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
715
Bon Iver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember something
Her, the heron hurried away
When first I breeched that last Sunday, ooh
Low moon don the yellow road
I remember something
That leaving wasn't easing all that heaving in my vines
Toiling with your blood
I remember something
In B, unrationed kissing on a night second to last
Finding both your hands as second sun came past the glass
And oh, I know it felt right and I had you in my grasp
Oh then, how we gonna cry?
'Cause it once might not mean something?
Love, a second glance, it is not something that we'll need
Honey, understand that I have been left here in the reeds
But all I'm trying to do is get my feet out from the crease
And I see you
Turn around, you're my A Team
Turn around, now you're my A Team
God damn, turn around now
You're my A Team
The first verse of Bon Iver's "715" paints a vivid picture of the singer's memories. He recalls a moment down by the creek, but it's not the creek that sticks out in his mind. Rather, it's the heron that he remembers, hurriedly flying away as he approaches. This could be interpreted in a few different ways. Perhaps the singer is feeling guilty for intruding on the heron's habitat, or maybe the bird reminds him of someone he's lost. In any case, his memory of the heron sets a dreamy and bittersweet tone for the rest of the song.
The second verse introduces a sense of restlessness and longing. The singer recalls a time when he left someone or something behind, but it clearly wasn't an easy decision. He describes the feeling of "heaving in my vines," hinting at a deep and complex emotional turmoil. He seems to be trying to convince himself that the departure was necessary, but he's not entirely convinced. He acknowledges that now isn't the time for a reunion or reconciliation, but the memory lingers nonetheless.
The final verse of "715" is perhaps the most poignant. It's unclear who the singer is addressing, but the raw emotion in his words is palpable. He speaks of "unrationed kissing" on a night that was "second to last." This suggests that he's remembering a moment that was fleeting and ephemeral, but intensely meaningful. He describes holding someone close and feeling like it was right. But despite his desire to hold onto that feeling, he knows that sometimes love isn't enough to sustain a relationship. He ends the song with a plea to turn around and come back to him, but it's unclear whether this is a fantasy or a genuine hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Down along the creek
I recall an instance in the near past where I was near the creek
I remember something
During my time near the creek, I had a memory of something
Her, the heron hurried away
When I approached the creek, I observed a heron swiftly fly away
When first I breeched that last Sunday, ooh
The aforementioned experience near the creek occurred on the Sunday prior
Low moon don the yellow road
A low moon cast its light on the road, tinting it yellow
That leaving wasn't easing all that heaving in my vines
I struggled to come to terms with leaving this experience behind, and my inner turmoil was exacerbated as a result
And as certain it is evening at is now is not the time, ooh
Although it is currently evening, this is not the right time for me to move on from this experience
Toiling with your blood
I am engaging in an intense and laborious emotional battle
I remember something
I continue to remember the aforementioned experience near the creek
In B, unrationed kissing on a night second to last
I recall a night where I engaged in unrestrained kissing, which occurred two nights prior
Finding both your hands as second sun came past the glass
As the second sun rose, I found both of your hands
And oh, I know it felt right and I had you in my grasp
At that moment, everything felt right and I held onto you tightly
Oh then, how we gonna cry?
How will we ever grieve or mourn this experience?
'Cause it once might not mean something?
Does this experience no longer hold the same significance it once did?
Love, a second glance, it is not something that we'll need
While love is important, it may not be necessary for us
Honey, understand that I have been left here in the reeds
Please understand that I am still grappling with this experience and have not yet moved on
But all I'm trying to do is get my feet out from the crease
I am attempting to move past this experience and make progress with my life
And I see you
I am aware of your presence
Turn around, you're my A Team
You are invaluable to me, so please do not leave
Turn around, now you're my A Team
Please stay by my side and continue to support me
God damn, turn around now
Please turn around right this instant!
You're my A Team
I need you and value you greatly
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Travis McCarthy
In my opinion, really gorgeous melodies in this song, and evoking lyrics too.
The vocoder effect I guess can come across a bit strong in some areas... but I think it's appropriate when the dynamic changes and usually only jumps out when he really digs in on some of those lines. Without it, I guess this would just be an acapella, so I'm glad he used it because it gives some chordal context and really enriches those sweet melodies.
