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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God Gave a Stone
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or maybe somewhere in Tennessee
Far from home there's a way to her body
Though she's wind-blown and slightly
Long ago there were plums on the table
Where momma smoked in the afternoon
The guilty played half-asleep in the stable
Papa was gone but he's still in the mud
And the river runs thick with his innocent blood
And God gave a stone but it rolled down the hill
It's the shape of His breath, or Her breath if you will
She belongs back in western Kentucky
Or even somewhere in Tennessee
She was born though the womb wasn't ready
To give it's love to the strength in this street
Papa was gone but he's still in the mud
While the river runs thick with his innocent blood
And God gave a stone but it rolled down the hill
It's the shape of His breath, or Her breath if you will
Long ago there was warmth from the kitchen
Across the baseboards through every room
She belongs back in western Kentucky
And I will pray maybe she'll see it soon
The power of storytelling is revealed through the lyrics of Iron & Wine’s song “God Gave a Stone”. The first two lines of the song explicitly state that the singer of the song belongs in Kentucky, or possibly Tennessee. Her body is difficult to obtain, but possible to possess if you are able to find a specific road far from home that will take you there. The second stanza is full of nostalgic imagery of plums on the table, afternoon smoke, and guilty play in the stable. The singer’s mother would wake when she heard her daughter come home.
The most significant part of the song is the chorus. The chorus tells the story of the singer’s father’s death. Her father is no longer alive, his body “in the mud,” but his blood remains in the river that runs thick. God gave a stone, but it rolled down the hill. This last line encompasses the entire meaning of the song. It speaks to the randomness of life, the idea of fate, and the nature of God or a higher power. The line suggests that even God is not in complete control, and that the world has a chaotic, uncontrollable quality that cannot be tamed. The final stanza brings us back to the possible resolution for the singer. She belongs in Kentucky, and the singer wishes for her to one day find her way back there.
Line by Line Meaning
She belongs back in western Kentucky
The subject of the song should be in the place where she was initially born, Western Kentucky, and not where she currently is.
Or maybe somewhere in Tennessee
She could also belong in Tennessee, another place she has spent time in or has ties to.
Far from home there's a way to her body
Even when she's not at home, there is a way to find her or reach her. This is likely a metaphor for feeling disconnected or lost somewhere outside of her comfort zone.
Though she's wind-blown and slightly
She is not quite herself or stable, and feels unsettled or just generally incomplete.
Long ago there were plums on the table
Referencing a past memory where there was joy and food on the table.
Where momma smoked in the afternoon
Adding a detail to the previous memory, illustrating that even though there was joy, the surroundings were not necessarily healthy or ideal.
The guilty played half-asleep in the stable
There was something happening around the house or the farm that the younger people who were not involved did not understand.
And she would wake when she'd heard you
Someone would wake when they sensed danger or were being spoken to.
Papa was gone but he's still in the mud
Her father has since passed away, but his memory is still present and almost tangible, likely connected to the land he lived on.
And the river runs thick with his innocent blood
Her father's death was violent or unjust, and the aftermath is still felt.
And God gave a stone but it rolled down the hill
There might have been a higher power or a hope for justice, but it has since faltered and gone unanswered.
It's the shape of His breath, or Her breath if you will
The stone is symbolic of something that was potentially given as a warning or a signal of some sort, but ultimately did not have the intended effect. It can be interpreted as a message from a male or female deity.
She was born though the womb wasn't ready
There was something challenging or unprepared about the circumstances in which she was born.
To give it's love to the strength in this street
Despite an unprepared welcome into the world, the subject has the ability to share love with those around her, perhaps alluding to their resilience and strength as a person.
Long ago there was warmth from the kitchen
Referencing a memory of comfort and family in the kitchen of their home.
Across the baseboards through every room
Illustrating that the warmth and love wasn't just limited to the kitchen, but spread throughout the home.
And I will pray maybe she'll see it soon
The artist is hoping that the subject will be able to return to where they belong and experience the warm and loving environment they once had.
Contributed by Adrian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@confusedparrot3545
I have been looking for this song everywhere. Thank you so much for posting!!
@graciousfew2
You're welcome!
@joedrinkwalter94
Thanks for uploading this song. Been looking for it for a long time, it's a hard one to find
@edcarr6337
I hear iron and wine doing take it to the limit by the eagles