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
Re
Bon Iver Lyrics
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Day is Qumran
Everything that happens is from now on
This is pouring rain
This is paralyzed
I keep throwing it down, two
Hundred at a time
When your money's gone
And you're drunk as hell
On your back with your racks as he stacks your load
In the back with the racks and he stacks your load
In the back with the racks and you're unstacking your load
I've been twisting to the sun
I needed to replace
And the fountain in the front yard is rusted out
All my love was down
In a frozen ground
There's a black crow sitting across from me
His wiry legs are crossed
He's dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss
Whatever could it be
That has brought me to this loss?
On your back with your racks as he stacks your load
In the back with the racks and he stacks your load
In the back with the racks and you're unstacking your load
This is not the sound of a new man
Or a crispy realization
It's the sound of me unlocking and you lift away
Your love will be
Safe with me
The singer of Bon Iver's song, Re: Stacks, is reflecting on the past, while also embracing the present such that everything that happens is from now on. It's a song about self-discovery and self-exploration, using the metaphor of excavation, digging up the past to transform into the person one needs to be in the present. The first verse expresses the pain and hurt that comes from life experiences, including the pouring rain of sadness that paralyzes one's emotions.
The second verse focuses on loss, the need for replacement, and the difficulty in letting go. The fountain in the front yard being rusted out serves as a symbol of the death of the singer's love. In the third verse, a black crow sits across from the singer, dangling his keys and faking a toss. It appears to be a representation of the losses and little things that make up life. The singer is struggling with something that has brought him a sense of loss, and he is trying to find himself through this self-discovery journey.
In the chorus, the singer is seen stacking and unstacking his load with racks, probably alluding to the effort required to find oneself. The song stresses that the journey is not one of being a new man or having an epiphany, but of unlocking oneself and lifting away from the past. The singer promises that the love of the past will be safe with him while he journeys on to his new self.
Line by Line Meaning
This my excavation and to
Day is Qumran
This moment marks a turning point in my life, and I feel like I am uncovering something valuable like an archaeologist at Qumran.
Everything that happens is from now on
I am starting fresh, and everything that happens from this moment on will define my new life.
This is pouring rain
This is paralyzed
I feel overwhelmed and hopeless, like I am stuck in the midst of a rainstorm that paralyzes me.
I keep throwing it down, two
Hundred at a time
I am trying to forget my problems by spending money recklessly, but it only makes me feel worse.
It's hard to find it when you knew it
When your money's gone
And you're drunk as hell
It's difficult to reclaim something you lost when you were in a better state of mind, especially when you have spent your money and are drunk.
On your back with your racks as he stacks your load
In the back with the racks and he stacks your load
In the back with the racks and you're unstacking your load
You are at work, and your boss is unloading a truck, and you are either lying on your back with a stack of items on top of you or standing at the back of the truck unloading the items.
I've been twisting to the sun
I needed to replace
And the fountain in the front yard is rusted out
All my love was down
In a frozen ground
I have been searching for something new to bring me happiness, but everything I try is rusted and broken. Everything I have tried to love is buried in a place where it cannot grow.
There's a black crow sitting across from me
His wiry legs are crossed
He's dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss
Whatever could it be
That has brought me to this loss?
I am confronted by a dark omen, and I wonder what evil forces have led me to this moment of despair.
This is not the sound of a new man
Or a crispy realization
It's the sound of me unlocking and you lift away
Your love will be
Safe with me
I am not suddenly a changed person, nor have I just had a moment of clarity. I am simply opening up to the possibility of new love, assuring you that your love will be secure with me.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind