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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Tree by the River
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?
Dark canyon wall, the call and the answer
And the mare in the pasture
Pitch black and baring its teeth.
Stuck and leaning on braces,
And being strangers to change.
Radio and the bones we found frozen,
And all the thorns and the roses
Beneath your window pane.
Now I'm asleep in a car, I mean the world?
To a potty-mouth girl,
A pretty pair of blue-eyed birds.
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say.
But I wonder to who
What it is you're saying today.
Now I'm asleep in a car, I mean the world
To a potty-mouth girl,
A pretty pair of blue-eyed birds.
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say.
But I wonder to who
What it is you're saying today.
Mary Anne, do you remember
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?
Dark canyon road, I was coy in the half-moon
Happy just to be with you,
And you were happy for me.
The lyrics to Iron & Wine's "Tree by the River" are a nostalgic reflection on youth, change, and the passing of time. The song opens with the singer addressing Mary Anne and asking if she remembers the tree by the river when they were seventeen. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer reminisces about their shared past.
The second stanza references the natural world around them, including a dark canyon wall and a mare baring its teeth. The imagery creates a feeling of both beauty and danger, and emphasizes how the world felt larger and more mysterious when they were younger. The third stanza mentions "radio and the bones we found frozen," implying that the two of them explored and discovered unknown parts of their environment. However, there is also a darker side to the past, with "all the thorns and the roses beneath your window pane" hinting at the complexities of their relationship.
The fourth stanza introduces a shift in perspective, as the singer reflects on their current situation of being "asleep in a car" with a "potty-mouth girl." There is a sense of disconnection and disillusionment, as they navigate a world that is no longer as full of wonder and potential as it once was. The fifth stanza returns to Mary Anne and the tree by the river, as the singer wonders what she might be saying about time now.
Overall, "Tree by the River" is a nostalgic reflection on youth and the passage of time, with a beautiful combination of natural imagery and personal memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary Anne, do you remember
The singer is addressing Mary Anne and asking her if she remembers something.
The tree by the river
The singer is referring to a specific tree that was by a river.
When we were seventeen?
The singer is specifying the time period when they saw the tree by the river.
Dark canyon wall, the call and the answer
The artist is reminiscing about a dark canyon wall and possibly hearing an echo or response.
And the mare in the pasture
The artist saw a horse in a nearby field.
Pitch black and baring its teeth.
The horse was aggressive and showing its teeth in the darkness.
I recall the sun in our faces,
The singer remembers the sun shining on their faces.
Stuck and leaning on braces,
The artist was physically supporting themselves on something like metal braces or poles.
And being strangers to change.
The artist and Mary Anne were not accustomed to change or new experiences.
Radio and the bones we found frozen,
The artist found bones and listened to the radio with Mary Anne.
And all the thorns and the roses
The singer is reminiscing about various experiences they shared with Mary Anne.
Beneath your window pane.
Some of these memories include taking place near Mary Anne's window.
Now I'm asleep in a car, I mean the world?
The singer is asking a rhetorical question about whether their current reality is a dream or not.
To a potty-mouth girl,
The singer is referring to a girl who speaks bluntly or inappropriately.
A pretty pair of blue-eyed birds.
The girl the singer is with has pretty, blue eyes.
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say.
Mary Anne would often say that time wasn't inherently good or bad.
But I wonder to who
The artist is questioning who Mary Anne might be saying this to now.
What it is you're saying today.
The singer is curious about what Mary Anne might be saying about time in the present day.
Mary Anne, do you remember
The singer is repeating their initial question to Mary Anne.
The tree by the river
The artist is again referring to the same tree by the river they remember.
When we were seventeen?
The artist is once again specifying the time period when they saw the tree by the river.
Dark canyon road, I was coy in the half-moon
The artist is reminiscing about being bashful or timid on a dark canyon road.
Happy just to be with you,
The singer felt happy just being with Mary Anne, despite their shyness.
And you were happy for me.
Mary Anne was also happy for the artist and their time spent together.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL ERVIN BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mechanical Pants
Mary Ann, do you remember
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?
The dark canyon wall, the call and the answer
And the mare in the pasture
Pitch black and baring its teeth
I recall the sun in our faces
Stuck and leaning on graces
And being strangers to change
The radio and the bones we found frozen
And all the thorns and the roses
Beneath your windowpane
Now I'm asleep in a car
I mean the world to a potty-mouth girl
And a pretty pair of blue-eyed birds
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say
But I wonder to who
And what it is you're saying today
Now I'm asleep in a car
I mean the world to a potty-mouth girl
And a pretty pair of blue-eyed birds
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say
But I wonder to who
And what it is you're saying today
Mary Ann, do you remember
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?
The dark canyon road; I was coy in the half moon
Happy just to be with you
And you were happy for me
St33nb3an
It is an absolute treat every time I remember to revisit this.
Zach Alicea
Goosebumps, all the way through. Eloquent songwriting and beautiful execution.
Luis
The amount of views and likes on this video does not do justice to the awesomeness of this tune, in this setting, in this studio, and in this channel... Simply amazing!
Kurt
please put this on spotify. this recording exactly. please.
James
"I wonder to who and what it is youre saying today" has got to be one of the most painful things to hear when you miss someone in your life
I really wish i was still a part of her life
George Layton
It is wonder full you got to have her in your life.
Fern Mackenzie
I know that feel, bro
JeDunn
"Happy just to be with you...and you were happy for me." Those words hit much worse. Why would one want someone who isn't happy to be with them, too? That is life's more difficult lessons. Anyway , it's a beautifully reflective song. One of his best.
Mechanical Pants
Mary Ann, do you remember
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?
The dark canyon wall, the call and the answer
And the mare in the pasture
Pitch black and baring its teeth
I recall the sun in our faces
Stuck and leaning on graces
And being strangers to change
The radio and the bones we found frozen
And all the thorns and the roses
Beneath your windowpane
Now I'm asleep in a car
I mean the world to a potty-mouth girl
And a pretty pair of blue-eyed birds
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say
But I wonder to who
And what it is you're saying today
Now I'm asleep in a car
I mean the world to a potty-mouth girl
And a pretty pair of blue-eyed birds
Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say
But I wonder to who
And what it is you're saying today
Mary Ann, do you remember
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?
The dark canyon road; I was coy in the half moon
Happy just to be with you
And you were happy for me
Let'sGoHammy!
The epitome of Easy-Listening!
Love it