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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Homeward
Iron & Wine Lyrics
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Washed out the old road as to what did I bring
Flowers, a verse about springtime
Perchance in the treeline she's awaiting for me
Homeward these shoes worn to paper
Thin as the reason I left here so young
Homeward and what if I see her
There in the doorway I walked away from
White house asleep on the hillside
Firm as a habit I struggled to shed
Homeward with heaven above me
Old road behind me, a door up ahead
The song "Homeward These Shoes" by Iron & Wine is a reflective ballad communicating the singer's desire to return home. The opening line "Homeward the new road meanders" represents the singer's journey to return, despite the fact that the old road has been washed out. He questions why he left and what he brought with him, indicating that he left in haste without forethought. The flowers and verse about springtime may represent the potential for new beginnings and rejuvenation.
The second verse expresses the hope that there is someone waiting for him in the treeline. It is unclear if this person is a lover, friend or family member. The next two lines, "Homeward these shoes worn to paper, thin as the reason I left here so young," suggests that the singer's journey has been long and perhaps tumultuous. He has worn out his shoes and his reasons for leaving home were thin and ill-conceived.
In the final verse, the singer anticipates the sight of the white house where he used to live. He acknowledges that leaving was difficult and the decision to return is firm, as strong as a habit. The metaphorical imagery of the old road behind him and the doorway up ahead hints towards the cyclical nature of life and the inevitability of returning home.
Line by Line Meaning
Homeward the new road meanders
I am journeying homeward along a new winding road.
Washed out the old road as to what did I bring
The old road I used to travel on is ruined, and I'm not sure what I brought with me on this new journey.
Flowers, a verse about springtime
All I have to offer is a simple gift of flowers, and a verse I wrote about the beauty of spring.
Perchance in the treeline she's awaiting for me
I imagine that maybe she's waiting for me in the woods near the road.
Homeward these shoes worn to paper
These shoes I'm wearing on my journey home are so worn, they feel like paper.
Thin as the reason I left here so young
The reason I left home when I was young seems so thin and insignificant now.
Homeward and what if I see her
As I travel home, I wonder what will happen if I see her again.
There in the doorway I walked away from
I left her standing in that very doorway when I left home all those years ago.
White house asleep on the hillside
I can see the white house where I grew up - it's asleep on the hillside, as if waiting for my return.
Firm as a habit I struggled to shed
My memories of home are so strong, they feel like an unbreakable habit that I've struggled to let go of.
Homeward with heaven above me
As I journey home, it feels like heaven is watching over me.
Old road behind me, a door up ahead
The old road is behind me and there's a door up ahead - my home awaits me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind