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.
Wandering Kind
Laura Veirs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a storm came down
from the North and pulled out the salt
and it tore out the leaves from the pear tree
my canopy
In the twigs and the bugs of sow
I knew somehow i was free
i was shaking
In the blue stained glass church
you gathered up my heart
soldered together all the tiny, shattered parts
I said "All I can see in front of me
is the armpit of a crow"
you closed the wing
opened the door
and you ran into the summer yard
'Cause the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind
yeah, the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind
Clocking on her wooden board
the tattooed girl took up her swords
and plunged them down into the earth
a twinkling tide filled up her eyes
and poured out to the lawn
we made a raft out of the scraps of her skirt
and sailed 'til dawn
'Cause the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind
yeah, the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind
(Repeat)
Our wandering kind (fade out)
Laura Veirs's song Wandering Kind is a poetic depiction of a strange storm that uprooted and tore off the leaves from the singer's pear tree canopy. The singer speaks of feeling free amidst the chaos and holding a stone above their bones while shaking. The blue stained glass church is a metaphor for a place of healing where the singer meets someone who gathers up their heart and puts it back together. The singer expresses feeling lost and seeing only the armpit of a crow. It is the person they meet at the church who closes the wing and opens the door, running into the summer yard.
The second stanza of the song shifts to another scene, where a tattooed girl with swords plunges them into the ground, causing a twinkling tide to fill up her eyes and pour out onto the lawn. The singer and the girl then create a raft out of scraps of her skirt and sail until dawn. The song finishes with the statement "the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind," suggesting that those who wander are not lost, but rather basking in the light that illuminates their path.
Line by Line Meaning
A strange July
In the month of July, something unusual and unexpected occurred
a storm came down
A heavy storm descended upon the area
from the North and pulled out the salt
The storm was strong enough to bring out the salt from the soil in the north
and it tore out the leaves from the pear tree
As a result of the storm, the leaves from the pear tree were ripped off
my canopy
Referring to the pear tree as 'my canopy'
In the twigs and the bugs of sow
Amongst the twigs and insects in the field
I knew somehow i was free
Despite the chaos and uncertainty of the storm, the singer felt a sense of liberation
I held a stone above my bones
The artist held a rock above themselves, perhaps as a defense
i was shaking
The artist was trembling with fear or anticipation
In the blue stained glass church
Inside a church with blue stained-glass windows
you gathered up my heart
Someone else picked up the singer's heart metaphorically (e.g. emotionally)
soldered together all the tiny, shattered parts
This person helped to mend the artist's broken heart
I said "All I can see in front of me
The singer expressed their limited perspective
is the armpit of a crow"
The only visible thing to the singer was an unattractive part of a bird
you closed the wing
The person listening to the singer shut the bird's wing (either metaphorically or literally)
opened the door
They created an opportunity for the artist
and you ran into the summer yard
The person and the artist went outside into a yard during the summertime
'Cause the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind
The singer is saying that wanderers are still able to experience joy and beauty in life
Clocking on her wooden board
The sound of a clock ticking on wood
the tattooed girl took up her swords
A tattooed woman picked up her swords
and plunged them down into the earth
She dug the swords into the ground
a twinkling tide filled up her eyes
The woman's eyes filled up with tears
and poured out to the lawn
Her tears reached the grass
we made a raft out of the scraps of her skirt
The artist and this woman fashioned a makeshift raft from pieces of fabric
and sailed 'til dawn
The two of them embarked on an adventure that lasted until the sun came up
'Cause the sun's been known to shine on our wandering kind
Reiteration of the earlier line that wanderers can find happiness and warmth in life
Our wandering kind (fade out)
The song ends by repeating the phrase 'our wandering kind'
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ellie Russell
my traveling song, and the sun has been known to shine on the wandering kind, she is a lyrical master..
Annamaria Sacco
She is fabulous!
hitmanhart670
Thanks for uploading, this song is incredible!