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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Hickory
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll never love him but knows that her father will
Her fallen fruit is all rotten in the middle but her
Breast never dries when he's hungry
The money came and she died in her rocking chair
The window wide and the rain in her braided hair
A letter locked in the pattern of her knuckle
Blind and whistling just around the corner and there's a
Wind that is whispering something
Strong as hell but not hickory rooted
She kissed him once cause he gave her a cigarette
And turned around but he waits like a turned down bed
And summer left like her walking with another and a
Sound of a church bell ringing
The money came and he died like a butterfly
A buried star and the haze of the city lights
A gun went off and her mother dropped her baby on the
Blue feathered wing, we were lucky
Blind and whistling just around the corner and there's a
Wind that is whispering something
Strong as hell but not hickory rooted
Iron & Wine’s song “Hickory” uses vivid and poetic language to tell a tragic story of unrequited love, death, and betrayal. The first verse describes a man kissing a woman who will not love him back but knows that her father will. The metaphor of “fallen fruit” being “rotten in the middle” represents the decay and corruption of something that once seemed perfect or promising. However, the woman’s “breast never dries when he’s hungry” reveals her willingness to use her body to satisfy the man’s desires, even though she doesn’t feel love for him.
The second verse takes place at the end of the woman’s life, after “the money came,” most likely referring to an inheritance or windfall. She dies in her rocking chair, with the rain braided into her hair, and a letter locked in the pattern of her knuckle. The letter becomes a symbol of the woman’s ambitions and dreams, which she never got to fulfill. Iron & Wine uses the metaphor of a hymn to describe the woman’s emotional connection to the house she was making, suggesting that she invested pieces of herself into creating a home and family.
The third verse shifts to the man’s perspective, revealing that he kissed the woman once because he gave her a cigarette. The intimate act is not based on love or desire but rather a transactional exchange. The metaphor of “summer left like her walking with another” implies that the man feels abandoned and replaced. The final lines of the song describe the death of the man and a baby being dropped from its mother’s arms. Despite the tragedy, there’s a sense of relief or gratitude that “we were lucky,” perhaps because the dead characters were spared from more suffering or had some sort of redemption.
Overall, “Hickory” is a complex and melancholy song that invites multiple interpretations. It touches on themes of human connection, mortality, and the fragility of life. The language is rich and full of symbolism, creating a haunting and surreal atmosphere that lingers with the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
He kissed her once as she leaned on the windowsill
He gave her an affectionate kiss as she rested by the window
She'll never love him but knows that her father will
She doesn't have romantic feelings for him but is aware her father might
Her fallen fruit is all rotten in the middle but her
Her life is going downhill but her spirit is not broken
Breast never dries when he's hungry
Her love for him is always present and never runs out
The money came and she died in her rocking chair
She got rich but it didn't bring her happiness; she died peacefully at an old age
The window wide and the rain in her braided hair
She passed away while enjoying the natural elements and comforts of home
A letter locked in the pattern of her knuckle
She wrote a letter that was special to her and held it tightly before she died
Like a hymn to the house she was making
The letter was a tribute to the home she built and the life she had created there
Blind and whistling just around the corner and there's a
Time passes quickly and unexpectedly
Wind that is whispering something
Nature gives hints and clues of things to come
Strong as hell but not hickory rooted
The message is powerful but comes from an unpredictable source
She kissed him once cause he gave her a cigarette
She kissed him out of gratitude for the small gift he gave her
And turned around but he waits like a turned down bed
Even though she moved on, he is still ready and willing to take her back
And summer left like her walking with another and a
The warm season ended and she found someone else to be with
Sound of a church bell ringing
A reminder of lost love and the beauty of the past
The money came and he died like a butterfly
He became very wealthy but it didn't bring him any peace; he died young
A buried star and the haze of the city lights
His death was tragic and he lived in a place that was both bright and dark
A gun went off and her mother dropped her baby on the
Death and chaos erupted, causing a mother to accidentally drop her infant
Blue feathered wing, we were lucky
Miraculously, the baby survived and the tragedy brought everyone closer together
Blind and whistling just around the corner and there's a
Time moves on and we never know what's coming next
Wind that is whispering something
Nature gives us signals and warnings, and it's up to us to listen
Strong as hell but not hickory rooted
The lessons we learn from life are sometimes harsh but valuable
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind