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.
Saltbreakers
Laura Veirs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sup up all the wishes
That you sent to the stars
Chinese dragons incandescent
Mirrors in the waves
I want to put them in jars
With my-y-y saltbreakers
Underwater, underwater bells
Saltbreakers
Look inside a space
Look inside a space and you can tell
Saltbreakers
What you need to sow
What you need to know by any means
You will not burn me up
Though I've dreamed nightly of your face
And walk the streets of my life
With your singing in my silent brain
You cannot burn me up
I'm a falling leaf who keeps her green
And don't forget I've got my
Trusty bag of oh-oh-oh
Saltbreakers
Flashing in the night
Flashing all around my arms
Saltbreakers
Throwing me down
Turning on the fireflies
Saltbreakers
The ebb and the flood
Clearing all the channels of your heart
Bleached by the dark
Oceans of clouds
Rainstorms of ash
Stars on the ground
All around my-y-y saltbreakers
Floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bumblebee
Saltbreakers
Dashing alright, splashing
O and slumbering
Saltbreakers
Mirror to the serpentine stars
The song Saltbreakers by Laura Veirs is a poetic exploration of the mysteries of the ocean and the power of nature. The lyrics are rich with imagery, evoking the beauty and danger of the sea. The opening lines "Serpent tails and flying fish, sup up all the wishes that you sent to the stars" create a sense of magic and wonder, as if we are being transported into a fairy tale world. The reference to Chinese dragons and incandescent mirrors in the waves adds a mystical quality to the song, as if we are witnessing a secret world beneath the surface of the water.
The chorus "Saltbreakers, ringing all the underwater bells" suggests a sense of celebration, as if the forces of nature are coming together in a joyous dance. The repetition of the word "Saltbreakers" reinforces the idea that the ocean is a powerful, living entity that cannot be tamed or controlled. The lyrics also contain a sense of defiance and empowerment, as the singer declares "You cannot burn me up, I'm a falling leaf who keeps her green." This suggests a resilience in the face of adversity, as if the singer is able to withstand the challenges of life by holding onto her inner strength and sense of purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Serpent tails and flying fish
The unusual creatures of the sea can collect all the desires that you wish for.
Sup up all the wishes
Absorb every hope you have and make them a reality.
That you sent to the stars
The things that you wish for and hope to attain are sent to the stars.
Chinese dragons incandescent
Illuminate like the Chinese dragons in the light with an inner fire.
Mirrors in the waves
The waves are a reflection of hidden things, like a mirror would show; something that is not obvious to us
I want to put them in jars
She desires to capture and store these hidden things as if they were a physical thing.
With my-y-y saltbreakers
Utilizing the saltbreakers, or the ocean waves, she'll be able to accomplish this goal.
Ringing all the underwater
The sound of the saltbreakers echoes throughout the depths of the water.
Underwater, underwater bells
The sound of the saltbreakers resembles bells underwater.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves that break the salt deposits formed near the shore.
Look inside a space
To understand or make sense of a situation, put yourself in a specific location mentally.
Look inside a space and you can tell
You can come to an understanding of what is going on by immersing yourself in that context mentally.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves that break the salt deposits formed near the shore.
What you need to sow
The knowledge of what you need to plant as you go through life.
What you need to know by any means
Whatever it takes, you should learn what you need to know to succeed in life.
You will not burn me up
She will not be felled by something so trivial, regardless of how frequently she sees it.
Though I've dreamed nightly of your face
Regardless of the circumstances, she has never been threatened; she has always held on.
And walk the streets of my life
She has never allowed anything to knock her down and doesn't plan to.
With your singing in my silent brain
She is unwavering through the challenge, but something is always nagging at her at the back of her brain.
You cannot burn me up
No setback will overpower her or lead to her failure.
I'm a falling leaf who keeps her green
Like a leaf that fades every year but manages to keep its greenery, she evolves and grows without coming to a standstill.
And don't forget I've got my
And she does not let anyone forget that she has with her the things she needs to be successful.
Trusty bag of oh-oh-oh
She carries with her at all times the traits of warmth, tenacity, and patience, which have earned her the nickname 'Trusty Bag'.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves that break the salt deposits formed near the shore.
Flashing in the night
The ocean waves that flash and glow in the nighttime sky.
Flashing all around my arms
Waves crash on the shore, with their spray covering her arms, and she feels their vital energy.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves that break the salt deposits formed near the shore.
Throwing me down
The saltbreakers strike her, throwing her off and breaking down her defenses.
Turning on the fireflies
The splinters of light flicker brightly, drawing her deeper into the breach in her barrier.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves that break the salt deposits formed near the shore.
The ebb and the flood
The rise and fall of the tide, demonstrating the ups and downs of one's life.
Clearing all the channels of your heart
When there is confusion in one's heart, the ebb and tide has the ability to wash it clean.
Bleached by the dark
If one is persevering enough to find the truth, the darkness will only bolster their knowledge.
Oceans of clouds
There is potential in everything, even in a cloud-cloaked vista.
Rainstorms of ash
Disasters, inherent tragedy that seems to accompany being alive.
Stars on the ground
The heartening presence of lit-up markers amidst the apocalyptic ruins.
All around my-y-y saltbreakers
Within her head, she is preoccupied with her thoughts surrounding the effectiveness of her methods for staying afloat.
Floating like a butterfly
She feels free to push herself to the limit, and finds that it comes easily as a result of her turbulent experiences.
Stinging like a bumblebee
She has a little venom in her, after all.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves that break the salt deposits formed near the shore.
Dashing alright, splashing
As we weather the storm, let those waves wash over us, bringing rejuvenation and cleansing.
O and slumbering
Let those waves lull us into a trance, as though we are in a state of restful sleep.
Saltbreakers
The ocean waves, which appear to her like serpents, are capable of mirroring the stars in their reflection.
Mirror to the serpentine stars
They reflect patterns, like the serpentine stars, are capable of beautifying even the most overcast moments.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
allidock11
This was ten years ago, but I still love it
Rachel Beth
You’ll love it in five years too 😂❤
Wirral Nomad
Ten years on from discovering this wonderful album and artist and still I find hardly anyone knows of her, I wish she would re-release this album on vinyl, you can't get a copy for love nor money unless you wish to pay £100.01p for a copy.
Jason Turk
shes so amazing
Robert Lopez
Since I first heard this song back in the day, I always imagined a music video: black and white, laura playing an acoustic guitar by herself, then a bunch of beefcake navy men with the pristine white pants, no shirts, and sailor's caps, dancing around her and, of course, singing when it was their turn. Kind of a Kenneth Anger vibe but more beefcake.
TAB
Listening to her for the first time!
chezzburger1000
awesome ----groove--- to it
ryan spencer
this is a serious whip slammer
Bari H.
Bust down thatiana
John Mainz
Thotiana - negative xp