In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
An easy swing had it's time shouldered
Slow bending axe
Now it's a photo framed
The swing hasn't had it
And here we are rebuilding roads
Right by roosting towns
It's just like the love
-The one that's never been enough
So I'm counting on your fingers
Cause you've reattached the twitch
And if you (go) want opinion
I will die along the ditches
And every summer is a hot token
To the cold, cold take of lust
And every autumn singes
With the business of sadness
Fred had it wrong, Macy
Honey hadn't burned
Another curve in the counting
Is never served
So I'm counting on your fingers
Cause you've reattached the twitch
And if you (go) want opinion
I will die along the ditches
Slow bending axe
Now it's a photo framed
The swing hasn't had it
And here we are rebuilding roads
Right by roosting towns
It's just like the love
-The one that's never been enough
So I'm counting on your fingers
Cause you've reattached the twitch
And if you (go) want opinion
I will die along the ditches
And every summer is a hot token
To the cold, cold take of lust
And every autumn singes
With the business of sadness
Fred had it wrong, Macy
Honey hadn't burned
Another curve in the counting
Is never served
So I'm counting on your fingers
Cause you've reattached the twitch
And if you (go) want opinion
I will die along the ditches
Lyrics submitted by slowbendingaxe, edited by rockisgroovy
Brackett, WI Lyrics as written by Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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hello all, maybe nobody will actually check this... but a fan told me to check out what you all are saying on here. its very interesting. to set the record fully straight, here are the official lyrics to brackett, wi. (also, brackett is just the name of an unincorporated town 10 miles south from where I grew up/live. its where i went to elementary school. there is no school there anymore.)
and easy swing had its time showing slow bending ash and now its a photo thing and swing hasn't had it
and here we are rebuilding roads right by roosting towns its just like the love the one thats never been enough
so im counting on your fingers cause you've reattached the twitch and if you go unpin it, i will die along the ditches
and every summer is a hot token to the cold coin take of us and every autumn singes with the buisness of sadness
and fred had it wrong macy hon, he had it burned now the curve in the county is nana's urn
so im counting on your fingers cause you've reattached the twitch and if you go unpin it, i will die along the ditches
Thank you so much for clarifying and thank you for writing and playing such beautiful music!
any chance you could provide lyrics to Hazeltons?
Thank you so much, Justin. :) If you have time, you should definitely check out the other songs too.
to everyone still commenting about what the lyrics are...Justin posted them as a comment..[blobtower] and it makes perfect sense and is absolutely wonderful
that's a much more fitting lyric at the end of the second verse! although, i still hear him pronounce "one, not "love", i can definitely hear him pronounce that eff sound in the "enough". thank you very much. bon iver fans, please help me out on the second line of the chorus and the fourth verse!
Great song, .. DARK WAS THE NIGHT is the best compilation I have yet to hear... can anyone recommen other bon iver songs... it just sounds so fantastic
I've recently become a HUGE Bon Iver fan, and I can't for the life of me figure out what it is about him that draws me to his music. Manuel, some songs I would suggest would be Skinny Lover which reminds me a lot of Ooh La La by the Faces, except with a sort of modern tone to it. Another song I like is Baby's which has a rolling Piano, somehow reminding me of Coldplay's Lovers in Japan. Blood Bank is another great from his new EP, I recommend any of the following to someone who is looking for some Bon Iver.
Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, only has two releases: an album called "for emma, forever ago" and an EP from this January entitled "Blood Bank." There's an iTunes bonus track called "Wisconsin" and then he contributed lyrics to a song called "Big Red Machine" on the newest Red Hot compilation, "Dark Was the Night." This track, "Brackett, WI," is also on that record under Bon Iver, which is still just Justin Vernon; no backing band, just multi-track recording. He has a total of 16 songs releases under Bon Iver so far. That's it. Worth mentioning, over few others, are the Myspace Transmissions and Daytrotter Sessions recordings, which contain re-workings of the Bon Iver songs with the musicians and arrangements he uses when playing live shows. Also, the live videos on youtube and elsewhere can be very rewarding, especially the videos done for the French blog site "La Blogotheque." Other than a few covers, notably of Feist's "The Park" on an Australian radio webcast recently, that's the whole Bon Iver canon so far. I hope I helped whoever was looking for more Bon Iver, and let's all hope we see more of him on record soon!
THanx guys, it was really helpful, I enjoy For Emma, Forever AGo, still haven't paid an ear to Blood Bank but I'll get to it soon enough.
listen to re:stacks (amazing) and flume...both by bon iver
presumably its about Brackett in Wisconsin (where he recorded For Emma)
i think maybe he's nostalgic. i know that the town Brackett has disputed territory rights. granted, i got this from good old wikipedia but maybe that's important in the context of the song.
it reminds me of where i grew up and everybody's moods and behavior were so easily dictated by the weather and the season
and every summer is a hot token to the cold, cold take of lust. and every autumn singes with the business of sadness.
I totally agree with your statement about how everything is dictated by the weather. Being from Wisconsin, weather is almost always like the first thing we bring up in conversation, it's ridiculous. I guess we're pretty much Canadian up here, because I thought that's all they ever talked about... or aboot, heh.
I have tried all day to figure out the lyrics, take a careful listen and see how close I've come here:
An easy swing had it's time shouldered slow bending axe and now it's a photo thing a swing hasn't had it
and here we are rebuilding roads right by roosting towns its just like the love the one thats never been enough
so i'm counting on your fingers cause you've reattached the twitch and if you want opinion, i will die along the ditches
and every summer is a hot token to the cold core take of us and every autumn singes with a business of sadness
our friend had it wrong they see honey heaven burns another curve in the counting his head is earning more
so i'm counting on your fingers cause you've reattached the twitch and if you want opinion, i will die along the ditches
by the way, I'm wondering if the live version is different than the recorded version .. . some of the lyrics sound different in his live performances.
Thanks. The line "heaven burns" works well with which way he described "lust" as cooler in temperature and the way "autumn singes with...sadness." I believe this may be an affectionate nod to the months Justin Vernon lived secluded in that cabin, "down on his mind." Heaven, in effect, singes with the sadness brought along by the climate of autumn, and the bonfire of a deep Wisconsin winter. He enjoyed his time spent alone and these lyrics seem to be a document to that. Thank you for helping me to piece even more of this song together.
Having grown up just outside of Brackett, WI (Wisconsin for those that don't know) Brackett is a tiny town that you can actually hold your breath longer than it takes to drive through. It is a few houses, an old abandoned school, a post office, a bar, and a run down softball field. A few years ago the roads leading in and out of Brackett were torn up in all directions to widen the highway going into Eau Claire. Just an FYI.
Some more in depth analysis posted by this guy, pretty good read: andrewgioia.com/music/sadness
I think it's "the love that's never been enough."
my last name is brackett! my grandfather's name is william! justin, are you speaking to him/me?!!