Veirs was raised in Colorado, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China, and now lives in Portland, Oregon. Veirs has said that she didn't seriously listen to music until she was in her 20s; instead, she just heard what was in her environment. She listened to folk / country / classical / pop, around the house & on the radio, during her youth.
Attending Carleton College in rural Minnesota, Veirs latched onto feminist punk rock from the Pacific Northwest, eventually starting an all-female punk band called "Rair Kx!". Veirs studied geology and Mandarin Chinese. After college, she embraced older country and folk music. Her first foray into songwriting started with a geological expedition in China, where she served as translator. She was miserable and immersed herself into writing lyrics as a way of coping.
She put out her own self-titled album Laura Veirs, recorded live and featuring just her and guitar, in 1999. She has since made five highly acclaimed records with producer Tucker Martine. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire, a full-band effort that found the artist sharing the studio with such luminaries as Bill Frisell and violist Eyvind Kang. She signed to Nonesuch Records the following year with the atmospheric follow-up Carbon Glacier. Year of Meteors followed in August of 2005. She collaborated with The Decemberists on "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)", from their 2006 album The Crane Wife. Her sixth record, Saltbreakers, was released worldwide on Nonesuch Records in April 2007. Her seventh album July Flame was released in January 2010.
In November 2011, Veirs released the album Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs For Children. The album presents mostly traditional songs, and features an array of guest musicians, including Colin Meloy, Jim James, and Bela Fleck. The album won a Parents' Choice Award in 2012.
In September 2012 her first feature film soundtrack was released: Hello I Must Be Going.
Veirs tours frequently in Europe, the US and Australia both solo and with her backing band Saltbreakers, consisting of Karl Blau on bass, guitar, and backing vocals, keyboardist Steve Moore, and Tucker Martine on drums.
Dead
Laura Veirs Lyrics
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And the airplanes fly around
Above the roaming bees
And the buzzing town
Above the tattered flags
And the rotten show posters
Above the clubs and microphones
Above the jealous mouths
That's where you found yourself
Riding into the sun
On a raft made for one
Red painted radio
Towers sing you songs
Not, not that something's wrong
You've got I'm in your head
But doesn't it get lonely
Riding up there to the sun
On a single raft for one
Don't you wish for someone
To pull you on a string
Down from atmospheres
Down into a clearing
To kiss and box your ears?
That's where you found yourself
Riding into the sun
On a raft made for one
In Laura Veirs's song Where Gravity Is Dead, she describes a world where gravity does not exist and airplanes fly around above everything. The buzzing town and roaming bees below are left behind as the focus is turned to the emblems of the city above: the tattered flags, the rotten show posters, the clubs and microphones, and the jealous mouths. The song then speaks directly to a person who has found themselves riding into the sun on a raft made for one in this world. The radio towers sing them songs, but they can't escape the feeling of loneliness or the desire for someone to pull them down from the atmosphere and kiss and box their ears in a clearing.
Line by Line Meaning
Where gravity is dead
In a place where gravity no longer exists
And the airplanes fly around
Airplanes are flying around in the sky
Above the roaming bees
Hovering over bees flying around
And the buzzing town
Above a town that is lively and bustling
Above the tattered flags
Flying over worn-out flags
And the rotten show posters
Over old and dilapidated show posters
Above the clubs and microphones
In the air above music venues and recording studios
Above the jealous mouths
Above people who are envious and prone to gossip
That's where you found yourself
That's where you discovered your current situation
Riding into the sun
Traveling towards the sun
On a raft made for one
Using a self-made raft
Red painted radio
Radio towers adorned with red paint
Towers sing you songs
The radio towers emit music tunes
Not, not that something's wrong
Everything seems to be just fine
You've got I'm in your head
You have a song stuck in your mind
But doesn't it get lonely
Doesn't the isolation make you feel alone?
Riding up there to the sun
Traveling towards the sun alone
On a single raft for one
Using a self-made raft to journey alone
Don't you wish for someone
Don't you long for companionship?
To pull you on a string
To be led by someone else
Down from atmospheres
To come down from the heights of the sky
Down into a clearing
To descend into an open space
To kiss and box your ears?
To embrace and playfully slap you
That's where you found yourself
That's where you discovered your current situation
Riding into the sun
Traveling towards the sun
On a raft made for one
Using a self-made raft
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind