Laura Veirs (born Laura Pauline Veirs on 24 October 1973 in Colorado Spring… Read Full Bio ↴Laura Veirs (born Laura Pauline Veirs on 24 October 1973 in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is an American singer-songwriter.

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.

Ether Sings
Laura Veirs Lyrics

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Sing me your lover's song
Come with me we'll head up north
Where the rivers run icy and strong

The empty theater is lying cold
In the shadows of the past
A church group enters to touch the molding
With a burst of song and a simple repast

Guitars can't help but sing
Can't help but ring

A tiny little flute is whistling in the lips
Of a stranger on the corner
A tiny little girl ties flowers to her wrists
And the bees come round to adorn her

All the time spent dreaming is never lost
Dreams come back through the bells of trumpeting horns
Souls lost into the ether of death
Come back wise in the eyes and the arms of newborns

Hearts can't help but sing
Can't help but ring

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Ether Sings" by Laura Veirs paint a vivid picture of a journey to the north, where the rivers are icy and strong. The first verse invites the listener to sing a lover's song and embark on this journey together. In contrast, the second verse describes an empty theater, forgotten by time, and how it is brought to life briefly by a church group entering to admire the molding and sing a song. The imagery evokes a sense of nostalgia and reminds us of how history echoes in the present.

The chorus of the song tells us that hearts and guitars can't help but sing, can't help but ring. This can be interpreted as a celebration of the power of music to evoke emotions and connect us with our surroundings. The third verse then introduces a stranger on the corner playing a tiny flute, and a little girl adorning herself with flowers. The beauty of their mundane activities creates an uplifting contrast to the prior verse's melancholic tone.

The final verse is the most poignant as it speaks to the cyclical nature of life. Veirs describes how the time spent dreaming is never truly lost and how even souls lost in the ether of death can come back wise and reborn. The song ends on a hopeful note that life is an infinite cycle full of music, dreams, and love.

Line by Line Meaning

Sing me your lover's song
Requesting someone to share their intimate feelings about their significant other.

Come with me we'll head up north Where the rivers run icy and strong
Proposing to travel together to colder regions where the rivers flow with strength and intensity.

The empty theater is lying cold In the shadows of the past A church group enters to touch the molding With a burst of song and a simple repast
Describing a deserted theater that holds memories of the past; a group of people enter to admire the architecture and enjoy some food while singing a hymn.

Guitars can't help but sing Can't help but ring
Suggesting that guitars are music instruments that bring joyful melodies and rhythms.

A tiny little flute is whistling in the lips Of a stranger on the corner A tiny little girl ties flowers to her wrists And the bees come round to adorn her
Observing a man playing a small, melodious flute on the street corner while a young girl decorates herself with flowers attracting the bees.

All the time spent dreaming is never lost Dreams come back through the bells of trumpeting horns Souls lost into the ether of death Come back wise in the eyes and the arms of newborns
Reflecting on the idea that time spent dreaming is never wasted because dreams can be re-visited through the sound of trumpets. Also, acknowledging how souls lost to death can be reborn through the innocence of newborns.

Hearts can't help but sing Can't help but ring
Expressing the idea that hearts are filled with emotions that are impossible to resist; they naturally create beautiful sounds.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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