Blindsided
Bon Iver (live) Lyrics

The lyrics in “Blindsided” by Bon Iver may seem cryptic at first glance, but they allude to themes of pain, confusion, and reflection. The song describes the singer’s struggle to come to terms with a painful experience, which is symbolized by the surrounding environment. As the song begins, we find the singer biking down to the downtown, to the "lock down," where there are boards and nails lying around. This image of urban desolation suggests the desolation of the singer's mind-state, and the material realities of the world feel oppressive to him. He contrasts the snowy scene with his own inner landscape, which he likens to a crow crouching down. This image emphasizes the singer's sense of desperation and vulnerability. Then he expresses his desire to know the full extent of his agony, even though it may blind him. His use of the word "blindsided" suggests how caught off guard he feels by what has happened to him.

The second verse deepens the sense of disorientation and confusion. The singer is “peering in” and questioning his identity, suggesting an internal disconnect. His “cupping the window” makes him sound perhaps like a wild animal, or like a child looking through a toy window. The words “crippled and slow” suggest that the singer is unable to move on, even though he desperately wants to understand what has happened to him. The chorus takes up the refrain, asking if someone else would "rush out" for him if he asked. The singer is searching for hope, for some sign that he is not alone in his pain. In the second part of the chorus, he describes going down to the shoreline, where he is once again consumed by a sense of loneliness and despair. The “blood line” tropes the singer’s mortality, and the cold moonlight serves as a metaphor for his emotional state.