She plays mostly acoustic guitar and a rhodes or wurlitzer organ, either solo or with her Minneapolis-based band, including Jeremy Ylvisaker and Mike Lewis of Andrew Bird fame, as well as long time band mates Luke Anderson on drums and Jacob Hanson on guitar.
In 2003 Bonar's album . . . The Size of Planets (Chairkicker's Union) received favorable reviews in the Minneapolis press. The album spawned the single "Am I Allowed," which was played on college radio stations. Bonar was 20 years old when the album was released, and did a number of tours with Duluth band Low upon its release. She also toured with the likes of Mason Jennings, Richard Buckner, and Mary Lou Lord, who was also, for a time, Bonar's manager.
In 2006 she released the album Lure the Fox, originally on Mary Ellen Recordings, whose owner, Mary Lewis, decided to help Bonar pay to record the album at Pachyderm Studio after reading a Star Tribune article about her in 2005. Dave King of Happy Apple and The Bad Plus plays drums, Chris Morrissey plays bass, and the album features Low's Alan Sparhawk on the track "Give it Up." Also on that track is David Frankenfeld, Bonar's former drummer, who played on The Size of Planets. One year after Lure the Fox was recorded, Bonar signed with local label Afternoon Records, who then released the album nationally in October 2006.
Lure the Fox earned Bonar two Minnesota Music Awards, one for Best American Roots recording, and another for Best American Roots artist. The album also topped many Twin Cities year-end favorite lists, including those of the Star Tribune, City Pages, The Onion, and Pulse magazine. Bonar was also featured on the cover of Metro magazine.
Big Star, released in June 2008 on Afternoon Records, gained Bonar a broader audience with songs like "Big Star," "Green Eyed Boy," and "Arms of Harm," which was featured on the credits for an episode of HBO's The United States of Tara. The songs "Queen of Everything," "Big Star," and "Something Great" were also featured on MTV's show Teen Moms in 2009/2010.
Upon completion of her album Golder, she also started a side project band called Gramma's Boyfriend, a "no-wave, new wave, punkish kind of thing that sounds like the Twin Peaks High School prom band". Bonar started a Kickstarter campaign in February 2011 in order to raise money to promote and tour her upcoming record. She played the 2011 SXSW music festival in March, released the album in April, and toured it summer 2011.
- wikipedia
Ransom
Haley Bonar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can't live like this forever in the kingdom
Wearing cloaks of god while drinking devil's water
Living in my dreams and waking to disaster
Play your guitar like a martyr
Close your eyes at the softest touch
Drain your blood in holy water
Drain your blood in holy water
We fell hard like the fools
And blessed are the ones who break their bones
Your mouth slays me like a harpoon
And I'm a hypocrite but I play by the rules
You, you steal the clothes of kings
Play your guitar like a martyr
Close your eyes at the softest touch
Drain your blood in holy water
Drain your blood in holy water
Drain your blood in holy water
The lyrics in Haley Bonar's song "Ransom" depict the struggle between what is expected of individuals and what they actually do. The singer in the song is suggesting that it is time to pay the ransom and break free of the expectations placed upon them. They cannot continue to live like this forever in the kingdom, a metaphor for society with its expectations and standards. The idea of wearing cloaks of god while drinking devil’s water refers to the facade that people have where they try to appear virtuous and moral, but in reality indulge in immoral and unhealthy behavior.
The lines "Living in my dreams and waking to disaster" suggest that the singer may have aspirations and hopes, but they are never able to fully achieve them due to the constraints of society. The individual may steal the clothes of kings and play their guitar like a martyr, yet still close their eyes at the softest touch and drain their blood in holy water, which symbolizes the individual's ultimate sacrifice. The verses "We fell hard like the fools / And blessed are the ones who break their bones" illustrates how individuals often do whatever is deemed necessary to succeed, even if it means making mistakes and enduring pain.
In conclusion, Haley Bonar's "Ransom" portrays the pressure from society and the struggle to maintain appearances. The song suggests that one should break free from societal expectations and strive for what they truly want, even if it means making sacrifices.
Line by Line Meaning
I think it's hard time we paid the ransom
It's time for us to face the consequences of our actions
We can't live like this forever in the kingdom
We can't continue to exist in a place of authority and power
Wearing cloaks of god while drinking devil's water
Presenting ourselves as pious while indulging in sinful behavior
Living in my dreams and waking to disaster
Fantasizing about a better life but experiencing disappointment in reality
You steal the clothes of kings
You're taking advantage of the power and status of others
Play your guitar like a martyr
Acting like your suffering is for a noble cause
Close your eyes at the softest touch
Being emotionally distant and unable to show vulnerability
Drain your blood in holy water
Trying to cleanse yourself of sin through religious rituals
We fell hard like the fools
We made a mistake and suffered the consequences
And blessed are the ones who break their bones
Those who risk everything are deserving of our admiration
Your mouth slays me like a harpoon
Your words are hurtful and piercing
And I'm a hypocrite but I play by the rules
I'm not perfect but I try to live a moral life
Drain your blood in holy water
Trying to cleanse yourself of sin through religious rituals
Drain your blood in holy water
Trying to cleanse yourself of sin through religious rituals
Drain your blood in holy water
Trying to cleanse yourself of sin through religious rituals
Contributed by Jackson W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.