"Honey understand that I have been left here in the reeds,
But all I'm trying to do is get my feet out of the crease"
This is the peak of the song for me, both lyrically and dynamically.
The great but also not so great thing about Justin's lyrics is that they're so open to interpretation. Not so great sometimes because the lack of clear direction can sometimes leave me floundering to find meaning in what he sings about... but other times great because it forces me to then listen to things like the delivery of the vocals, the accompanying sounds and how they're presented - I can then distinguish meaning from those elements. But he really nailed his mix of lyrical ambiguity and vocal delivery on this.
Themes of love, loss, reflection and a bittersweet acceptance that while it's nice to think about past love, things aren't what they used to be. It can be hard to move forward.
You could relate that last theme to Bon Iver's new musical direction as well. It's nice to think of the success that was 'For Emma, Forever Ago', but that time has passed. It's time to move forward. It's time to 'get their feet out of the crease'.
Dr Pickle
[Verse 1]
Down along the creek
I remember something
Her, the heron hurried away
When first I breeched that last Sunday (Ooh)
[Verse 2]
Low moon don the yellow road
I remember something
That leaving wasn't easing all that heaving in my vines
And as certain it is evening 'at is NOW is not the time (Ooooh)
[Verse 3]
Toiling with your blood
I remember something
In B, un—rationed kissing on a night second to last
Finding both your hands as second sun came past the glass
And oh, I know it felt right and I had you in my grasp
[Verse 4]
Oh then, how we gonna cry?
Cause it once might not mean something?
And love at second glance, it is not something that we'll need
Honey, understand that I have been left here in the reeds
But all I'm trying to do is get my feet out from the crease
[Outro]
And I see you
Turn around, you're my A Team
Turn around, now you're my A Team
GOD DAMN, turn around now
You're my A Team
Asher Riveron
im so confused at how something so weird and odd sounding and artificial can be so amazing to listen to and so moving like im not a big fan of autotune myself cuz i feel that a voice should be real and i usually like DESPISE the overuse of autotune to the point where you can obviously hear it but holy shit this song somehow doesnt disgust me in the slightest.
also a friend of mine made a dance to this for school and when i went to the concert i had never heard this song before so when her dance came i was so shocked and confused but so mesmerized that im legit trying my best to get access to the video of the concert SOLEY so i can watch that dance millions of times in a row.
this song is very very oddly pretty and great to listen to because of how odd and different it is. i love it
i love how at the end when they start talking about 'a team' they go from a soft sounding 'turn around your my a team' to gOdDaM tUrN aRoUnD yOuR mY A tEaM' and idk why but i love it so much lol
Emily Rose
Whenever I start listening to Bon Iver I make sure I am free for the next 2 to 3 hours
Hope Velasquez
Same honesty. You can’t just listen to one song and stop
A lil’ Daisy
That and the fact that I go on an emotional journey and continue listening to songs....whoops
Shanjeev Reddy
Exactly my feeling right now. I'm blissful, sad, optimistic and relented all at the same time, and I need the next couple hours to just exist.
Baked
Shanjeev Reddy love brother 🤲🏻
Benitez, Darold R.
omg same
Dylan Russell
This song, to me, is the most powerful and emotional on the album. The lyrics reveal the feeling of being stuck, lost, and confused. It's a very relateable song for me.
I'm really disappointed by the amount of people hating on this album, saying he's trying too hard or ruining his voice with autotune. Justin is just experimenting with sound in in, brilliant ways. He's kind of saying fuck you, this is music because I say it is. If you don't like it, shove it.
I don't feel at all that the autotune is cheap or a cop out. If you listen very closely with headphones, the amount of detail put into the autotuned voices are amazing You can really hear each individual pitch and how they move and interact with each other. There is far more to this song than is apparent, it just takes some digging to discover.
Captain Pie Fox
This album is the best use of a vocoder ever, period.
Shanjeev Reddy
@Captain Pie Fox Thanks cap! Was just gonna say this isn't auto tune but a vocoder that's performed live when recording, and it's absolutely brilliant!
Jared Giving
Real🙌🏻