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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Free Until Cut Me Down
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will be free and shining like before
Papa don't tell me what I should've done
She's the one, she's the one who begged me
"Take me, take me home"
When the wind wraps me like the reaper's hand
I will swing free until they cut me down
She's the one, she's the one who begged me
"Take me, take me home"
When the sea takes me like my mother's arms
I will breathe free as any word of God
Papa don't tell me what you would've done
She's the one, she's the one who begged me
"Take me, take me home"
The lyrics to Iron & Wine's song "Free Until They Cut Me Down" evoke a sense of freedom and liberation even in the face of death. The main character in the song is ready to embrace death and face the consequences of his actions without any regrets. The opening line “when the men take me to the devil tree, I will be free and shining like before” suggests a sense of acceptance towards the impending death. The devil tree here could be interpreted in various ways, ranging from an actual tree used for public executions to a metaphorical interpretation of the tree representing the underlying evil or wrongdoing that led to the character's imminent death. However, despite the dark imagery, the line "I will be free and shining like before" suggests that death, to the main character, represents a state of peace and transcendence.
The lyrics also touch upon the theme of personal responsibility and the consequences of one's actions. The line "Papa don't tell me what I should've done” suggests a sense of defiance towards parental or authoritative figures trying to dictate what the main character should have done. The subsequent line “She's the one, she's the one who begged me, take me, take me home” suggests that the main character’s actions and decision-making were influenced or even solely driven by his loved one's wishes. It could be interpreted as the character ultimately taking responsibility for his actions while still searching for a sense of understanding and closure.
Overall, the lyrics of "Free Until They Cut Me Down" are poetic, layered with imagery and depth, and open to interpretation. It is a haunting song that explores the complexities of life, death, and personal responsibility.
Line by Line Meaning
When the men take me to the devil tree
When I am brought to my execution site
I will be free and shining like before
I will be relieved of the pain and suffering I am experiencing now, and I will be able to shine like I used to
Papa don't tell me what I should've done
Don't criticize my actions in hindsight
She's the one, she's the one who begged me
It was not my decision alone, she asked me to do it
"Take me, take me home"
She wanted me to take her to a place where she could find peace and freedom
When the wind wraps me like the reaper's hand
As I am being hung, the wind will be like the hand of Death wrapping around me
I will swing free until they cut me down
I will feel a sense of freedom for a brief moment before I am executed
Papa don't tell me what I could've done
There was nothing more that could've been done
She's the one, she's the one who begged me
I acted upon her wishes
"Take me, take me home"
She wanted to be free and at peace from this world
When the sea takes me like my mother's arms
When I die and my body is embraced by the sea, it will feel like my mother's arms holding me
I will breathe free as any word of God
I will feel a sense of liberation and comfort, like the words of God
Papa don't tell me what you would've done
Don't judge me for my decisions
She's the one, she's the one who begged me
I cannot take all the blame, as she was also involved
"Take me, take me home"
She wanted to be taken away from this world and its troubles
Contributed by Samantha F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anuja Ghosh
When the men take me to the devil tree
I will be free and shining like before
Papa don't tell me what I should've done
She's the one who begged me
"Take me home"
When the wind wraps me like the reaper's hand
I will swing free until they cut me down
Papa don't tell me what I could've done
She's the one who begged me
"Take me home"
When the sea takes me like my mother's arms
I will breathe free as any word of God
Papa don't tell me what you would've done
She's the one who begged me
"Take me home"
JuraLett
Otra obra de arte
AM Software
Incredible record
Sean McGlynn
AM Software couldn’t agree more not a bad song...amazing music
PlaceboJesus
This is pretty clearly the worst song on the album but this album is great lol. The top 6-8 songs on it are among the top 12-15 songs Sam has ever made.
Lulu Taylor
❤
daisy rabbit
🙏💀💙
rlk0890
Keep trucking
Savvas Xenopoullos
Toutountoun
Iran Bastos
❤