Early life
Beam was born July 26, 1974. He was raised outside Columbia, South Carolina, where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. When he was a child, his family took regular trips to the country where his grandfather ran a farm. He attended Seven Oaks Elementary, Irmo Middle School, and Chapin High School. While home from college, Beam was a waiter at California Dreaming restaurant in Columbia.
Beam graduated from the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Until the first Iron And 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.[2] 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.[3]
Musical career
Beam released his first Iron And Wine album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002. Beam wrote, performed, recorded and produced the album in his home studio. Featuring acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar, the album's music has been compared to that of Nick Drake,[4] Simon and Garfunkel,[5] Elliott Smith, and John Fahey. The debut album was followed in 2003 by The Sea & The Rhythm, an EP containing other home-recorded tracks with a similar style to the songs on the debut.
Beam's second album, Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. Produced in Chicago by Brian Deck, the focus was still on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gave rise to a slightly different sound. That same year, Beam recorded the song "The Trapeze Swinger" for the film In Good Company.
Sarah Beam at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland
In February 2005, Beam released an EP titled Woman King, which expanded on the sounds of his previous LP and added electric guitars. Each track featured a spiritual female figure and had subtle Biblical undertones.
The EP In the Reins, a collaboration with the Arizona-based rock band Calexico, was released in September 2005. Beam wrote all of the EP's songs years earlier, but Calexico added their trademark fusion of dusty southwestern rock, traditional Mexican music and jazz to the songs' arrangements. Several tracks feature brass instruments, a first for Beam's music.
The third full-length Iron And Wine album, titled The Shepherd's Dog, was released September 25, 2007. This album was voted one of the ten best of 2007 by Paste magazine.[6] Contributors included Joey Burns and Paul Niehaus of Calexico, as well as jazz musicians Matt Lux and Rob Burger.[7] When asked to describe the album to The Independent, Beam remarked that "it's not a political propaganda record, but it's definitely inspired by political confusion, because I was really taken aback when Bush got reelected."[8]
In 2002, Beam recorded a cover of The Postal Service's then-unreleased song "Such Great Heights". Rather than being included on an Iron And Wine release, the track was initially only included as a b-side of the original version by The Postal Service. In 2004, Beam's version was featured in an advertisement for M&M's and in the film Garden State and its popular soundtrack. This version was later used in a 2006 Ask.com advertisement. A single of the Iron And Wine version of "Such Great Heights" was released in 2006, backed with recordings of "The Trapeze Swinger" and "Naked as We Came" made for Radio Vienna.
Beam has released all of his music on iTunes, including several exclusive EPs. The Iron And Wine iTunes Exclusive EP features unreleased studio recordings, including a Stereolab cover and two tracks which had previously only appeared on vinyl. The Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) EP features Beam and his sister, Sarah Beam, performing a number of tracks from his albums, as well as a cover of New Order's "Love Vigilantes". Sarah Beam has contributed backing vocals on many of Beam's studio recordings.
Beam's music has appeared in a few TV show soundtracks, including Grey's Anatomy and The L Word. Notably, 2008 saw the use of "Passing Afternoon" in the emotional finale of the fourth season of the show House, M.D.. Later in 2008, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was used in the film Twilight. The song was specifically chosen for the film's prom scene by Kristen Stewart, the female lead, and appears on the film's soundtrack.
Eden
Iron And Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every wicked legend that you carry
On your naked breast
I believe it was your best
God will be my judge
I'm not the man I was
Before I found you lying in the darkness
Let's go buy some clothes
Some more socks for your journey
Cause it might be colder in the morning
The lyrics to Iron And Wine's song Eden suggest a deep and intimate relationship between two people, with one person sharing their personal stories and experiences with the other. The opening line, "Whisper in my ear everything my dear," suggests a closeness between the two individuals, with one person sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings with the other. The phrase "Every wicked legend that you carry" implies that the individual carrying these legends has had a tumultuous past or has experienced difficult times, but they are willing to share these stories with their partner.
The next line, "On your naked breast," adds to the intimacy of the moment, as the individual sharing these stories is physically close to their partner. The line "I believe it was your best" could be interpreted as the singer admiring the strength of the other person for enduring their difficult experiences and finding the strength to share them.
The next line, "God will be my judge, I'm not the man I was," suggests that the singer may have had a significant transformation because of their relationship with the other person. They may have changed for the better or reformulated their values and beliefs. The final line, "Let's go buy some clothes, some more socks for your journey, cause it might be colder in the morning," suggests practical actions taken by the two individuals, with the singer showing a caring attitude for their partner's comfort and wellbeing.
Line by Line Meaning
Whisper in my ear everything my dear
Tell me your deepest secrets, confide in me and let me into your world
Every wicked legend that you carry
Share with me all the dark and twisted stories that you carry within you
On your naked breast
Laid bare, vulnerable and exposed
I believe it was your best
You gave it your all and did your best, and that's all that matters to me
God will be my judge
I will answer to a higher power for my actions, but in this moment I am yours
I'm not the man I was
You have changed me and transformed me into a different person, for the better
Before I found you lying in the darkness
Before I met you, I was lost and alone in the dark
Let's go buy some clothes
Let's prepare for the journey ahead, both physically and emotionally
Some more socks for your journey
Let me take care of you and provide for your needs
Cause it might be colder in the morning
I want to protect you from any potential hardships that may come our way
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMUEL BEAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@root8angel
this song is in my heart eternally
@chrisharden6300
Love this song, I think the low definition style thing makes me like it even more
@purifying_fire
After only a handful of listens, this has become one of those that plays continuously in my head while I'm away.. Like a tune I've always known, but never heard. The last line is haunting.
@andyb4708
It’s too beautiful
@aaliyahleveau7205
When I listen to this album, but especially this song, memories of my highschool sweetheart, and our 5 year marriage as young adults and our beautiful daughter comes to mind. The marriage ended in one of the worst ways, and although it's been 4 years since my divorce, and I know I could never be with this person anymore, thoughts of us as children together, and being pregnant in our little home we could barely afford, brings back a very bittersweet nostalgia. I miss it, but I don't. The heart can feel conflicted.
@sebastianhidalgo117
<3
@SwanginSpurs
I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH AND DESPERATELY WANT TO HEAR A HIGH QUALITY RECORDING OF IT
@KarandeepSinghK
Mikaela Schilling I feel the raw honesty of homespun music makes it that more closer to the listener's heart.
@everest_bound
I have the vinyl recording which is absolutely worth it!
@craigslistdave2086
Whisper in my ear everything my dear
Every wicked legend that you carry
On your naked breast
I believe it was your best
God will be my judge
I'm not the man I was
Before I found you lying in the darkness
Let's go buy some clothes
Some more socks for your journey
Cause it might be colder in the morning