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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Coyote
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What have they done?
My little brother, where
Where do you run?
They strychinined the mountains
They strychinined the plains
My little brother, the coyote
When you hear him singing
The few that are left
He's warning the human race
Of his death
Don't poison the mesas
Don't poison the sky
Or you won't be back
Little brother, goodbye
There will be no one to listen
And no one to sing
And never and never
Will there be spring
Coyot', Coyotee
What have they done?
My little brother, where
Where do you run?
Coyote My Little Brother is a powerful song by Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell that tells the story of a dying, poisoned world through the eyes of a coyote. The song begins with the refrain "Coyot', Coyotee, what have they done? My little brother, where, where do you run?" which expresses the desperation of the situation. The next lines reveal that the mountains and plains have been poisoned with strychnine, a clear sign of the world's corruption. The coyote has been killed by the poison, and there is a sense of mourning and loss in the lyrics.
The middle section of the song is a warning to humanity as the coyote sings of his death. He warns people not to poison the mesas or the sky, or they too will suffer the same fate as him. The lyrics are a plea for people to take responsibility for their actions and to care for the world they live in, or it will be lost forever. The song ends with a lament for the future. If we continue to ignore the destruction we cause, there will be no one left to listen, no one left to sing, and never, ever will there be spring.
Overall, Coyote My Little Brother is a haunting song that highlights the destruction caused by human action. It is a warning to people that they need to take better care of the world before it is too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Coyot', Coyotee
Addressing the coyote, asking for attention
What have they done?
Asking what harm has been done to the coyotes
My little brother, where
Referring to the coyote as a younger sibling, asking where they are
Where do you run?
Asking where the coyote goes to escape danger
They strychinined the mountains
Stating that the mountains have been poisoned with strychnine
They strychinined the plains
Stating that the plains have been poisoned with strychnine
My little brother, the coyote
Referring to the coyote as a younger sibling
Won't come back again
Saying that the coyote has been affected by the poison and died
When you hear him singing
Referring to the coyote's howling as singing
The few that are left
Referring to the small number of coyotes left after the poisoning
He's warning the human race
Suggesting that the coyote's howling is a warning to humans
Of his death
Explaining that the warning is about the death of the coyote population
Don't poison the mesas
Advising against poisoning the mesa, a type of hill
Don't poison the sky
Advising against harming the atmosphere
Or you won't be back
Warning that the ecosystem will be damaged beyond repair
Little brother, goodbye
Saying farewell to the coyote, who has been killed by the poisoning
There will be no one to listen
Suggesting that fewer and fewer people are listening to the warnings
And no one to sing
Suggesting that the coyotes have all disappeared
And never and never
Emphasizing the fact that this loss is permanent
Will there be spring
Suggesting that there will be no renewal of life in the affected areas
Coyot', Coyotee
Repeating the opening line to emphasize the tragedy of the situation
What have they done?
Asking again what harm has been inflicted on the coyotes
My little brother, where
Repeating the earlier line, underscoring the feeling of loss
Where do you run?
Asking again where the coyotes have gone
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PETER LAFARGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind