The Bloomington, IN, group Early Day Miners is a self-described "musical co… Read Full Bio ↴The Bloomington, IN, group Early Day Miners is a self-described "musical cooperative." The group's core members are Daniel Burton, Rory Leitch (both formerly of Ativin), and Joseph Brumley, but the trio enlists a revolving cast of friends for recordings and live performances. Early Day Miners spin American rural music into richly cinematic, experimental textures that contain a prominent streak of melancholy (and some slowcore tendencies). The combo's first release was the seven-song, 49-minute Placer Found, which emerged in 2000 on Western Vinyl. The 2002 LP Let Us Garlands Bring, on Secretly Canadian Records, boasted richer and more fleshed-out landscapes to underpin the vocals of key member Burton. Early Day Miners continued on with 2003's Jefferson at Rest and 2005's All Harm Ends Here out on Secretly Canadian. The next year, the six-song Offshore, which was originally conceived to be a part of Let Us Garlands Bring and featured the production work of Tortoise's John McEntire, was released.

Official website: http://www.earlydayminers.com/

Silvergate
Early Day Miners Lyrics

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It's cold outside
Isolation in the wild
Many mountains to climb
To silvergate
Where the days are wild
Night falls fast and dark inside
The stillness awaits
In a barren mine

Where our fathers dig
To uncover their sons alive
A snow melt in spring
An avalanche

A rescue attempt in vain
The stillness waits in silvergate

Overall Meaning

"Silvergate" by Early Day Miners is a poetic and evocative song that speaks about the harsh conditions in the isolated mountains and the struggles faced by those who dig for silver. The song's opening lines, "It's cold outside, isolation in the wild, many mountains to climb to Silvergate," set the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The imagery of rough terrain and isolation conjure up feelings of hardship and loneliness.

The song goes on to describe the unforgiving nature of the environment, with references to nightfall and the stillness that awaits. The lyrics paint a picture of a tough and hazardous life, with lines such as "where our fathers dig to uncover their sons alive." The sense of desperation is heightened in the final verses, which describe a snowmelt in spring, an avalanche, and a rescue attempt in vain. The line "the stillness waits in Silvergate" emphasizes the futility of the situation, and the overall mood is one of sadness and despair.

Overall, "Silvergate" is a powerful song that captures the emotional toll of a life spent in the mountains, and the dangers and hardships faced by those who work in the mines.

Line by Line Meaning

It's cold outside
The weather is chilly and harsh outside.

Isolation in the wild
Being alone in the midst of nature with no human interaction.

Many mountains to climb
Numerous obstacles and challenges to overcome.

To silvergate
To a place called silvergate.

Where the days are wild
Where life is unpredictable and chaotic.

Night falls fast and dark inside
The darkness of the night sets in quickly and fills the space inside.

The stillness awaits
A silent and motionless environment is waiting.

In a barren mine
Inside an empty and unproductive mine.

Where our fathers dig
Where our ancestors had worked hard and dug the earth for precious metals.

To uncover their sons alive
With the hope of finding something valuable and passing it down to their offspring.

A snow melt in spring
The melting of snow during the spring season.