Bon Iver is a Grammy Award winning folk band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U… Read Full Bio ↴Bon Iver is a Grammy Award winning folk band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States, and one of Justin Vernon's current and most notable music projects to date. The band also consists of Mike Noyce, Sean Carey and Matt MacCaughan.

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

Blindsided
Bon Iver Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bike down
Down to the downtown
Down to the lock down
Boards, nails lie around

I crouch like a crow
Contrasting the snow
For the agony, I'd rather know

'Cause blinded
I am blindsided

Peek in
Into the peer in
I'm not really like this
I'm probably plight-less

I cup the window
I'm crippled and slow
For the agony, I'd rather know
'Cause blinded
I am blindsided

Would you really rush out?
Would you really rush out?
Would you really rush out? (For me now)
Would you really rush out?
Would you really rush out? (For me now)
Would you really rush out? (For me now)
Would you really rush out? (For me now)
Would you really rush out? (For me now)
Ooh (for me now)
Ooh (for me now)

Taut line
Down to the shoreline
The end of a blood line
The moon is a cold light

There's a pull to the flow
My feet melt the snow
For the irony, I'd rather know
'Cause blinded
I was blindsided
Blinded
I was blindsided

'Cause blinded
(I was blindsided) I was blindsided

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bon Iver's "Blindsided" describe a person who is experiencing emotional pain and struggling to come to terms with it. The first verse talks about biking downtown and seeing boards and nails lying around. This imagery could evoke feelings of decay and abandonment. The singer then describes himself as crouching like a crow, contrasting the snow. This may represent his inner darkness or loneliness being juxtaposed against the purity of snow. He then says that he'd rather know the agony than be blind, indicating that he'd rather face his pain than ignore it. The chorus repeats the idea of being blinded and blindsided, which could be interpreted as feeling overwhelmed and unable to see a way forward.

The second verse has the singer peeking into the peer in, implying that he is looking into someone else's life and feeling like he is different or separate from them. However, he also says he is probably plightless, which could mean he's convinced he doesn't have any problems that warrant attention. He then talks about cupping the window, perhaps suggesting that he wants to connect with someone but feels like he cannot. The last two lines of the verse echo the chorus, indicating that he is still struggling with feeling blindsided.

The bridge of the song describes the singer going down to the shoreline, which could be seen as a metaphor for facing the vastness of his emotions. He talks about the end of a bloodline and the moon as cold light, which adds to the bleakness of the imagery. He then talks about a pull to the flow, which could be a metaphor for the pull of his emotions. Finally, he says that he'd rather know the irony of his situation, indicating that he wants to understand why he is feeling the way he is.

Overall, the lyrics of "Blindsided" paint a picture of a person who is struggling to reconcile their emotions with reality. The song may be interpreted as a call to face one's pain instead of running from it, so that one can move forward and heal.

Line by Line Meaning

Bike down, down to the downtown
I rode my bike to the city center

Down to the lock down, boards, nails lie around
Arrived at an area where buildings were shut down with materials lying around

I crouch like a crow
I hunch over like a crow

Contrasting the snow
My dark figure stands out against the white snow

For the agony, I'd rather know
I prefer to feel pain, instead of being ignorant or unaware of it

'Cause blinded I am blindsided
I am currently unaware and surprised by something, even though there were likely signs of it happening

Peek in, into the peer in
Take a quick look inside

I'm not really like this, I'm probably plightless
I am not typically like this, and perhaps I am without problems

I cup the window
I hold my hands over the window

I'm crippled and slow
I am handicapped and moving at a slow pace

Would you really rush out for me now?
Are you willing to come to my aid immediately?