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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Burn That Broken Bed
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Press on your back been hanging in the air
I wanna scope you out
I wanna touch your mouth when you're up there
When are you coming back
Bird on a branch will come back home to sing
When are you coming back
How do you bust the clouds
Head on the ground and feeling what you've seen
I wanna scope you out
I wanna be your eyes and show you me
When are you coming back
When are you gonna burn that broken bed
When are you coming back
I wanna see you drifting overhead
In "Burn That Broken Bed," Iron & Wine displays his prowess in crafting lyrics that leave room for interpretation, yet possess a depth that can touch the very soul of the listener. The song appears to be about someone trying to reach out to another person who is in a state of emotional or mental turbulence. Throughout the song, the singer wants to meet this person, wants to understand what's happening in their life, and wants to offer comfort and proximity by being present for their struggles.
The opening lines, "How do you bust the clouds, Press on your back hanging in the air" suggests the emotional weight the person is bearing. The singer longs to be with them, to touch their mouth, to go through the experience with them. The second verse is a repetition of the first, emphasizing the unfulfilled desire to connect. The lines "I wanna be your eyes and show you me" shows the singer exhibiting a willingness to be vulnerable, to share his own experiences to help this person see that they are not alone.
The chorus asks questions, "When are you coming back," emphasizing the desire for the other person to return home. The bird imagery illustrates that even though they are temporarily absent, they will return eventually. The chorus becomes more urgent as it progresses: "When are you gonna burn that broken bed, I wanna see you drifting overhead." The metaphorical language of burning the bed suggests that the singer wants the other person to break free from their emotional turmoil, letting go of their past, and to come to a place of peace where they can be with the singer once again.
Line by Line Meaning
How do you bust the clouds
How do you break through the obstacles and reach the sky?
Press on your back been hanging in the air
You've been floating up in the sky with a lot of weight on your shoulders.
I wanna scope you out
I want to see the world through your eyes.
I wanna touch your mouth when you're up there
I want to feel the thrill of being up in the sky with you.
When are you coming back
When are you going to return to my life?
Bird on a branch will come back home to sing
Just like a bird, you'll come back to your familiar surroundings and serenade me again.
Bringing it back and singing what you bring
You'll bring back all the experiences you've had and share them with me.
Head on the ground and feeling what you've seen
You're going to come back to earth and reflect on all the things you've witnessed.
I wanna be your eyes and show you me
I want to be the one to guide you through new experiences and show you who I am.
When are you gonna burn that broken bed
When are you going to let go of the past and move on to new experiences?
I wanna see you drifting overhead
I want to witness you soaring high above, free and weightless.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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