DeYarmond Edison was an American indie folk band active from 2002-6. Guitar… Read Full Bio ↴DeYarmond Edison was an American indie folk band active from 2002-6. Guitarist and vocalist Justin Vernon went on to create Bon Iver; three members (Brad Cook: bass, guitar; Phil Cook: keyboards, banjo; Joe Westerlund: Percussion) formed the freak folk group Megafaun, and Christopher Porterfield began composing, eventually establishing Field Report.

DeYarmond Edison is a band of young men with a propensity for sounding old. Their modern elucidation of the singer-songwriter style comes from having soaked up the soul of the past, as well as a vision of the limitless potential for the future of Americana music. They ring it out on their audiences with a mature variety of instrumentation, including piano, banjo, blues harp, vibraphone, pedal steel guitar, organ, an array of electric and cross-acoustic guitars, fretless bass, and a drum set from the 1930's.

The songs are born from seasoned songwriter Justin Vernon (a Bug Music Nashville-published writer), and expanded, colored and filled in by brothers Phil and Brad Cook (who have been with Vernon for nine years), Brian Moen, Joe Westerlund, and Christopher Porterfield. Their stunning list of influences bleed through into their music without ever taking over DYE's own handle on originality. With feet in the grave of the blues, ala Muddy Waters and Mississippi John Hurt, through to the birth of new Americana music from composers such as Bill Frisell and singers like Richard Buckner – without ever leaving behind the gospel of Mahalia Jackson, the high lonesome sounds of Ralph Stanley, the wickedness of Tom Waits, the sensibility of Bonnie Raitt, the R and B of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, the rock of Springsteen, tenderness of Jackson Browne and the hidden existentialism of John Prine. - From Volume One Mag

The band dissolved in 2006, with the Cooks and Westerlund going on to form Megafaun, and Justin Vernon leading Bon Iver. The band reunited to play two shows in their hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in October of 2007.

First Impression
DeYarmond Edison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I’ve been feeling your hold
For a week or so
The impression shows

And I know I’ve been
In the arms of kin
My old strength is my new friend
My direction

My reverence

And there’s a train in my heart
That doesn’t seem to start
Unless you’re lying next to me

When I go to bed
I lay down my wishful head
I’ll be hearing what you said
Echoing
Reveling

My heart has been tearing
For there to here
My dear

I’ve got a baseball mitt
Made of leather and my spit
For catching skybits that have slipped
I call it sensation
You call it revelation

I’ve been feeling your hold

For a week or so
The impression shows

Overall Meaning

The song "First Impression" by DeYarmond Edison is about the impression left by a person on the songwriter. As the first verse goes, the songwriter has been feeling the hold of this person for a week or so, and this has left an impression on them. The songwriter feels an old strength which has now become their new friend and is their direction and reverence. The hold of this person seems to have brought about positive changes in the songwriter's life.

In the second verse, the songwriter talks about the impact that the person has had on their heart. There is a "train in their heart" that only starts when the person is lying next to them. The songwriter goes to bed with their wishful head and thinks about what the person said, which echoes and revels in their mind. The third verse talks about the songwriter's desire to be with the person and how their heart has been tearing for it to happen.

Overall, the song is about the impact that a person can have on someone's life and how their mere presence can bring about positive changes.

Line by Line Meaning

I’ve been feeling your hold
I have been aware of your presence and influence on me

For a week or so
This feeling has been persisting for some time

The impression shows
My awareness of your hold is evident

And I know I’ve been
I am aware that my recent experiences have been

In the arms of kin
In the familiar embrace of something or someone intimate

My old strength is my new friend
I have reconnected with my previous resilience and am glad to have it again

My direction
My goals and purpose

My reverence
My deep respect and admiration

And there’s a train in my heart
There is a strong sensation or emotion within me

That doesn’t seem to start
That I cannot quite give into or fully experience