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
Wisconsin
Bon Iver Lyrics
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Piss pools in your seat
Shes standing inside but you surely repeat
Oh God don't leave me here
I will freeze till the end
Love is loves reprieve
Winter is coming and you're stuck here
Now when the wind blows you cover your teeth
I told you to shed away and trade in your blues
Love is loves sad news
That was Wisconsin that was yesterday
Now I have nothing that I can keep
Cause every place I go I take another place with me
Love is loves mystique
You're up on the bar and your shaking
With every grimy word
Who will love
Whats love when you've hurt
You wonder as you see the snow kissed the curb
Love is loves return
That was Wisconsin that was yesterday
Now I have nothing that I can keep
Cause every place I go I take another place with me
Love is loves critique
The opening lines of Bon Iver's Wisconsin paint a vivid picture of a bleak winter day for the singer. He rides in a park, presumably on a bike, but is barely able to stay seated as the cold has made him pee himself. His lover is inside, but he begs her not to leave him outside to freeze alone. The lines "Love is loves reprieve" suggest that love is the only comfort he has in this difficult scenario, and perhaps the warmth of his love for his partner is the only thing keeping him alive.
The second verse expands on the situation. Winter is here, and he is still stuck outside with his lover. The cold wind is now biting enough to cause him to clench his teeth, and he has advised his partner to shed her own "blues" — whether a reference to depression or the color of her clothing remains unclear — in exchange for warmer gear. Again, love is the only thing that makes any of this bearable. The final lines of the verse are poignant: "Love is loves sad news." This could mean that love can be painful, that love is the only sad news, or even that love is something sad that simply exists no matter where you are.
The final verse finds the singer on a bar, presumably drinking to distract himself from his woes. "Who will love / What's love when you've hurt" suggests that he wonders if he is even capable of love anymore after everything that has happened. He observes the snow outside with melancholic detachment, and concludes that "Love is loves return." Perhaps this means that love always comes back in some way, or that love is the only thing you can return to after everything else has faded away. The final lines of the song once again reiterate the idea that the singer cannot keep anything he finds, because every place he goes he takes another place with him. Love, however, remains as elusive and mysterious as ever.
Line by Line Meaning
You ride in the park and you're peaking
You are on a ride and you feel like you are at the peak of a high
Piss pools in your seat
You are so scared that you pee in your pants
Shes standing inside but you surely repeat
The person you love is inside, but you keep saying the same things over and over again
Oh God don't leave me here
You are praying that you won't be left alone
I will freeze till the end
You feel like you will be cold forever
Love is loves reprieve
Love is a relief from everything that's going on
Winter is coming and you're stuck here
It's becoming winter and you feel trapped in this place
Oh and so is she
The person you love is also here and stuck
Now when the wind blows you cover your teeth
When the wind blows, you clench your teeth together
I told you to shed away and trade in your blues
I advised you to get rid of your sadness and find something new
Love is loves sad news
Love brings happiness but also sorrow
That was Wisconsin that was yesterday
Wisconsin was the past, and it's gone now
Now I have nothing that I can keep
You have lost everything that you used to have
Cause every place I go I take another place with me
You carry memories of every place you go with you
Love is loves mystique
Love is a mystery that no one can fully understand
You're up on the bar and your shaking
You are standing on a bar and shaking in fear or anxiety
With every grimy word
Every swear word or dirty word you say
Who will love
You wonder who will ever love you
Whats love when you've hurt
Love doesn't mean much if you've hurt someone
You wonder as you see the snow kissed the curb
You contemplate your life as you see snow on the street
Love is loves return
Love comes back to you in unexpected ways
That was Wisconsin that was yesterday
Wisconsin was the past, and it's gone now
Now I have nothing that I can keep
You have lost everything that you used to have
Cause every place I go I take another place with me
You carry memories of every place you go with you
Love is loves critique
Love is judged and critiqued by everyone around you
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yoshev Boshev
The abrupt end curb stomped my vibe
Ceyhun Daglı
:) for soul
RandySwagmaster
:)