The song is about three people: (1) God, (2) his father and (3) a lover.
God and his father are blended into two to create a play on the words 'heavenly father'. The human father he describes in the song is not 'heavenly' but 'sinful'.
Since he saw the brutality of nature (heard the howling wind) he didn't follow the bible (lit. didn't go where the bible went). I.e. he does not believe in the faith he was brought up with.
But, he acknowledges that his father's gifts (God/a real father) did seem to show heaven might be real, only it just lead him to a choler (anger). This suggests to me he left behind the religion of his human father, because his father's religion frustrated him.
His real father is sinful (lit. houses sin), but is now free (perhaps dead or 'saved' from sin by believing in God).
The singer was never sure how much he could let him into his life (God/his real father). I.e., the singer didn't want to let God into his life/didn't like his human father. But the singer is free now (his father is dead/they are estranged, or in relation to God - he is free from religion).
He tells his lover to settle down, the singer's love has been through the history above with his father (God/his father) which explains his beliefs (rejection of God/estrangement from his father).
The existence of God is like lava (like hell) - why doesn't God carry the names of other religions? I.e., why only one religion?
'Know' has been dropped - possibly from what happens after death - it is an unknown. Another day passes to close (death).
The singer is a coward in the face of adversity (a coward wind), and seems to admit that he fears death. But he convinces himself he is free now (without God).
His father (God/his father) turns around and counts to 10, possibly in anger to wait until the rage subsides. He has seen his father go now (perhaps die).
He addresses his lover - he can't pretend to her. His 'heavenly' father (his sinful father) has been brought to the end of his life/his deathbed (his autumn), and love is left in the end despite the pain of when he was younger/alive. This could also be a reference to Nietzsche's phrase 'God is dead' - now that God is dead (religion is over in the West), there is love.
He has been enlightened ('up here') for years. Or perhaps, another reference to Nietzsche's character Zarathustra who comes down the mountain (also where the reference to 'God is dead' comes from).
He asks if his lover can see now - his enlightenment or his 'message' (Jesus used the phrase 'eyes to see').
Although he has enough fear (of death) to sink a ship (fill a hull) - he is free now (without God).
He knows what his lover is trying to say (perhaps that God is real) - he has seen it all himself (and disagrees).
He asks whether the only thing that belief in God offers is safety in death (the end).
The song is about three people: (1) God, (2) his father and (3) a lover.
God and his father are blended into two to create a play on the words 'heavenly father'. The human father he describes in the song is not 'heavenly' but 'sinful'.
Since he saw the brutality of nature (heard the howling wind) he didn't follow the bible (lit. didn't go where the bible went). I.e. he does not believe in the faith he was brought up with.
But, he acknowledges that his father's gifts (God/a real father) did seem to show heaven might be real, only it just lead him to a choler (anger). This suggests to me he left behind the religion of his human father, because his father's religion frustrated him.
His real father is sinful (lit. houses sin), but is now free (perhaps dead or 'saved' from sin by believing in God). The singer was never sure how much he could let him into his life (God/his real father). I.e., the singer didn't want to let God into his life/didn't like his human father. But the singer is free now (his father is dead/they are estranged, or in relation to God - he is free from religion).
He tells his lover to settle down, the singer's love has been through the history above with his father (God/his father) which explains his beliefs (rejection of God/estrangement from his father). The existence of God is like lava (like hell) - why doesn't God carry the names of other religions? I.e., why only one religion?
'Know' has been dropped - possibly from what happens after death - it is an unknown. Another day passes to close (death). The singer is a coward in the face of adversity (a coward wind), and seems to admit that he fears death. But he convinces himself he is free now (without God). His father (God/his father) turns around and counts to 10, possibly in anger to wait until the rage subsides. He has seen his father go now (perhaps die).
He addresses his lover - he can't pretend to her. His 'heavenly' father (his sinful father) has been brought to the end of his life/his deathbed (his autumn), and love is left in the end despite the pain of when he was younger/alive. This could also be a reference to Nietzsche's phrase 'God is dead' - now that God is dead (religion is over in the West), there is love.
He has been enlightened ('up here') for years. Or perhaps, another reference to Nietzsche's character Zarathustra who comes down the mountain (also where the reference to 'God is dead' comes from). He asks if his lover can see now - his enlightenment or his 'message' (Jesus used the phrase 'eyes to see'). Although he has enough fear (of death) to sink a ship (fill a hull) - he is free now (without God). He knows what his lover is trying to say (perhaps that God is real) - he has seen it all himself (and disagrees). He asks whether the only thing that belief in God offers is safety in death (the end).
References to 'the singer' are not to Justin. He is writing from someone else's point of view: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bon-iver-employs-electronic-choir-for-new-track-heavenly-father-238148/