Caribou is Canadian Dan Snaith (b. 1978), who formerly recorded under the m… Read Full Bio ↴Caribou is Canadian Dan Snaith (b. 1978), who formerly recorded under the moniker Manitoba. Known for altering his sound with each subsequent release, he incorporates electronic psychedelia, krautrock rhythms, and breakbeat drums and creates a swirling, lush, musical panorama. Snaith also creates more club-oriented dance music under the name Daphni.

Snaith grew up in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, which gave its name to a song from his debut album Start Breaking My Heart. He studied at the University of Toronto as an undergrad, but was based in the UK for several years until he completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Imperial College, London in 2005.

Snaith previously recorded under the stage name "Manitoba", but changed it under threat of a lawsuit by Handsome "Dick" Manitoba, frontman for The Dictators, a punk-rocker with an appetite for litigation. Uninterested in the legal stoush, Snaith is quoted saying that he chose the new moniker "Caribou" while on an LSD trip with friends in the Canadian wilderness. He then climbed a tree and didn't come down until he finished his first album under the new moniker, which was four months later.

He has recorded five full lengths: Start Breaking My Heart, a jazzy, "folktronica" IDM album, Up in Flames, the critically acclaimed shoegazer with analog synths and sometimes live, sometimes sampled drums, The Milk of Human Kindness, his krautrock-inspired album that bleeds 70's prog and 70's drugscapes, the psychedelic pop record, Andorra which landed him the prestigious 2008 Polaris Music Prize on September 29th, 2008 and Swim a disco / dance inspired album created from the idea of making dance music that sounds like being under water. A few years prior to the recording of the album, Snaith's wife gave him swimming lessons as a Christmas present, prompting him to take it up as a new hobby. This partially led to the eventual ideology behind Swim.

His eclectic live performances are renowned, in part for their use of simultaneous drummers and synchronised visuals. The live band currently consists of Dan Snaith (guitar, keyboards, vocals, drums, flutophone), Ryan Smith (guitar, keyboards), Brad Weber (drums) and John Schmersal (bass, vocals).

Boreal Forest Opper
Caribou Lyrics

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There's a cry in the forest, it's feathered and brown
And it echoes off of nothing as the trees come down
It's the sound of a sparrow hittin' the ground
It's the sound of one eternity bound
It's the sound of one eternity bound

There's a cry in the oceans, it's plaintive and blue
And it rises from the depths, breaks my heart in two

It's the dreams of the great whales running aground
For they know that they're eternity bound
For they know that they're eternity bound
Whoa eternity bound

Once they've passed into the timeless, they can never more be found
Is there anybody listening, tell me can you hear the sound
Of the gentle ones eternity bound
Of the gentle ones eternity bound

There's a cry in the heart of every woman and man
We've been crying in the darkness since the world began
Will we ever seek forgiveness, will we ever earn the crown
Or are we in turn eternity bound
Or are we in turn eternity bound
Whoa eternity bound

Once we've past into the timeless, we can never more be found
Is there anybody listening, tell me can you hear the sound
Of the lonely ones eternity bound

Of the lonely ones eternity bound
Of the lonely ones eternity bound

Overall Meaning

In Caribou's song Boreal Forest Opper, the lyrics describe the cries that can be heard all around the world, in the forests and the oceans, as well as within the hearts of every individual. These cries symbolize the pain and suffering that humans have caused to the environment and to each other since the beginning of time. The cry of the sparrow, hitting the ground as the trees come down, represents the destruction of nature and the loss of animal habitats. The cry of the great whales, as they run aground, symbolizes the devastating effects of human intervention on the ocean's ecosystem. And, the cry in the heart of every man and woman, represents the deep sorrow and guilt that we feel for our actions and our impact on the world.

The lyrics suggest that once something has passed into the timeless, it can never be found again, implying that once damage has been done to the environment and to each other, it cannot be undone. The question of whether we can seek forgiveness and earn a crown suggests our desire for redemption and our hope for a brighter future.

Overall, the lyrics of Boreal Forest Opper are a powerful commentary on the impact of human actions on the world and a call for change and redemption.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a cry in the forest, it's feathered and brown
There is a mournful sound being emitted from the forest that is associated with the brown, feathered creature(s) found there.

And it echoes off of nothing as the trees come down
As the forest undergoes destruction and the trees fall, the sound reverberates but there's nothing left for it to bounce off of.

It's the sound of a sparrow hittin' the ground
The sound is that of a bird hitting the ground after falling from flight.

It's the sound of one eternity bound
The sound signifies the eternal fate of the creature that has passed away.

There's a cry in the oceans, it's plaintive and blue
The oceans also emit a sound of sorrow, which is characterized by deep sadness and sorrow.

And it rises from the depths, breaks my heart in two
The sound emerges from the very depths of the ocean and is capable of rupturing hearts in its path.

It's the dreams of the great whales running aground
The sounds are the lamentations of whales whose hopes and aspirations have been Crushed by their stranding on the land.

For they know that they're eternity bound
The whales understand and recognize that they have passed from the mortal world and entered a timeless and eternal realm.

Once they've passed into the timeless, they can never more be found
Once in eternity, there is no escaping and returning to the mortal world from which one came.

Is there anybody listening, tell me can you hear the sound
The artist is addressing listeners and enquiring if they are able to perceive these woeful sounds of nature.

Of the gentle ones eternity bound
The sound is a sorrowful exclamation of creatures gentle in character who have passed from the mortal world into the eternal one.

There's a cry in the heart of every woman and man
There is also a lamentation arising from the hearts of humans.

We've been crying in the darkness since the world began
The sorrow that manifests in humans has existed since the dawn of civilization and has persisted through the ages.

Will we ever seek forgiveness, will we ever earn the crown
The artist is posing a rhetorical question about where human beings are headed and whether they'll willingly seek penance for their inactions and faults.

Or are we in turn eternity bound
The artist contemplates whether humans will also become immortal and enter a timeless plane after they perish.

Of the lonely ones eternity bound
The sound of sorrow is also heard in the creatures who have died alone and departed into the eternal realm.

Whoa eternity bound
The eternal lifecycle and its eternal consequences is heavy and consequential.

Of the lonely ones eternity bound
The sound of sorrow is also heard in the creatures who have died alone and departed into the eternal realm.

Once we've past into the timeless, we can never more be found
Once we've entered the realm of eternity, we can never again return to our mortal existence.

Is there anybody listening, tell me can you hear the sound
The artist reiterates and re-echoes that question

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Daniel Snaith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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