Lyrics for Calgary as interpreted by thuglifeforevs

Calgary Lyrics
Don't you cherish me to sleep
Never keep your eyelids clipped
Hold me for the pops and clicks
I was only for the father's crib

Hair, old, long along
Your neck onto your shoulder blades
Always keep that message taped
Cross your breasts you won't erase
I was only for your very space

Hip, under nothing
Propped up by your other one, face 'way from the sun
Just have to keep a dialogue
Teach our bodies: haunt the cause
I was only trying to spell a loss

Joy, it's all founded
Pincher with the skin inside
You pinned me with your black sphere eyes
You know that all the rope's untied
I was only for to die beside

So it''s storming on the lake
Little waves our bodies break

There's a fire going out,
But there's really nothing to the south

Swollen orange and light let through
Your one piece swimmer stuck to you

Sold, I'm Ever
Open ears and open eyes
Wake up to your starboard bride
Who goes in and then stays inside
Oh the demons come, they can subside
---
"Calgary" as written by Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon Matthew Mccaughan
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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dlynch4
05-16-2011

 Rated  +1 
Full lyrics per Bon Iver's Youtube channel:
don't you cherish me to sleep
never keep your eyelids clipped
hold me for the pops and clicks
I was only for the father's crib

hair, old, long along
your neck onto your shoulder blades
always keep that message taped
cross your breasts you won't erase
I was only for your very space

hip, under nothing
propped up by your other one, face 'way from the sun
just have to keep a dialogue
teach our bodies: haunt the cause
I was only trying to spell a loss

joy, it's all founded
pincher with the skin inside
you pinned me with your black sphere eyes
you know that all the rope's untied
I was only for to die beside

so it�¼s storming on the lake
little waves our bodies break

there's a fire going out,
but there's really nothing to the south

swollen orange and light let through
your one piece swimmer stuck to you

sold, I'm Ever
open ears and open eyes
wake up to your starboard bride
who goes in and then stays inside
oh the demons come, they can subside

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Lyric Correction
rockisgroovy
05-16-2011

 Rated  0 
of all the lyrics to post, you post only the last line.

anyhow... justin! this is a very promising glimpse into the future! cant wait for the new album.

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1 Reply  ·  General Comment
Mistinguette
05-19-2011

 Rated  0 
Hey,

Could someone explain to me the meaning of this song? it appears I can't get it... :(

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General Comment
thuglifeforevs
05-20-2011

 Rated  +2 
i'm thinking that it is an old couple (hair, old, long), with flashbacks to their younger days?
maybe they are not in love and maybe they never really were.
but they remain.
or maybe he loves her more than she ever loved him. (i was only for to die beside) (i was only for your very space) (wake up to your starboard bride who goes in and then stays inside)
starboard is the steering side of a ship i think..
i'm really not sure but it sounds so sad.

the voicemail sounding thing at the end seems to say (something like)
...really great..sorry darling...i can't really do it.



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1 Reply  ·  Song Meaning
RavioliFaceMan
05-22-2011

 Rated  +1 
I think it's more of her loving him more. He stayed around to take care of the kids and now he's leaving, asking her to move on and such.

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My Interpretation
Sannispannis
05-22-2011

 Rated  +1 
I think it might be about a girl only wanting him for wanting someone.
"I was only for your very space"
Maybe he's singing about a girl that is hurt and wants someone but he's not THE one. This song just gives me the feeling that from her part it's only lust but from his it's love.

"thuglifeforevs": it would make sense if they were saying that too. because he wants her body, her breasts hips and her neck but still he loves her too much to not be loved back but only used by lust. '

"don't you cherish me to sleep" he wants her to be in love and not let him sleep. It doesn't stop. They can't go to sleep after. Because he's there forever?

I actually don't know at all. Just wanted to share my thoughts on it. And this idea pretty much goes with any line.

Even onto the last line " oh deamons come, they can't subside" there's a lust but no love. deamons.

"wake up to your starboard bride
who goes in and then stays inside" This makes me think that maybe he wakes up every day with the hope that she loves him but she hides. Maybe she loves him after all ut she's scared. Maybe this is why he keeps fighting.

