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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No Way Out Of Here
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you come in you're in for good
There was no promise made
The part you played the chance you took
There are no boundaries set
But time and yet you waste it still
Like grains of sand you watch it go
There's no time to be lost
You'll pay the cost so get it right
There's no way out of here
When you come in you're in for good
And never was there an answer, there an answer
Not without listening without seeing
There are no answers here
When you look out you don't see in
There was no promise made
The part you played the chance you took
There's no way out of here
When you come in you're in for good
And never was there an answer, there an answer
Not without listening without seeing
There's no way out of here
When you come in you're in for good
There are no answers here
When you look out you don't see in
There was no promise made
The part you played the chance you took
There's no way out of here
There's no way out of here
The lyrics of Iron & Wine & Ben Bridwell's song "No Way Out of Here" suggest that once you enter a certain situation or make a decision, there is no turning back. It seems to imply a sense of regret or frustration for wasting time and not making the most out of it. The line "There are no answers here, when you look out you don't see in" could be an indication of the main character's disillusionment, despite searching for answers and solutions to their problems.
The song uses imagery to describe time slipping away like grains of sand, implying a sense of urgency and a need to "get it right". The repeated line "There's no way out of here, when you come in you're in for good" reinforces the idea that our actions have consequences and there is no undoing them. The song seems to suggest that we need to be mindful of our choices and not waste time on things that don't matter.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no way out of here
Once you enter, there's no turning back
When you come in you're in for good
Commitment is final
There was no promise made
No guarantee of success
The part you played the chance you took
The responsibility of the outcome is on you
There are no boundaries set
No limitations, except for time
But time and yet you waste it still
Time is precious and should not be wasted
So it slips through your hands
Time is fleeting and easily lost
Like grains of sand you watch it go
As time passes, you can only observe
There's no time to be lost
Time should not be wasted
You'll pay the cost so get it right
The consequences of wasting time will be costly
And never was there an answer, there an answer
There may not be a clear solution
Not without listening without seeing
One must pay attention and observe
There are no answers here
The solution may not be found
When you look out you don't see in
One may be focused on the external rather than internal
There's no way out of here
Once you commit, you must see it through
When you come in you're in for good
Commitment is final
There was no promise made
No guarantee of success
The part you played the chance you took
The responsibility of the outcome is on you
There's no way out of here
Once you enter, there's no turning back
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: K. BAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bassistlovesjamerson
After our original version I like this version best,well done guys.Pat Martin Bassist Unicorn.
@johnedward8352
How does this comment not have 547 likes by now?
@sethneville
John Kaitlyn Because David Gilmour's version is much, much better. More soulful, more heart-wrenching.
@johnedward8352
sethneville I meant because the bassist of Unicorn commented on this. David Gilmore did an awesome version, but nothing beats the original.
@plaswuff1670
Unicorn version still my fave. You guys made an awesome track with that, I hope you find credit in the fact so many people have tried covering it.
@bassistlovesjamerson
+Plas Wuff Thank you,ours was truly from the heart,I felt it happening.Pat Martin
@michaejackson4ever
I can already tell this is gonna be the best collab
@pequesaurius
I dont even know how to describe my feelings listening to this...
@witspix
great cover tune, flawless and emotional execution. have always loved this song and now, even more so. thank you, gentlemen.
@willharris3798
Can't wait to get my hands on this.