With some mild success with singles during the mid-late 1960s, Bunyan released the LP, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970. This consisted of songs written while traveling in a horse drawn gypsy cart. Critics panned the album and a discouraged Vashti soon disappeared from the music scene. However, by the 2000s her work had finally been finding an audience among contemporary artists and fans of folk music.
In 2002, she was invited by Piano Magic musician Glen Johnson to sing guest vocals on his song "Crown of the Lost", her first recording in over 30 years. After guesting on Piano Magic's album 'Writers Without Homes', she released her critically-acclaimed second album, Lookaftering, 35 years after its predecessor.
In 2006 she collaborated with Adem and began to tour for the first time, accompanied by various musicians including Jo Mango and Gareth Dickson. She collaborated with Animal Collective on the Prospect Hummer EP. Vashti also sang with Devendra Banhart on his album Rejoicing in the Hands.
Bunyan's cover of the late John Martyn's "Head and Heart" appeared on the 2011 tribute album, Johnny Boy Would Love This...A Tribute to John Martyn.
Iris's Song for Us
Vashti Bunyan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And walked a world of brass with you
And gladly left the glaring streets
To share a bed of grass with you
You made the elder burn for me
And cut the bird filled thorn for me
And through the ripening summer days
I rode the dark green deep with you
And drove our dreams like sheep with you
And now my love please let me cross
Brown boundaries of sleep with you
These lyrics are from Vashti Bunyan's song Iris's Song for Us, which is a beautiful and poetic tribute to a loved one. The song is filled with vivid and imaginative descriptions of the experiences shared by the singer and her companion. In the first verse, the singer describes climbing glass peaks and walking through a world of brass with her love. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the challenges the two have faced together, and their ability to overcome them.
The second verse speaks of the sacrifices her love has made for her, by making an elder burn and cutting a bird-filled thorn for her. This can be seen as a metaphor for the lengths her love will go to for her, and the transformative power of love itself. The verse ends with a description of the ripening summer days, where her love bade the white road turn for her, implying that there is an overwhelming sense of support and guidance from the lover.
Finally, the singer describes driving their dreams like sheep, suggesting a sense of unity in their goals and aspirations. The song ends with a plea for her love to let her cross the brown boundaries of sleep, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the end of life itself. In total, the song is a moving tribute to a lover, filled with rich and evocative descriptions of their shared experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I climbed the peaks of glass with you
I journeyed to great heights with you
And walked a world of brass with you
Together, we traversed a mechanical world
And gladly left the glaring streets
We found solace in nature and ran away from city life
To share a bed of grass with you
We found comfort in literally sleeping on grass together
You made the elder burn for me
You lit a fire for me using elder wood
And cut the bird filled thorn for me
You carefully removed thorns filled with birds from my path
And through the ripening summer days
During the summer, we enjoyed the beauty of the changing seasons
You bade the white road turn for me
You guided me down the correct path
I rode the dark green deep with you
Together, we went out of our comfort zone and explored unknown territories
And drove our dreams like sheep with you
We followed our hopes and ambitions together
And now my love please let me cross
Allow me to experience the ultimate unknown
Brown boundaries of sleep with you
Let me pass beyond the threshold of consciousness and enter the realm of dreams with you
Contributed by Gabriel C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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I climbed the peaks of glass with you
And walked a world of brass with you
And gladly left the glaring streets
To share a bed of grass with you
You made the elder burn for me
And cut the bird filled thorn for me
And through the ripening summer days
You bade the white road turn for me
Lock up the lark love
And pin back the sky
We need a space in which to work
And sing and die
I rode the dark green deep with you
And drove our dreams like sheep with you
And now my love please let me cross
Brown boundaries of sleep with you