"

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Song Comparison
bambri
05-24-2011

 Rated  0 
What intrigues me is the song name... anyone have any thoughts on it? I know that each song on the new album represents a place but I'm not sure how the song meaning relates to the city I grew up in..

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1 Reply  ·  General Comment
P55cw55
05-27-2011

 Rated  -5 
This is one of the most thinly veiled Christian songs I've ever heard. Calgary = Calvary.

Father...die beside...waves on a lake....ropes untied???

Biblical allusions everywhere.

Wake up to your starboard bride? Mary Magdalene! Who is rumored to be Jesus's wife. Demons?

What goes in [the tomb] and stays inside....

If you read it within the context of the crucifixion and resurrection, the song makes incredible sense.

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5 Replies  ·  General Comment
corecreatives
06-13-2011

 Rated  +1 
From an interview:

"Justin Vernon: Calgary really feels like an accomplishment to me. It has a form, a repetitive idea, and a good cadence. I really like the opening line: "Don't you cherish me to sleep." There's that whole thing that happens in relationships-- you can love someone but, as soon as they stop loving you so unconditionally that they stop being themselves, it can be so dangerous."

Source: http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7989-bon-iver/

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General Comment
Aquarius121
06-17-2011

 Rated  +3 
I agree with thuglifeforevs interpretation, but for some reason it doesn't strike me as sad. It sounds content. Like, maybe they weren't in love at first, they only stayed together for the family, but as time wore on they became attached to each other. Now they've grown old and face death together, but with no fear.

There's a lot of allusions to aging here:

"hold me for the pops and clicks." Weary joints, you know, arthritis.

"hair, old, long along your neck onto your shoulder blades." Self-explanatory.

"hip, under nothing
propped up by your other one, face 'way from the sun."

Bad hips people! Come on, haven't you ever heard someone complain about their hips? Their bones are becoming brittle, "under nothing" and "propped up." The line "face 'way from the sun," kind of sounds like they're in the last stages of their life. The sun is setting.

"just have to keep a dialogue
teach our bodies: haunt the cause
i was only trying to spell a loss."

Some couples lose the romance or become bored as they grow old together. They "have to keep a dialogue" to survive the paces of marriage. "Teach our bodies: haunt the cause" could mean they're trying to remember what drew them to each other in the first place, what "caused" the attraction. Try to rekindle the spark. "I was only trying to spell a loss," could mean one of them is afraid of the relationship disintegrating, or one of their deaths, and that's why they're bringing up all these worries.

"joy, it's all founded
pincher with the skin inside
you pinned me with your black sphere eyes
you know that all the rope's untied
i was only for to die beside."

They realize they are "in this together," in love or not. They depend on each other, make each other happy. I think "you know that all the rope's untied" is like saying, "in the end, no matter what." Aww <3

"so it’s storming on the lake
little waves our bodies break."

The end is near! DUN DUN DUN. *ahem* sorry.

"there's a fire going out,
but there's really nothing to the south."

The life in them is waning. "There's really nothing to the south" might mean there's no hell below them, that in the end nothing matters except for the present.

"swollen orange and light let through
your one piece swimmer stuck to you."

The "light." You know, like in movies people always "see the light" when they die? I think the line about the one piece swimmer is a memory flying by. They're remembering their past, their youth. Their life is flashing before their eyes.

"sold, i'm ever."

He's eternally hers.

"open ears and open eyes
wake up to your starboard bride."

They're on "the other side." Where? Who knows. But he's woken up on a different plane of existence, still beside her.

"who goes in and then stays inside
oh the demons come, they can subside."

His "starboard bride," the one who traveled with him all his life and is still with him in death, makes everything better. No matter what problems arise, no matter what "demons" come, they'll never be strong enough to put out the joy in his heart when she's in it.

So basically, the best love song ever.

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4 Replies  ·  General Comment
lostatlimbo
06-24-2011

 Rated  0 
Aquarius - I think your close on these. Digging a little too deep on some, especially your metaphorical take on what I am pretty sure is a literal reference to swimming. I think the only metaphorical element of that section is "the fire going out" - that being the fire of their waning relationship - and "really nothing south" which I doubt references Hell. South generally references warmer climates. Sort of saying, despite the storms (fights, perhaps) there's nothing better.

