I think this song is about every young person's desire to break away from the society they were born in and seek out their own modern opinion, or style.
Eau Claire was the town Justin Vernon grew up in, so it seems appropriate.
"Climb is all we know" (All youth starts out at the very beginning)
"When thaw is not below us" (Thawing, like settling out)
"No can't grow up in that iron ground" (Young opinions can't take root in a place where everybody already has their own strong opinions)
"Bet is hardly shown" (Differences in thinking are not apparent)
"...like they stole it, and oh how they hold it" (Elders keep differences locked up)
"I'm growing like the quickening hues" (As he discovers the world around him, hues light up)
"I'm telling darkness from lines on you" (He's realizing parts of his identity that had not been apparent before)
"over havens fora full and swollen morass, young habitat!
all been living alone, where the ice snap and the hold clast are known" (Life is growing where everything else is static)
"home
we're savage high
come
we finally cry
oh and we don it
because it's right
Claire, I was too sore for sight" (When he finally finds himself, he is at the end of a long hard journey)
"I... we're sewing up through the latchet greens
I... un-peel keenness, honey, bean for bean" (He's rebuilding what he knows about basic morality)
"same white pillar tone as with the bone street sand is thrown where she stashed us at
all been living alone, where the cracks at in the low part of the stoning"(He's discovering the society has a fatal flaw at its roots)
I think this song is about every young person's desire to break away from the society they were born in and seek out their own modern opinion, or style. Eau Claire was the town Justin Vernon grew up in, so it seems appropriate. "Climb is all we know" (All youth starts out at the very beginning) "When thaw is not below us" (Thawing, like settling out) "No can't grow up in that iron ground" (Young opinions can't take root in a place where everybody already has their own strong opinions) "Bet is hardly shown" (Differences in thinking are not apparent) "...like they stole it, and oh how they hold it" (Elders keep differences locked up)
"I'm growing like the quickening hues" (As he discovers the world around him, hues light up) "I'm telling darkness from lines on you" (He's realizing parts of his identity that had not been apparent before) "over havens fora full and swollen morass, young habitat! all been living alone, where the ice snap and the hold clast are known" (Life is growing where everything else is static)
"home we're savage high come we finally cry oh and we don it because it's right Claire, I was too sore for sight" (When he finally finds himself, he is at the end of a long hard journey)
"I... we're sewing up through the latchet greens I... un-peel keenness, honey, bean for bean" (He's rebuilding what he knows about basic morality) "same white pillar tone as with the bone street sand is thrown where she stashed us at all been living alone, where the cracks at in the low part of the stoning"(He's discovering the society has a fatal flaw at its roots)
I can tell you really put some time into thinking about this and I appreciate your wonderful interpretation. Thank you!
I can tell you really put some time into thinking about this and I appreciate your wonderful interpretation. Thank you!
@thatdanghill I always felt it was about a journey of sorts too, I didn’t realise he came from a town called Claire. Thank you for this.
@thatdanghill I always felt it was about a journey of sorts too, I didn’t realise he came from a town called Claire. Thank you for this.