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
Minnesota%2C WI
Bon Iver Lyrics
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Sat down in the suit, fixed on up it wasn't you by finished closing
Ramble in the roots, had the marvel, moved the proof be kneeled fine's glowing
Storing up the clues, it had its sullen blue bruised through by showing
Settle past a patience where wishes and your will are spilling pictures
Water's running through in the valley where we grew to write this this scripture:
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Not for a part in any gamut of the dark
Doubled in the toes annex it, it minute closed in the morning
Did not lose it in the stack's stow, imma lay that call back on ya
You know it won't beseech you, we're laying in an open field
I will let you grow, no need to know this
So carry on my dear, what is clear up in the daylight is we're hung here
Fall is coming soon, a new year for the moon and the Hmong here
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
All that it seems
Bellows tracing through the streams
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
All at its seams
Swallows swelling for the beams
The lyrics of "Minnesota, WI" by Bon Iver are notoriously difficult to interpret, but one possible reading is a meditation on the passing of time and the fleeting nature of memories. The first few lines describe armor that has "let it through," as if a protective barrier has been breached. Then the singer refers to "borne the arboretic truth you kept posing," which suggests that someone has finally faced an uncomfortable truth about themselves or their past.
The next lines discuss a suit ("Sat down in the suit, fixed on up it wasn't you by finished closing"), which could symbolize conformity or a false identity. The singer goes on to talk about "Rambling in the roots" and "moving the proof," which could refer to digging deep into one's past and examining evidence of one's life. The singer then mentions "storing up the clues," implying that memories and experiences can be fragmented and incomplete.
The chorus, with its repetition of "Never gonna break," seems to convey a sense of resilience and determination in the face of a difficult past. The final lines of the song reflect on autumn and the passing of time. The lyric "Fall is coming soon, a new year for the moon and the Hmong here" could be interpreted as a reference to the Hmong people, who fled their homeland in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War and settled in Minnesota. This adds a layer of complexity to the song's themes of memory and displacement.
Line by Line Meaning
Armour let it through, borne the arboretic truth you kept posing
You let your guard down and revealed the truth you were hiding while pretending it was someone else.
Sat down in the suit, fixed on up it wasn't you by finished closing
You settled into a role that wasn't really you and tried to fulfill it, but it wasn't until the end that you closed the chapter.
Ramble in the roots, had the marvel, moved the proof be kneeled fine's glowing
You wandered through the beginnings of something, in wonder and amazement, and through hard work, you succeeded and shone brightly.
Storing up the clues, it had its sullen blue bruised through by showing
You collected evidence and pieced things together, but it was through the revealing of it that the true sadness and hurt showed through.
Settle past a patience where wishes and your will are spilling pictures
You have reached a point of calmness where your desires and actions are creating vivid images and bringing them to fruition.
Water's running through in the valley where we grew to write this this scripture:
The stream of life is flowing through the place where we were raised, and it is driving us to create this piece of writing.
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Not for a part in any gamut of the dark
We will not be broken, no matter what happens in the darkest of situations.
Doubled in the toes annex it, it minute closed in the morning
Your position has been strengthened and solidified, and the details of it have been taken care of.
Did not lose it in the stack's stow, imma lay that call back on ya
You didn't misplace anything in the chaos, and you're holding others accountable for their actions.
You know it won't beseech you, we're laying in an open field
You know that there's nothing to worry about, and we're together in an open and inviting space.
I will let you grow, no need to know this
I will support your growth and there's no need for you to know the details of how it's happening.
So carry on my dear, what is clear up in the daylight is we're hung here
So continue on, my love, what's clear in the light of day is that we are stuck here.
Fall is coming soon, a new year for the moon and the Hmong here
Autumn is approaching, and it represents a new beginning for the moon and Hmong people.
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
All that it seems
Bellows tracing through the streams
We will not be broken, and everything that appears to be going well is like the sound of a bellows tracing through water.
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
Never gonna break
All at its seams
Swallows swelling for the beams
We will not be broken, and everything that appears to be falling apart is like swallows swelling as they fly towards the beams of light.
Contributed by Cameron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.