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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Faded From The Winter
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sleeping dog beside you
You're a poem of mystery
You're the prayer inside me
Spoken words like moonlight
You're the voice that I like
In the way you're walking
To me from the timbers
Faded from the winter
The lyrics of Iron & Wine's song Faded From the Winter are a poetic masterpiece that can be interpreted in several ways. The verse "Daddy's ghost behind you, sleeping dog beside you" could refer to the presence of a lost loved one, a sense of nostalgia or an unshakable feeling that lingers in one's subconscious. The words "You're a poem of mystery, You're the prayer inside me" portray a sense of admiration and adoration, for someone or something that is inexplicable or beyond comprehension. The stanza that follows, "Spoken words like moonlight, you're the voice that I like" could indicate that the subject of the song has a soothing and calming effect on the singer or represents a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak situation.
The following lines "Needlework and seedlings, In the way you're walking, to me from the timbers, Faded from the winter" evoke imagery of growth, regeneration, and rebirth. Needlework and seedlings represent new beginnings, and the act of walking from the timbers denotes an exit from a dense and dark situation. The phrase "Faded from the winter" can be interpreted in several ways - either a person, situation or an emotion that once held sway has now weakened or diminished, or it could refer to the passing of time and the changes that it brings.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy's ghost behind you
The memory of your father constantly follows you and is still very much present in your life
Sleeping dog beside you
Your loyal companion is always there by your side, providing comfort and a sense of security
You're a poem of mystery
You are a beautifully intricate and enigmatic being, full of depth and complexity
You're the prayer inside me
You are like a sacred, meaningful prayer that resonates deeply within me and brings me peace
Spoken words like moonlight
Your words have a gentle, luminous quality that shine like moonlight on a dark night
You're the voice that I like
Of all the voices in the world, yours is the one that speaks to me in a special way and that I find comfort in
Needlework & seedlings
You are a careful cultivator and creator, tending to the small things in life and nurturing them into something beautiful
In the way you're walking
The way you move and carry yourself reflects your strength, grace, and poise
To me from the timbers
You emerge like a ray of light from the trees, a source of inspiration and hope in the midst of darkness
Faded from the winter
Although your spirit may have been worn down by the harshness of winter, you remain resilient and steadfast in the face of adversity
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-mv3bk2nl3h
Daddy's ghost behind you
Sleeping dog beside you
You're a poem of mystery
You're the prayer inside me
Spoken words like moonlight
You're the voice that I like
Needlework & seedlings
In the way you're walking
To me from the timbers
Faded from the winter
@user-mv3bk2nl3h
Daddy's ghost behind you
Sleeping dog beside you
You're a poem of mystery
You're the prayer inside me
Spoken words like moonlight
You're the voice that I like
Needlework & seedlings
In the way you're walking
To me from the timbers
Faded from the winter
@joyfulyes
My father passed away today. Randomly scrolling my music service I ran across Iron & Wine, never heard of before. Picked a song at random to play. First line is "Daddy's ghost behind you..." I know he is watching over me.
@sunkenmonk777
Few people tumble upon here. Congrats.
@HoodyBoy85
This one is a regular listen for me, and definitely my favorite I&W song
@OrganicAlumination
💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
@OrganicAlumination
This one and each coming night
@GabrielRodrigues-bi1if
such a beautiful song i keep returning to.
@YouTubeUser-gf7yu
Beautiful song. Very underrated artist.
@sangyup02
Beautiful.
@butterflybei265
This song reminds me of life after my dad died and I'd hear creaking up the stairs in the middle of the night