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.
Silo Song
Laura Veirs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Venus de Milo soldered in the side
Thought I caught her smile
Am I going, am I going up in smoke
Am I going, am I going up in smoke
Dreaming of birds of prey at battle
What of all the games she played with beauty and love
Have I gone up in smoke
Have I come up, have I come up in smoke
Have I come up, have I come up in smoke
Venus de Milo calls
Venus de Milo falls
In "Silo Song," Laura Veirs uses vivid and striking imagery to communicate a sense of both powerlessness and yearning. Throughout the song, she juxtaposes fire, destruction, and loss with beauty and grace, leaving the listener feeling both captivated and disoriented.
The first verse of "Silo Song" presents us with a vivid image of a burning silo, with the well-known Venus de Milo statue "soldered" into its side. This image sets the tone for the rest of the song, presenting us with a sense of overwhelming destruction and chaos. However, Veirs also hints at something deeply alluring and captivating, as she notes that she "thought [she] caught her smile." This combines with the repeated refrain of "Am I going up in smoke?" to give the listener a sense of someone who is simultaneously consumed by and drawn to this sense of fire and chaos.
The second verse furthers this sense of simultaneous destruction and attraction. Veirs describes seeing "birds of prey at battle / On a burning saddle, a rider lost in flames." This vivid and compelling image continues the sense of overwhelming chaos, but Veirs also adds a layer of nostalgia and regret, as she wonders "what of all the games she played with beauty and love." This sense of longing and loss is emphasized by the repeated refrain of "Have I come up in smoke," which leaves us wondering whether the singer has already been consumed by the flames or is still fighting against them.
Overall, "Silo Song" is a striking and powerfully emotive song, full of rich imagery and complex themes. Veirs balances destruction and attraction deftly, leaving us with an unforgettable sense of both awe and yearning.
Line by Line Meaning
Dreaming of a silver silo burning in the light
Imagining a shining empty space that is set on fire and destroyed
Venus de Milo soldered in the side
A statue named Venus de Milo is permanently fixed in the stonewall
Thought I caught her smile
Believing that the statue was smiling even though it is impossible
Am I going, am I going up in smoke
Is everything I have going to disappear and turn into ashes?
Am I going, am I going up in smoke
The same concern, but repeated for emphasis
Dreaming of birds of prey at battle
Having a daydream of fierce birds fighting each other
On a burning saddle, a rider lost in flames
An image of a horse rider who is engulfed in fire while still on his saddle
What of all the games she played with beauty and love
What was the purpose of all the romantic games she played with someone, which are now forgotten or pointless?
Have I gone up in smoke
Did she forget or abandon me, as if I never existed?
Have I come up, have I come up in smoke
The reversal of the previous question, expressing desperation instead of confusion
Have I come up, have I come up in smoke
Once again, a repetition of the question, reflecting the anxiety of the author
Venus de Milo calls
A reversing of the idea of the statue falling - now, the statue is calling out to someone
Venus de Milo falls
The statue tumbles down, perhaps indicating an end to the dreams or memories associated with it
Contributed by Chase T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.