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.
Wrecking
Laura Veirs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vessels of the sea
I wondered if the waves
Had taken all of me
All of me back
Down to the black
Down to the where the worms reign silent and green
Silent
We can do some wrecking here
Til a little color
Comes into your face
We can do some wrecking here
And find something to love
In this broken place
This broken place
And the king is a hand
And slaps you like a wave
And shackles you down
Bound like an anchored chain in the sand
Sends your ships to the rocks
Sends the keys to the lock of the chain
On your heart
To the mouth of a serpent
And his scaly glass shards
He's holding all the cards
And waiting in the waves
With the poker face
And no trail to trace
No trail to trace
We can do some wrecking here
Til a little color comes into your face
We can do some wrecking here
And find something to love
In this broken place
This broken place
Laura Veirs's song "Wrecking" touches on the theme of destruction and loss, exploring the emotional depth of feeling broken and searching for something that makes the brokenness worthwhile. The singer of the song reflects upon the sea's ability to take everything away from her and compares herself to a wrecked vessel lost amongst the waves. She feels as if the sea has taken all of her, dragging her down into the darkness where the worms reign silent and green. This metaphor of sinking below the surface serves as a symbol of her feeling lost and hopeless.
In the second verse, the singer touches upon the idea of another force that can cause destruction- a king with a poker face, who slaps you like a wave and shackles you down. His power sends ships to the rocks and locks the chains around one's heart, leaving them with nothing but scaly glass shards to hold onto. She speaks of this king as if he holds all the cards and waits in the waves, impervious and unrelenting.
Despite the bleak images of destruction and loss, the chorus provides a glimmer of hope. The singer sings about doing some wrecking, finding something to love in this broken place until a little color comes into her face. This speaks to the idea that sometimes destruction can be the catalyst for creating something new, and a broken place can be where one finds beauty and hope again.
Overall, the song "Wrecking" is hauntingly beautiful, and its lyrics explore the emotional complexities of loss and finding hope amidst devastation.
Line by Line Meaning
Looting the destroyed
Stealing from the wreckage
Vessels of the sea
Ships that have sunk
I wondered if the waves
Contemplating whether the ocean had taken everything
Had taken all of me
Wondering if there is anything left of herself
All of me back
Everything that was once hers
Down to the black
Deep beneath the surface
Down to the where the worms reign silent and green
Where the creatures of the deep dwell in the darkness
Silent
Quiet and still
We can do some wrecking here
We can cause destruction and chaos
Til a little color
Until there is some excitement
Comes into your face
Appears on your expression
And find something to love
Discover something worthwhile
In this broken place
Despite the messiness and destruction
And the king is a hand
A powerful force that governs
And slaps you like a wave
Showing strength and dominance
And shackles you down
Holds you down in bondage
Bound like an anchored chain in the sand
Restrained and stuck, unable to move freely
Sends your ships to the rocks
Causes your plans to go wrong
Sends the keys to the lock of the chain
Keeps you locked in place
On your heart
On your emotions and feelings
To the mouth of a serpent
Intending harm and deceit
And his scaly glass shards
Hurtful and sharp words and actions
He's holding all the cards
In control of the situation
And waiting in the waves
Patiently and quietly waiting for the right time to strike
With the poker face
Expressionless and unreadable
And no trail to trace
No way to follow or track him
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mallikadhuys
I actually heard this song on an episode of One Tree Hill and totally fell in love with it. She's great and so incredibly talented.
Ethereal_Cereal
I absolutely adore Laura Veirs. I'm in the U.S., but people really haven't heard of her here either. I saw her open for the Decembersits (best show I've ever been to) and got the July Flame album 3 months before its release. She's definitely my favorite female artist. Thanks for posting this!
Daedhalus Treats
I so agree to what leahcoiro, celinesierra, mallikahd and boxer4356 wrote! She's an amazing artist/musician and her talent is unbelievable... I'm ineffable happy to have found out about her. Her music always takes me into a different sphere. Thank you so much for uploading the whole Saltbreakers-album!
PollaQuolla
I'm in the UK and I love her XD
V S
No
jess the bardbarian
4 YEARS LATER DIFFERENT ACCOUNT BUT I STILL LOVE HER
Stoneman180190
One tree hill where Dan confesses to Nathan he kills Keith.