Buckner began his career with the acoustic "Bloomed" (1994), a lyrically dense suite of songs recorded in Lubbock, Texas and heavily influenced by that state's tradition of whisky-soaked poet/troubadors, probably best embodied by Townes Van Zandt. In 1996, he released the major label "Devotion & Doubt," with members of Giant Sand backing him, displaying a more adventurous, almost avante garde approach to songwriting and arranging.
Since then, he has returned to recording for smaller labels, to continued critical acclaim and cult status. His 2000 album The Hill - his first for Chicago-based indie label Overcoat Recordings - features poems from Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology (1915), which Buckner set to music. The album plays as a single track, nearly thirty-five minutes long. He returned in 2002, first with the "teaser" EP Impasse-ette, then a full-length entitled Impasse one month later. In early 2003, his self-released, self-titled album was reissued by Overcoat, and was his final release for the label. In 2004, an edited version of Richard Buckner's song Ariel Ramirez, from the album Since (1998) was featured in one of the television ads for Volkswagen's Touareg.
He is currently aligned with North Carolina-based indie label Merge Records, who have released four of his albums so far: 2004's Dents and Shells, 2006's Meadow, 2011's Our Blood, and 2013's Surrounded, as well as the 7-inch single Willow (b/w Lost). He also recorded an album with Jon Langford (most notably of The Mekons) called Sir Dark Invader vs. The Fanglord (2005) for Buried Treasure Records.
4am
Richard Buckner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pressed all up against us
And it?s just as true, so far away
But I can be there by breakfast
I just drive on through to you
So as the past goes breaking by
Where are you tonight?
It?s 4 AM and I'm awake again
And not quite high enough
I?ll be back, you know when
Should I lie a little and dream away
I'm just lying here anyway
With a chill a little heat
Could kill on sight
But where are you tonight?
Wasted and well spent
Taken and once wrecked
Oh, you're better than this and that
I thought I was cured of any last chance
Unfastened and floored
Now all I want is
Just a little
Nothing more
I looked inside, the ring we wear
And I read myself to sleep
I caught myself, so captured there
Deep inside those cavern eyes
Oh my one, my one
You've broken me
At the vow, below the vine
But where are you tonight?
Where are you tonight?
Where are you tonight?
The lyrics of Richard Buckner's song "4am" appear to be a contemplation of a romantic relationship that has fallen apart, leaving the singer feeling lost and disconnected. The opening lines suggest a sense of claustrophobia or pressure, with the sky pressing down on the singer and creating a feeling of being trapped. Yet despite this suffocating atmosphere, there is still a sense of longing and possibility - the idea that the singer can somehow reach their loved one by breakfast. The use of time here is poignant, as 4am is a time when most people are deeply asleep, and the singer is awake and yearning.
The second verse intensifies this feeling of desire and disconnection, with the singer searching for a way to escape their current state of mind. There is an element of self-deception here, with the suggestion that daydreaming or lying to oneself might provide a temporary respite from the pain. But ultimately, the singer acknowledges that they are lying there alone, and the feeling of isolation is almost palpable. The use of language and imagery in this verse is particularly striking; the "chill" contrasting with the idea of something that could "kill on sight" creates a sense of tension and unease.
The final verse of the song taps into a more reflective and melancholy mood. The references to being "wasted and well spent" and "taken and once wrecked" imply that the singer has lived a full and possibly tumultuous life, but despite this, they still feel incomplete without their loved one. The repetition of the phrase "where are you tonight?" acts as a refrain, emphasizing the sense of longing and loss, yet there is also a note of tenderness in the way the singer addresses their absent partner as "my one, my one". The closing lines are ambiguous but offer some sense of renewal, with the mention of a vow and the possibility of new growth "below the vine".
Line by Line Meaning
It’s a bruised and a fallen sky
The sky is overcast and damaged, like he is.
Pressed all up against us
The sky feels like it is close enough to touch and is suffocating him.
And it’s just as true, so far away
The sky is real, but seems distant to him.
But I can be there by breakfast
Despite the distance and feeling of being trapped, he still has hope.
I just drive on through to you
He will overcome any obstacle to be with the person he loves.
So as the past goes breaking by
He is leaving behind the things that have hurt him before.
Where are you tonight?
He is asking where his lover is, as he wants to be with them.
It’s 4 AM and I'm awake again
He is up early in the morning and can't sleep.
And not quite high enough
He is not feeling as good as he could be.
I’ll be back, you know when
He will always return to the person he loves.
Should I lie a little and dream away
He wonders if he should escape reality by lying and dreaming.
I'm just lying here anyway
He is feeling stuck and helpless.
With a chill a little heat
He is feeling both hot and cold.
Could kill on sight
He is feeling very ill and helpless.
But where are you tonight?
He is still longing for the person he loves.
Wasted and well spent
He has spent his time and energy on something, and he is not sure if it was worth it.
Taken and once wrecked
He has been hurt and damaged before.
Oh, you're better than this and that
The person he loves is better than anything else he has experienced.
I thought I was cured of any last chance
He thought that he had lost all hope, but he still has some left.
Unfastened and floored
He is feeling loose and unattached.
Now all I want is just a little
He wants just a little bit of comfort or happiness.
Nothing more
He doesn't need or want anything else.
I looked inside, the ring we wear
He is reflecting on a symbol of love and commitment.
And I read myself to sleep
He is finding comfort in his own thoughts and feelings.
I caught myself, so captured there
He is lost in his own thoughts and emotions.
Deep inside those cavern eyes
He is seeing someone's innermost emotions and thoughts.
Oh my one, my one
He is addressing the person he loves.
You've broken me
His love for this person has completely overwhelmed him.
At the vow, below the vine
He is recalling a promise made under a grapevine.
But where are you tonight?
He is still searching for the person he loves.
Where are you tonight?
He is still searching for the person he loves.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Richard Carl Buckner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind