Elverum explained this change in an 2003 interview with Discorder, asserting that "Mount Eerie is a new project. The Microphones was completed, or at least at a good stopping point. I did it because I am ready for new things. I am new."
As Mount Eerie, Phil typically works with synthesizers, guitars, drums, and the accenting voices of Mirah, The Blow, and fellow K-Records/Anacortes, Washington friends. Mount Eerie's album "Seven New Songs of Mount Eerie" was also the first recording released on Phil's new label, P.W.Elverum & Sun. All songs from that recording are available for free download in the Internet Archive.
I Hold Nothing
Mount Eerie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swells and pounds me
I know nothing now that I know you
My face goes blank
My eyes go open gates
And the world can go (in them)
And it can stay and make us wealthy
So
I hold nothing
Now that I hold nothing (now that I hold you)
There's no place to use our money where we live
The generous world suggests generously
So we lay
Under low wide branches
Of the oldest tree on the dune
Or in the hay
Where we will stay for so long
That the careful birds will relax
And make black nests in your black hair
And walk around beneath my still feet
And we will only notice the play of the world for a moment
And let it roll on, the way the world rolls on
We will only notice the world for a moment
And let it roll on, the way the world rolls on
The world, for a moment, and let it roll on
The way the world rolls on
Through open gates
And we will only notice the play of the world
(That long moss is growing on us)
(That the wind has rewritten us)
(The give and take not stopping ever)
For only a moment
In a generous way:
I give long walks to the dogs
I put commas and periods in songs
I give closed eyes to the day
I give peace to the long decay
(We do not need to fear dying)
The song "I Hold Nothing" by Mount Eerie speaks of the transformative power of love and the contentment that comes with surrendering oneself to it. The opening lines, "Your love swells and pounds me," immediately establishes a feeling of overwhelming emotion that the singer experiences when in the presence of their beloved. The chorus, "I hold nothing / Now that I hold nothing (now that I hold you)", suggests that the singer's love has left them feeling complete and fulfilled. The verses then go on to describe a life free from material possessions and focused solely on the simple pleasures of being with their partner - "There's no place to use our money where we live / The generous world suggests generously / So we lay under low wide branches / Of the oldest tree on the dune / Or in the hay where we will stay for so long." The final lines, "We do not need to fear dying," are a reminder that there is nothing to fear when you have love in your life.
Line by Line Meaning
Your love
Swells and pounds me
The intensity of your love overwhelms and affects me deeply
I know nothing now that I know you
My knowledge and understanding of life and the world seem limited, now that I know you
My face goes blank
I'm completely taken aback and my emotions are hard to read
My eyes go open gates
And the world can go (in them)
My eyes become windows for the world, open and receptive to everything
And it can stay and make us wealthy
And take away
So
I hold nothing
The world can bring us riches or take everything away, and so I choose to let go of material possessions and hold onto nothing
Now that I hold nothing (now that I hold you)
There's no place to use our money where we live
Now that I have you, I realize that material possessions and wealth have no real value where we are
The generous world suggests generously
So we lay
The world offers us everything generously, so we choose to lie down and relax
Under low wide branches
Of the oldest tree on the dune
Or in the hay
Where we will stay for so long
We find peace and contentment lying under the wide branches of the oldest tree or in the hay, and we plan to stay there forever
That the careful birds will relax
And make black nests in your black hair
And walk around beneath my still feet
We will be so still and at peace that even the birds will feel comfortable nesting in your hair and walking around beneath my feet
And we will only notice the play of the world for a moment
And let it roll on, the way the world rolls on
We will only notice the world for a moment
And let it roll on, the way the world rolls on
The world, for a moment, and let it roll on
The way the world rolls on
We will only observe the happenings of the world for a short time, and then let them continue as they always have, without our interference or involvement
Through open gates
Our minds and eyes remain open, always receptive to the energy of the world
And we will only notice the play of the world
(That long moss is growing on us)
(That the wind has rewritten us)
(The give and take not stopping ever)
For only a moment
For a short time, we will be aware of how the natural world is affecting and changing us - the growth of moss on our bodies, the ways the wind is shaping us - and then let it continue as it always has
In a generous way:
I give long walks to the dogs
I put commas and periods in songs
I give closed eyes to the day
I give peace to the long decay
(We do not need to fear dying)
I choose to give and be generous in small ways - by taking long walks with my dogs, by creating art and music with care and precision, by finding peace in death because all things must pass
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Phillip Whitman Elvrum
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
buzz199k
Your love
Swells and pounds me
I know nothing now that I know you
My face goes blank
My eyes go open gates
And the world can go (in them)
And it can stay and make us wealthy
And take away
So
I hold nothing
Now that I hold nothing (now that I hold you)
There's no place to use our money where we live
The generous world suggests generously
So we lay
Under low wide branches
Of the oldest tree on the dune
Or in the hay
Where we will stay for so long
That the careful birds will relax
And make black nests in your black hair
And walk around beneath my still feet
And we will only notice the play of the world for a moment
And let it roll on, the way the world rolls on
We will only notice the world for a moment
And let it roll on, the way the world rolls on
The world, for a moment, and let it roll on
The way the world rolls on
Through open gates
And we will only notice the play of the world
(That long moss is growing on us)
(That the wind has rewritten us)
(The give and take not stopping ever)
For only a moment
In a generous way:
I give long walks to the dogs
I put commas and periods in songs
I give closed eyes to the day
I give peace to the long decay
(We do not need to fear dying)
thresholdhouse
these lyrics are seriously some of the most well-written i’ve ever read or heard. Phil could have been a serious poet if he didn’t pour his heart and soul into music
mursui
GOSLINGS PFP
Vehement Prod
Lyrics are poetry. He is one.
daniel
yes thank you wow this song is so radical makes me wanna go starve in a forest and feed off the energy of the earth or something
W R
Breatharian? Lol
Cassiel Gespenst
omg I can remember me on my most depressing nights smoking on the window and listening this album...
james m
same... hope you're doing better these days
letshavepeas
God, same..
neonfear
definitely one of the world's most beautiful songs. so dear to me
Parker Richardson
This and I Want Wind are two of the most evoking licks I've ever heard on guitar. This song especially, that outro is like the sonic approximation of that really warm nostalgic feeling I get sometimes