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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Autumn Town Leaves
Iron & Wine Lyrics
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On either side of the garden wall
We laugh all night to keep the embers glowing
Some are leaping free from their moving cars
Stacking stones 'round their broken hearts
Waving down any wind that might come blowing
Mice move out when the field is cut
Songbirds only end up where they're going
Some get rain and some get snow
Some want love and some want gold
I just want to see you in the morning
Dogs lay down in the evening heat
Fish to us when they leave the sea
Songbirds only end up where they're going
In this autumn town where the lights can change
Some get mercy and some get blamed
Some get lost when they feel the river flowing
It's all holy smoke and the flame dies fast
We hold our hats while the days fly past
Cold wind comes and we wait but it keeps going
Father, sons and holy ghosts
All come back or they all come close
Songbirds only end up where they're going
Some get hard and some go home
Some want flesh and some want bone
I just want to see you in the morning
Yeah, I just want to see you in the morning
The lyrics of "Autumn Town Leaves" by Iron & Wine are rich with imagery and vivid metaphors that paint a picture of a town in autumn. The singer sets the scene, describing a town surrounded by the falling leaves of autumn, with people laughing and keeping the "embers glowing" at night to fight the chill in the air. The song is filled with contradictions, as the lyrics mention mice moving out when the field is cut, serpents curling when the sun comes up, and songbirds ending up where they're going.
The song seems to be about the mysterious and ever-changing nature of life, just like the seasons. There are references to people wanting different things, some chasing love, some chasing gold, and some just wanting to see their loved ones in the morning. The lyrics mention that some get lost when they feel the river flowing, while others get mercy, and some are blamed. The song describes how time keeps moving, and the singer holds his hat while he watches the days fly past. The final lines of the song express the singer's yearning to see his loved one in the morning.
Overall, "Autumn Town Leaves" is a beautiful and poetic song that encapsulates the essence of autumn and its impact on our lives. It's a song about the fleeting nature of life and the things that matter to us on a personal level.
Line by Line Meaning
In this autumn town where the leaves can fall
The singer is in a town during autumn where the leaves fall.
On either side of the garden wall
Leaves are falling on both sides of the garden wall.
We laugh all night to keep the embers glowing
The singer and their companions spend the night laughing and having fun to keep themselves happy.
Some are leaping free from their moving cars
Some people are leaving abruptly, even jumping out of their moving cars.
Stacking stones 'round their broken hearts
Some people are trying to protect their broken hearts by building a wall around them.
Waving down any wind that might come blowing
People are trying to prevent any change or disruption that might come their way.
Mice move out when the field is cut
Mice move away when their habitat is destroyed.
Serpents curl when the sun comes up
Serpents move away when the sun comes up.
Songbirds only end up where they're going
Songbirds have a specific destination where they end up.
Some get rain and some get snow
Some people experience different things in life, just like some areas receive rain while others receive snow.
Some want love and some want gold
People have different aspirations, some want love while others want wealth.
I just want to see you in the morning
The artist wants to see someone they care about in the morning.
Dogs lay down in the evening heat
Dogs rest during the evening heat.
Fish to us when they leave the sea
Fish become accessible to humans once they leave the sea.
In this autumn town where the lights can change
The town has changing lights.
Some get mercy and some get blamed
Some people get mercy while others get blamed.
Some get lost when they feel the river flowing
Some people get lost and confused when change happens.
It's all holy smoke and the flame dies fast
The singer describes an ethereal experience that fades quickly.
We hold our hats while the days fly past
People try to hold onto time, but it keeps slipping away.
Cold wind comes and we wait but it keeps going
People feel the cold wind, but they have to keep going even if they're waiting for change.
Father, sons and holy ghosts
The artist is possibly alluding to the Holy Trinity in Christianity.
All come back or they all come close
Everything is connected and has a way of coming back or being close to one another.
Some get hard and some go home
Some people become tough and others give up.
Some want flesh and some want bone
People have different desires, some want the physical while others want something deeper.
I just want to see you in the morning
The singer wants to see someone they care about in the morning.
Yeah, I just want to see you in the morning
Reiteration of the singer's desire to see someone they care about in the morning.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Samuel Ervin Beam
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind