Liner
Justin Vernon Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm tired from your blues
I sing so you could too
Fall like a rinse
Fall like a rock
Fall like a wall

Surface leads to present
Chorus laced a rhythm
Sigh leans
Clock clings
Oh sing you out of me

Put it up the fall
Sing it up for now

My way of make my own




Discernable
Bond

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Justin Vernon's song "Liner" are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The opening lines, "I'm tired from your blues, I sing so you could too" could be interpreted as the exhaustion and burden that comes from carrying someone else's emotional baggage. The next three lines, "Fall like a rinse, fall like a rock, fall like a wall" evoke images of something collapsing or breaking down. The imagery of falling could represent giving up or surrendering to a situation.


The following lines, "Surface leads to present, chorus laced a rhythm, sigh leans, clock clings, oh sing you out of me" could speak to the idea of music serving as an escape from reality. The "surface" representing the superficial external world, while music and rhythm offer a gateway to the present moment. The phrase "oh sing you out of me" suggests that the act of singing can serve as a cathartic release from one's inner demons.


The final stanza reads, "Put it up the fall, sing it up for now, my way of make my own discernable bond." This last section is the most ambiguous, but it could mean putting a stop to the downward spiral and taking control of one's life. The last line, "my way of make my own discernable bond" could different things to different people, but it could be interpreted as creating a connection with oneself or with others on one's own terms.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm tired from your blues
Exhausted by your sorrowful demeanor


I sing so you could too
Singing to alleviate your pain


Fall like a rinse
To descend smoothly like a liquid wash


Fall like a rock
To plummet heavily


Fall like a wall
To collapse without resistance


Surface leads to present
The visible exterior is what exists now


Chorus laced a rhythm
The repeated melody sets a beat


Sigh leans
Taking a deep breath to relax


Clock clings
Time stubbornly persists


Oh sing you out of me
Using music to purge you from my thoughts


Put it up the fall
Accepting the decline


Sing it up for now
Singing for the present moment


My way of make my own
Creating my own path


Discernable
Able to be distinguished


Bond
A connection or attachment




Contributed by Riley M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

RockingTheFro

Here's my best guess at the lyrics for anyone else skeptical about the ones posted online. Knowing Justin drops a lot of T's when he sings, I think this is more accurate.
Untied me from the bouy
I sank so you could too
Fall like a rinse
Fall like a rock
Fall like a wall
Surface splays to prism (I'm less sure about this one but he could be referring to a river's surface misting and forming a small rainbow, like a prism)
Chorus plays a rhythm
Sight (sigh?) leans
Clock clings
Oh seeing you dart at me
Plannin' out your fall
Seen it from the lawn
I wait to make my own
Discernible
Bonds
Kalimba outro.
edit: corrections on the first line courtsy of Burnin Sandals. Thank you sir.



All comments from YouTube:

Sam

I love finding more music by Justin, this song has made my evening!

Tiago Perdigão

thank god that there still are songs and voices like this... JV is incredible, just so soulful!

Ben May

I have a good question, I'm trying to find this song and I can't find it anywhere. NO WHERE. And the question I have is, how on Earth did you get this?

Akash Srivastava

Interesting Question. +1.
Tho I'm feeling a bit strange replying on a nine years old comment.

Juan Ignacio Almiron

Una extraña sensación de nostalgia!

Elle Archer

How, oh how I wish this song was longer, and had bass. That's the thing I love about Hazeltons though. It's beautifully unique in its imperfection.

Nicolas Breno

Música linda!

G Yelruf

From the outro this song makes sense. It's like being in a bubble with waves of emotion gathering around you. The intro, the sway and drift. It's just the perfect tone and melody. Uplifting and meloncholy all at once. Bravo.

Felipe Hodniki

This song has made part of my life during I was living in nz..

Andy Frakes

so relaxing, if I ever had a musical role model it would be Justin Vernon :)

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