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
Creature Fear
Bon Iver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was lost but your fool
Was a long visit wrong?
Say you are the only
So many foreign worlds, so relatively fucked
So ready for us, so ready for us
The creature fear
I was teased by your blouse
Spit out by your mouth
I was loud by your lowered
Seminary sold
Tear on, tail on
Take all on the wind on
The soft bloody nose
Sign another floor
So many territories, ready to reform
Don't let it form us, don't let it form us
The creature fear
So did he foil his own? Is he ready to reform?
So many Torahs, so many for us
The creature fear
The lyrics of Bon Iver's song "Creature Fear" are filled with powerful imagery and abstract concepts. The opening lines, "I was lost but your fool, was a long visit wrong? Say you are the only," suggest feelings of disorientation, where the singer may have been misled in a relationship, but still holds onto affection. It could also imply a sense of being stranded or isolated. The following lines, "So many foreign worlds, so relatively fucked, so ready for us, so ready for us, the creature fear," create a stark contrast between the singer's feelings of confusion and the apparent readiness of the outside world. The "creature fear" could be interpreted as a fear of the unknown, the fear of being alone, or the fear of losing control in the midst of surrounding chaos.
The second verse showcases Bon Iver's talent for wordplay, describing a range of powerful sensory experiences such as being "teased by your blouse" and "loud by your lowered seminary sold." These images could signify a struggle between physical attraction and morality or questioning the credibility of religious teachings. The lines, "Tear on tail on, take all on the wind on, the soft bloody nose, sign another floor," draw on bodily experiences of pain and endurance, pointing towards the difficult choices we may face in life. The final lines, "So did he foil his own? Is he ready to reform? So many torahs, so many for us, the creature fear," are open-ended, leaving it up to the listener to draw meaning. The mention of the "torahs" could suggest religious or cultural limitations, or offer a path for self-discovery and guidance.
Line by Line Meaning
I was lost but your fool
I was directionless without a purpose, but I found myself through following you.
Was a long visit wrong?
Did our extended time together lead to negative consequences?
Say you are the only
Confirm that you are the one and only for me.
So many foreign worlds
There are countless unknown and unfamiliar places.
(So relatively fucked)
(A vulgar comment on the difficult state of things.)
So ready for us
It seems like these worlds are waiting for us to explore them.
So ready for us,
Once again, these worlds seem waiting and ripe for our discovery.
The creature fear
This is the fear of the unknown and the fear of what we have not yet experienced.
I was teased by your blouse
I was tempted and seduced by your femininity and allure.
Spit out by your mouth
You rejected and discarded me as easily as spitting out saliva.
I was loud by your lowered
You reduced me to being the boisterous one compared to your passive nature.
Seminary sold
The idea of dedicating oneself to religious study and service has long been discarded.
Tear on tail on
The tears flow continuously like a tail wagging furiously.
Take all on the wind on
Embrace everything and take it all in regardless of how rapidly it changes.
The soft bloody nose
A symbol for fragility and vulnerability in the face of the unknown.
Sign another floor
Move on to the next chapter or the next level of experience.
The so many territories
The various domains of experience waiting for us to claim them.
Ready to reform
These territories are ready for us to mold them to our desires and preferences.
Don't let it form us
Do not become formed or influenced by these newly discovered territories.
Don't let it form us
Again, do not let these territories shape us into something we do not want to be.
The creature fear
This fear of the unknown, the fear of the creatures that inhabit this new domain of experience.
So did he foil is 'own?
Did he sabotage his own success or happiness?
Is he ready to reform?
Is he ready to change, to let go of old habits and beliefs?
So many torahs
So many teachings and beliefs to learn from and follow.
So many for us
So many of these teachings or practices are there for us to discover and apply if we so choose.
The creature fear
That fear of the unknown that continues to persist even as we discover new territories and torahs.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind