Their love is spread thinly and fragile, but the singer wants it to last.
"Pour a little salt we were never here"
--> Like pouring salt on the wound or on soil to kill plants. I take it to mean that it just takes a little to make it all disappear (the skinny love) because it is so fragile
"Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer"
--> Veneer is a thin (protective) layer. In this imagery, the veneer is broken and alongside a sink of blood. It suggests to me that the singer is broken and/or has experienced pain when it comes to love.
"I tell my love to wreck it all, Cut out all the ropes and let me fall... Right in the moment this order's tall"
--> The singer thinks it should end, but in this moment, the singer also doesn't want that to happen
"And I told you to be patient" etc.
--> Seems to me the singer is suggesting that they warned their partner about the fragility of the relationship and that in order for it to work, they needed to be patient, balanced, kind, etc.
"In the morning I'll be with you but it will be a different kind"
--> As in, right now they're not ending the relationship, but it's also not going to be the same.
"I'll be holding all the tickets, and you''ll be holding all the fines"
--> This is evidence for the partner not being patient, kind, etc., since they seem to have issued "tickets" (like parking tickets but for bad behaviour in a relationship) for which the singer has to pay and make up for
"Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere"
--> I take this to mean that the singer is holding on to hope (suckling on hope), even though there isn't much left (the bra is "light", as in, not much to suckle). This all ties in with the "skinny love" - there isn't much there to get love from
"sullen load is full, so slow on the split"
--> Suggests that perhaps the singer is carrying resentment, but has still not split up with his partner. This ties in earlier with when the singer was telling his partner to "wreck it all" etc., because it should end
"And now all your love is wasted? And then who the hell was I?"
--> The singer seems to be expressing irritation as their partner's love having been "wasted" on them, and wonders what they even meant to their partner
"And now I'm breaking at the britches. And at the end of all your lines"
--> Like a puppet, the singer is going through the motions; the singer is being pulled by strings on their clothes by their partner. So it's like the singer's heart is not in it.
"Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?"
--> But if they end, who will they have?">
Skinny Love (Bon Iver cover) Meanings & Lyrics Discussion by Jenezzy | SongMeanings
Their love is spread thinly and fragile, but the singer wants it to last.
"Pour a little salt we were never here"
--> Like pouring salt on the wound or on soil to kill plants. I take it to mean that it just takes a little to make it all disappear (the skinny love) because it is so fragile
"Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer"
--> Veneer is a thin (protective) layer. In this imagery, the veneer is broken and alongside a sink of blood. It suggests to me that the singer is broken and/or has experienced pain when it comes to love.
"I tell my love to wreck it all, Cut out all the ropes and let me fall... Right in the moment this order's tall"
--> The singer thinks it should end, but in this moment, the singer also doesn't want that to happen
"And I told you to be patient" etc.
--> Seems to me the singer is suggesting that they warned their partner about the fragility of the relationship and that in order for it to work, they needed to be patient, balanced, kind, etc.
"In the morning I'll be with you but it will be a different kind"
--> As in, right now they're not ending the relationship, but it's also not going to be the same.
"I'll be holding all the tickets, and you''ll be holding all the fines"
--> This is evidence for the partner not being patient, kind, etc., since they seem to have issued "tickets" (like parking tickets but for bad behaviour in a relationship) for which the singer has to pay and make up for
"Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere"
--> I take this to mean that the singer is holding on to hope (suckling on hope), even though there isn't much left (the bra is "light", as in, not much to suckle). This all ties in with the "skinny love" - there isn't much there to get love from
"sullen load is full, so slow on the split"
--> Suggests that perhaps the singer is carrying resentment, but has still not split up with his partner. This ties in earlier with when the singer was telling his partner to "wreck it all" etc., because it should end
"And now all your love is wasted? And then who the hell was I?"
--> The singer seems to be expressing irritation as their partner's love having been "wasted" on them, and wonders what they even meant to their partner
"And now I'm breaking at the britches. And at the end of all your lines"
--> Like a puppet, the singer is going through the motions; the singer is being pulled by strings on their clothes by their partner. So it's like the singer's heart is not in it.
"Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?"
--> But if they end, who will they have?" />
Bon Iver said: "It’s about that time in a relationship that I was going through; you’re in a relationship because you need help, but that’s not necessarily why you should be in a relationship. And that’s skinny. It doesn’t have weight. Skinny love doesn’t have a chance because it’s not nourished.”
So, my own interpretation of the songs words, keeping in mind Bon Iver's own explanation:
"Come on skinny love just last the year"
--> Their love is spread thinly and fragile, but the singer wants it to last.
"Pour a little salt we were never here"
--> Like pouring salt on the wound or on soil to kill plants. I take it to mean that it just takes a little to make it all disappear (the skinny love) because it is so fragile
"Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer"
--> Veneer is a thin (protective) layer. In this imagery, the veneer is broken and alongside a sink of blood. It suggests to me that the singer is broken and/or has experienced pain when it comes to love.
"I tell my love to wreck it all, Cut out all the ropes and let me fall... Right in the moment this order's tall"
--> The singer thinks it should end, but in this moment, the singer also doesn't want that to happen
"And I told you to be patient" etc.
--> Seems to me the singer is suggesting that they warned their partner about the fragility of the relationship and that in order for it to work, they needed to be patient, balanced, kind, etc.
"In the morning I'll be with you but it will be a different kind"
--> As in, right now they're not ending the relationship, but it's also not going to be the same.
"I'll be holding all the tickets, and you''ll be holding all the fines"
--> This is evidence for the partner not being patient, kind, etc., since they seem to have issued "tickets" (like parking tickets but for bad behaviour in a relationship) for which the singer has to pay and make up for
"Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere"
--> I take this to mean that the singer is holding on to hope (suckling on hope), even though there isn't much left (the bra is "light", as in, not much to suckle). This all ties in with the "skinny love" - there isn't much there to get love from
"sullen load is full, so slow on the split"
--> Suggests that perhaps the singer is carrying resentment, but has still not split up with his partner. This ties in earlier with when the singer was telling his partner to "wreck it all" etc., because it should end
"And now all your love is wasted? And then who the hell was I?"
--> The singer seems to be expressing irritation as their partner's love having been "wasted" on them, and wonders what they even meant to their partner
"And now I'm breaking at the britches. And at the end of all your lines"
--> Like a puppet, the singer is going through the motions; the singer is being pulled by strings on their clothes by their partner. So it's like the singer's heart is not in it.
"Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?"
--> But if they end, who will they have?
Bon Iver said: "It’s about that time in a relationship that I was going through; you’re in a relationship because you need help, but that’s not necessarily why you should be in a relationship. And that’s skinny. It doesn’t have weight. Skinny love doesn’t have a chance because it’s not nourished.”
So, my own interpretation of the songs words, keeping in mind Bon Iver's own explanation:
"Come on skinny love just last the year" --> Their love is spread thinly and fragile, but the singer wants it to last.
"Pour a little salt we were never here" --> Like pouring salt on the wound or on soil to kill plants. I take it to mean that it just takes a little to make it all disappear (the skinny love) because it is so fragile
"Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer" --> Veneer is a thin (protective) layer. In this imagery, the veneer is broken and alongside a sink of blood. It suggests to me that the singer is broken and/or has experienced pain when it comes to love.
"I tell my love to wreck it all, Cut out all the ropes and let me fall... Right in the moment this order's tall" --> The singer thinks it should end, but in this moment, the singer also doesn't want that to happen
"And I told you to be patient" etc. --> Seems to me the singer is suggesting that they warned their partner about the fragility of the relationship and that in order for it to work, they needed to be patient, balanced, kind, etc.
"In the morning I'll be with you but it will be a different kind" --> As in, right now they're not ending the relationship, but it's also not going to be the same.
"I'll be holding all the tickets, and you''ll be holding all the fines" --> This is evidence for the partner not being patient, kind, etc., since they seem to have issued "tickets" (like parking tickets but for bad behaviour in a relationship) for which the singer has to pay and make up for
"Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere" --> I take this to mean that the singer is holding on to hope (suckling on hope), even though there isn't much left (the bra is "light", as in, not much to suckle). This all ties in with the "skinny love" - there isn't much there to get love from
"sullen load is full, so slow on the split" --> Suggests that perhaps the singer is carrying resentment, but has still not split up with his partner. This ties in earlier with when the singer was telling his partner to "wreck it all" etc., because it should end
"And now all your love is wasted? And then who the hell was I?" --> The singer seems to be expressing irritation as their partner's love having been "wasted" on them, and wonders what they even meant to their partner
"And now I'm breaking at the britches. And at the end of all your lines" --> Like a puppet, the singer is going through the motions; the singer is being pulled by strings on their clothes by their partner. So it's like the singer's heart is not in it.
"Who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?" --> But if they end, who will they have?