Beam was raised outside Columbia, South Carolina, United States where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor's degree and the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Until the first Iron & Wine album, Beam's main source of income was as a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design. He had been writing songs for over seven years before a friend lent him a four-track recorder. His friends handed out copies of demos that he had made, and the owner of Sub Pop Records personally contacted Beam and proposed a deal.
Beam released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002; Beam wrote, performed, recorded, and produced every track on the album by himself at a studio in his home. The album features acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar; its music has been compared, variously, to that of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Ralph Stanley.
In 2003 The Sea & The Rhythm was released, an EP collecting other home-recorded tracks along the same lines as those on the debut. Beam's second album, Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. The focus still lies on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gives rise to a very different sound.
Beam released an EP titled Woman King in February 2005, and the EP In the Reins, a collaboration with Calexico was released in September 2005. This joint work mostly features new full-band versions of previously recorded Iron and Wine rarities.
One of his most famous songs is a cover, which was featured on a commercial for M&M’s candies and in the 2004 film “Garden State” (and on its popular soundtrack), of "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service.
"Kiss Each Other Clean" is the fourth studio album by Iron & Wine, released January 25, 2011. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of track 10, "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me". The album marks a further change in style – in an interview with SPIN magazine, Beam said “It’s more of a focused pop record. It sounds like the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music."
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06. evening on the ground
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there is no one else around
So you will blame me
Blame me for the rocks
And baby bones and broken lock
On the garden
Garden wall of Eden
For the spider bites
We were born to fuck each other
One way or another
But I'll only lie
Down by the waterside at night
Hey man, tiny baby tears
I will collect a million years
And you can blame me
Blame me, I will wear it
In the empty, hollow part of my garden
Garden wall of Eden
And the clamor as they raise the curtain
You will, you will never make me learn
To lay beneath the mountain
Cause I'll only lie
Down by the waterside at night
The song "Evening on the Ground" is an enigmatic and thought-provoking piece, with lyrics that are open to varied interpretations. However, the song seems to suggest the idea of blame and responsibility in a relationship. The first verse talks about the events that happened on the garden wall of Eden, such as broken locks and spider bites. The singer in the song believes that the other person blames them for all these occurrences. Furthermore, they also accept that they are responsible, as they were both born to be together despite their imperfections. However, the singer acknowledges their tendency for deception when they say they will only lie down by the waterside at night.
In the second verse of the song, the singer talks about collecting tiny baby tears for a million years that they are willing to take the blame for. This suggests that they are selfless in taking the responsibility for the things that went wrong in the relationship. The last line of the verse, "Cause I'll only lie down by the waterside at night", emphasizes the singer's tendency to avoid conflict and run away from confrontation. It is a poignant and reflective end to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey man, evening on the ground
Addressing an unknown person, the artist is describing the peaceful atmosphere of the evening on the ground.
And there is no one else around
The lack of people around further emphasizes the peaceful atmosphere.
So you will blame me
The artist believes that the unknown person will blame them for something that they did.
Blame me for the rocks
The artist describes a set of rocks and that the unknown person may blame them for their presence.
And baby bones and broken lock
The artist continues with describing another set of items, including baby bones and a broken lock, suggesting that they may be blamed for those as well.
On the garden
The items described earlier (rocks, baby bones, and broken lock) are located on a garden.
Garden wall of Eden
The garden is described as something similar to the Garden of Eden, a beautiful and perfect paradise in the Bible.
For the spider bites
The artist now brings up another set of items, spider bites in this case, that the unknown person may blame them for.
And all your love as we were
The artist is addressing the unknown person and refers to a time when they loved each other.
We were born to fuck each other
The artist suggests that they were meant to be intimate with each other at some point in their lives.
One way or another
The artist suggests that despite everything that has happened, they will always be connected to the unknown person in some way.
But I'll only lie
Despite being connected to the unknown person, the artist is content with only lying down by the waterside at night.
Down by the waterside at night
The artist describes the place where they would like to be at peace, down by the waterside at night.
Hey man, tiny baby tears
The artist once again addresses the unknown person and brings up tiny baby tears.
I will collect a million years
The artist suggests that they will collect many tears over a long period of time.
And you can blame me
The unknown person may blame the artist for collecting the tears.
Blame me, I will wear it
Despite being blamed, the artist promises to accept responsibility for collecting the tears.
In the empty, hollow part of my garden
The artist describes a part of their garden that is empty and hollow, where they would keep the tears.
Garden wall of Eden
Once again, the artist compares their garden to the Garden of Eden.
And the clamor as they raise the curtain
The artist describes a situation where a curtain is being raised and there is a lot of noise/commotion.
You will, you will never make me learn
The artist states that the unknown person will never be able to teach them a lesson.
To lay beneath the mountain
The artist describes lying beneath a mountain, which may represent a heavy burden or obstacle.
Cause I'll only lie
Despite obstacles, the artist will only lie down by the waterside at night.
Down by the waterside at night
The artist repeats the line from earlier, emphasizing their desire to find peace in this place.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind