Sharing smoke
In the stair up off the hot car lot
Sun shine hard on the video spot, hm, mm, mm
Sure as any living dream
It's not all then what it seems
And the whole thing's hauled away
A womb, an empty robe, enough
You're rolling up, you're holding it, you're fabric now
Para-mind, para-mind
Hallucinating Claire
Nor the snow shoe light or the autumns
Threw the meaning out the door (Now could you be a friend)
There ain't no meaning anymore (Come and kiss me here again)
A womb, an empty robe, enough
You're rolling up, you're holding it, you're bent prize
Canonize, canonize
Motor up and yeah, you're own, ooh
And yeah, your own, your own
Fold the map and mend the gap
And I tow the word companion
And I make my self escape
Oh, the multitude of other
It comes always off the page
I hold the note, you wrote and know
You've buried all your alimony butterflies
Sub find, sub night
@Steee__
Sharing smoke
In the stair up off the hot car lot
The sun shined hard on the video spot, hm
Sure as any living dream
It's not all then what it seems
And the whole thing's hauled away
A womb, an empty robe, enough
You're rolling up, you're holding it
You're fabric now
Paramind
Paramind
Hallucinating Claire
Nor the snow shoe light or the autumns
Threw the meaning out the door (now could you be a friend)
There's no meaning anymore (come and kiss me here again)
A womb, an empty robe, enough
You're rolling up, you're holding out
You're bent prize
Canonize
Canonize
Motor up and yeah, you're own, ooh
And yeah, you're on your own
(Marijuana has you talkin')
Fold the map and mend the gap
And I tow the word companion
And I make my self escape
Oh, the multitude of other
It comes always off the page
I hold the note you wrote and know
You've buried all your alimony butterflies
Sub find
Some night
@gollygoblin
In case you're stupid like me, here are the lyrics. Make sure to appreciate the visuals too.
Sharing smoke
In the stair up off the hot car lot
Sun shine hard on the video spot
Hm, mm, mm, mm
Sure as any living dream
It's not all then what it seems
And the whole thing's hauled away
A womb
An empty robe
Enough
You're rolling up
You're holding it
You're fabric now
Paramind
Paramind
Hallucinating Claire
Nor the snow shoe light or the autumns
Threw the meaning out the door
(Now could you be a friend)
There's no meaning anymore
(Come and kiss me here again)
A womb
An empty robe
Enough
You're rolling up
You're holding it
You're bent prize
Canonize
Canonize
Motor up and yeah, you're own, ooh
And yeah, you're on your own, ooh
(Marijuana has you talking)
Fold the map and mend the gap
And I tow the word companion
And I make my self escape
Oh, the multitude of other
It comes always off the page
I hold the note
You wrote and know
You've buried all your alimony butterflies
Sub find
Some night
@abstractpoet8977
"I hold the note you wrote and know you've buried all your alimony butterflies"
No fucking clue what that means but god damn is it beautiful. I get chills
@jjolsson1863
The way he writes songs is he sings incoherent lyrics to whatever he's playing and then later goes back and makes them into words. So he does it by feeling first, logic after
@bloodbanks
@JJ Olsson i dont get this can u please give an example of it??
@jjolsson1863
@Hemish he's plays melodies and chords on a guitar. Sings nonsense lyrics that "sound" good and in a "good" melodic tone. Literal gibberish. Then when the song is taking its shape he goes back and listens to the gibberish he's singing and swaps it for words that sound just like it. It's more on the creative side than actually sitting down to specifically write lyrics. He does this with a lot of his songs and that's why a crap ton of his lyrics don't make alot of sense. He spoke on it in an interview article ages ago when describing how he wrote Emma forever ago I can't find it right now but it's not hard to find just Google it.
@bloodbanks
@JJ Olsson ahhh i see thanks so muchh!! So thats why my favorite songs from him come from the sound being pleasing to the ears!
@jjolsson1863
@Hemish ya
@ThaliaSamira
The whole album, but especially '29 #Strafford APTS' and '00000 Million' give me this one of a kind feeling. Not dreary, not uplifting, but rather that I'm coming to terms with my depression. It's not the light at the end of the tunnel, but maybe the way to get there.
Then again, that's probably how Justin felt when writing this album. A masterpiece.
@mythicaljabroni1464
Nicole Eggenberger this whole album is great. I like to think of their eponymous album as the morning, then this album is the dusk, and for Emma forever ago is the night. Thematically this album doesn't feel as light and celebratory as "Bon Iver" but not as dark and sad as "For Emma, Forever Ago." It's somewhere in between.
@kylebooth5465
Nicole Eggenberger lol
@97javic
Nicole Eggenberger I share that feeling.