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."
http://www.ironandwine.com/
Minor Piano Keys
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fragrant and sturdier
Delicate hands for shoulders sliding down
Days, days like a summer rain
Blink and they're gone again
Soaking she sits alone, outside and down
Prays, prays for a soldier boy
Under the thumb of the Lord
And waits, quilting and quietly
Her minor piano keys
Slip through the screen of the door
Say, say what you mean to her
Washing her colander
Eyes on the stranger cresting 'round the bend
Days, days like the winter snow
Linger 'til heaven knows
Naked she sings the table grace and then
Prays, prays for her soldier boy
In fire and angry noise
Under the thumb of the lord
And waits, quilting and quietly
Minor piano keys
Slip through the screen of the door
The lyrics to Iron & Wine's "Minor Piano Keys" tell the story of a woman who is both delicate and strong, sitting alone outside on a rainy day. She prays for a soldier boy, hoping for his safe return despite the violence and noise of war. As she waits for his return, she spends her time quilting and playing the piano, the notes of the minor keys slipping through the screen door.
The song captures the emotions of a woman left behind while her loved one is at war. She's worried about his safety and comforted by her faith in God. The lyrics paint vivid pictures of her life, from delicate hands sliding down her shoulders to nakedly singing table grace. The music matches the emotional intensity of the lyrics, with gentle acoustic guitar strumming and minor key piano notes.
Overall, the song is a beautiful and poignant tribute to the sacrifices made by military families during times of war. It reminds us that even in the midst of chaos, there is still beauty and hope to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, say something nice to her
Ask you to speak kindly to someone, to say a compliment or a positive thing.
Fragrant and sturdier
Describing someone or something as having a pleasant smell and being strong and stable.
Delicate hands for shoulders sliding down
Painting the picture of hands, soft and gentle stroking along shoulders, or someone's manner of comfort showing care, to help somebody to relax.
Days, days like a summer rain
Metaphor for days passing too quickly, for something that feels like it just arrived and passes away too soon.
Blink and they're gone again
Describing how quickly time passes, how it feels like it is over before it ever really gets started.
Soaking she sits alone, outside and down
Describing someone who is sad and feeling somber, picturing them being by themselves and drenched in rain.
Prays, prays for a soldier boy
Asking help from someone bigger than you, asking for someone's protection, mercy, and guidance for someone you care about.
In fire and angry noise
Describing someone's work that is hard and requiring danger, a hazardous job or a dangerous mission.
Under the thumb of the Lord
Idiom for being under someone's command, for someone to be in charge of you, for you to work according to someone else's wishes.
And waits, quilting and quietly
Standing by somebody who is going through moments of despair and keeping them company, trying to help in any way possible.
Her minor piano keys
Referring to the sound of the piano, which makes soft and soothing notes, a beautiful sound that makes her feel better.
Slip through the screen of the door
Describing herself sitting on the porch, playing quietly on the piano, listening to the sound of the notes she plays that escape outside through the open door.
Say, say what you mean to her
Telling someone they should speak the truth or something they mean, to say what's in their heart.
Washing her colander
Doing something familiar, something that doesn't require much thought, doing something to pass the time for a while.
Eyes on the stranger cresting 'round the bend
Describing someone that sees something coming from far away, something foreign or unknown or unidentified, they keep their focus on it while they are doing what they are doing.
Days, days like the winter snow
Metaphor for days passing slowly, for being so cold, and for feeling endless like the winter snow.
Linger 'til heaven knows
Describing something that seems to take too long, that maybe nobody knows when it will continue, end or change.
Naked she sings the table grace and then
Describing someone that is alone, even though they are singing alone, they still have faith and they still have hope, they still find meaning, and they still have courage to go on.
Prays, prays for her soldier boy
Asking for everything that she can for the one she cares about, for the one that is in danger, for him to be protected and guarded and now lose hope.
Minor piano keys
Soft and gentle sound of the piano that brings peace and tranquility.
Slip through the screen of the door
Describing the sound of the piano playing that escapes outside through the open door.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zad Rasera
One of his most haunting songs...
malaka pusty
it sounds very similar to bob dylans "one more cup of coffee§" ( desire 1975).
K S
i love this one
Merve Yıldırım
çok güzel bi şarkı. sâlim sayesinde keşfettim. o beni bilmiyor, muhtemelen artık buralara uğramaz. spotifydan dinliyordur. sâlimden çok utanıyorum, gözünden düşmekten çok korkuyorum. onun gözünde yanlış bir profile sokmaktan da kendimi. bu yüzden bir türlü yaklaşamıyorum ona. kaybetmekten korkuyorum, zaten kazanmış da değilim. içimi yakan bir sevgisi var, ilginç gerçekten hiç konuşmadık ama doğru insanın o olduğuna neredeyse eminim. zamana bırakıyorum. her şey olması gerektiği gibi olacaktır. hayırlısı olur inşallah, hayırlısıyla kalplerimiz kavuşur. biz kavuşuruz. sâlimle mutlu bir geleceğimiz olur. umudum yok bi şekilde, beni hiç gördüğünü sanmıyorum. ilgisinin olduğunu da sanmıyorum. neyse. sadece seviyorum işte.
Ezequiel Masa
wonderful...
Lyka Kinchen
Break up song for me after giving birth and all I wanted was him to be proud of me, look me in the eyes and give me a hug.
Benjamin K
Well that sucks. If it makes you feel any better, im proud of you!!
Melanie Reynoso
♥