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/
Quarters in a Pocket
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one and anyone here look more
When you're sinking down
Find your favorite dream
That comes next to me
I'm softer than the ground
And you won't let me see
But I've come to find
Moments like quarters in a pocket
And all belongs to me
My favorite cloath
And all the pain we know
Comes from what's your favorite a circle
I'll get off your chest
And throw it underneath
See the river with the cold water
Time's been pretty and it feels like a circle
And you won't let me see
But I've come to find
Moments like quarters in a pocket
And all belongs to me
I vowed your sign
And you were in line
I promise you
Time's been pretty and it feels like a circle
And you won't let me see
But I've come to find
Moments like quarters in a pocket
Discovered accidentally
In the first stanza, Iron & Wine seems to be talking about sinking down and feeling low. The use of the setting sun symbolizes the end of something, perhaps a relationship or a chapter in their life. The next two lines suggest that they feel as though no one understands their struggle, even though everyone experiences it in some way. The lyrics "I'm softer than the ground" could mean that Iron & Wine is offering comfort and support to someone who is sinking down.
In the second stanza, they encourage the listener to find their favorite dream next to them. This could signify finding comfort or solace in the people around them. They then talk about how time seems to be a circle, repeating itself over and over again. Iron & Wine talks about finding moments like quarters in a pocket, which could mean finding moments that bring them joy and feel valuable.
In the final stanza, Iron & Wine talks about vowing someone's sign and standing in line, which could suggest marriage or commitment. They promise to be there for the person they're speaking to, and find comfort in moments that belong to them. The lyrics "discovered accidentally" could mean that these moments were unexpected and possibly even surprising.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the setting sun
Just like how the sun sets, something in the song is coming to an end
No one and anyone here look more
Nobody stands out and everyone merges into one
When you're sinking down
When you're feeling low and troubled
Find your favorite dream
Discover a dream that you hold dear to your heart
That comes next to me
One that's close to Iron & Wine's heart
I'm softer than the ground
Iron & Wine is willing to lend a listening ear and a comforting presence to anyone in need, like the softness of the ground
Time's been pretty and it feels like a circle
Time is cyclical and everything comes back around
And you won't let me see
Something is being hidden from Iron & Wine
But I've come to find
Iron & Wine has discovered something unexpectedly
Moments like quarters in a pocket
Small fleeting moments are like precious coins stored in one's pocket
And all belongs to me
Iron & Wine cherishes these moments and everything feels like it is his own
My favorite cloth
The favorite things that one holds onto
And all the pain we know
The hurt and struggles one experiences in life
Comes from what's your favorite a circle
These painful experiences are just part of the cycle
I'll get off your chest
Iron & Wine is willing to take on someone else's burdens
And throw it underneath
Iron & Wine will help someone else rid themselves of their troubles and let them go
See the river with the cold water
Just like the cold flowing water of a river, one must let go of their troubles if they are to move on
I vowed your sign
Iron & Wine made a promise and is staying true to it
And you were in line
Someone took up Iron & Wine's promise and is following through
I promise you
Iron & Wine is reaffirming his commitment to the promise made
Discovered accidentally
Iron & Wine found something important without even looking for it
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mcluke
Heard it recently during cold winter evening spent in the hotel restaurant in Poland. Reminde me of summer that is so desired here now. Not bad tune.
Daniel Avila
[Verse 1]
Like the setting sun, and more than anyone
You look warmer when you're sinkin' down
Find your favorite tree, and come sit next to me
I've a sheet that's softer than the ground
[Chorus]
This time spent with you feels like charcoal sketches for a painting
That you won't let me see
But I've come to find that comfort comes like quarters in a pocket
I thought were lost to me
[Verse 2]
All your favorite clothes, and all the pain we know
Came from those you favor for a time
Take it off your chest, and throw your loneliness
In a surly river, cold and wild
[Chorus]
This time spent with you feels like charcoal sketches for a painting
That you won't let me see
But I've come to find that comfort comes like quarters in a pocket
I thought were lost to me
[Verse 3]
Lie about your sign, and hang your worry line
On a missin' poster for a dog
Find a promise ring, and blind affinity
For a match the gypsy said was wrong
[Chorus]
This time spent with you feels like charcoal sketches for a painting
That you won't let me see
But I've come to find that comfort comes like quarters in a pocket
Discovered accidentally
Gauging Gadgets
This song is awesome!
Zad Rasera
This reminds me of a departed, but always be a beloved pet... lol
root8angel
Yes! Amazingness~