I dont think it is so much about old people as it is about young people realizing that is what the future holds. That it won't always be romance and passion and sunny days.

I think the song represents the process of accepting that and eventually embracing that fact and realizing that a relationship requires work and, sure, there will be anger and fights and pain, but all that will subside.

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1 Reply  ·  Song Meaning
theskylifeguy
06-26-2011

 Rated  0 
This song is about Joy.

He is laying out the foundations of joy. When you are there for your mate, humbly there for them, even if it's just to be there when they die, it's with these decisions we find the seeds of joy.

I think "south" refers to Time. South being the past.

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My Interpretation
theskylifeguy
06-26-2011

 Rated  0 
This song is about Joy.

He is laying out the foundations of joy. When you are there for your mate, humbly there for them, even if it's just to be there when they die, it's with these decisions we find the seeds of joy.

I think "south" refers to Time. South being the past.

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My Interpretation
hornplayer9
06-26-2011

 Rated  -1 
I think that watching the music video for this song, although confusing when first watching it, actually made a little sense.
Justin did go into Religious Studies in college, which probably explains a lot of his biblical allusions.

In the book of Daniel it talks about people willingly giving their hearts to a lake of fire.
"so it's storming on the lake
little waves our bodies break

there's a fire going out,
but there's really nothing to the south"

And then it says something about a beast with three legs, leaning to the side. That's where the whole bear thing came from at the end of the video.

Most people would look at it as "OH, he's talking about selling your soul!" Eh, I see it more as a rebirth. More Joyful, like TheSkyLifeGuy was saying.

"sold, I'm Ever
open ears and open eyes
wake up to your starboard bride
who goes in and then stays inside
oh the demons come, they can subside."

Maybe the people are giving their hearts to the light instead of darkness? Notice in the video it looks like the bear is rising from the ground, but it's actually coming from underneath. Sure, it COULD be saying that the demons are SETTLED down. But subside also means to descend. Perhaps the best is going back to where it came from?

Just my thoughts.

Congrats to Justin on another freaking SPECTACULAR album!



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My Interpretation
firstgreenroom
06-28-2011

 Rated  +2 
Just heard an interview with Justin where he says something along these lines (and this is something of a paraphrase):

"When I wrote this song, I'd never been to Calgary - still haven't been - and I had a few really close friends that I'd met throughout the years from Calgary, and it always seemed like a place that I felt connected to. This song sort of became about an envisionment, a place, about when you think there's somebody out there that you could be in love with but you haven't met them yet. And it sort of became a metaphor for places you haven't been but that you feel like you know, and you can sort of have that feeling about somebody you haven't met that you feel like you're supposed to be with."

And in an interview with NPR, he says this while talking about Beth/Rest:

"Calgary sort of introduces that idea... eventually, you start waking up to the fact that you might be ready to spend your life with somebody and still feel good about who you are and what kind of changes you're going to go through no matter what."

So, hope that says something.

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1 Reply  ·  General Comment
candicepenelope
08-20-2011

 Rated  0 
My favorite part is

"hip, under nothing
propped up by your other one, face 'way from the sun"

I just picture a couple in bed, maybe they've just made love and they're lying in bed talking. She on her side no sheet covering her "hip under nothing, propped on your other one" If she was facing him, back to the window, she would from his perspective be bathed in sunlight, glorious.

I don't know just speculating, but I have to say I love how he can paint a picture with just a few words

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General Comment
murlough23
08-29-2011

 Rated  +1 
I just drove from Calgary to the US/Canada border the other day. He's right; there really IS nothing to the south.

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General Comment
seele
10-20-2011

 Rated  0 
My interpretation is along the lines of two people who were married, but have fallen out of love ("Just have to keep a dialogue"). However, one day they're caught in a very trying, or perhaps life threatening, situation ("storming on the lake") and discover that they truly love each other after all ("sold, I'm ever"), despite it being to late to cherish that love. After this realization, they are at peace and feel that nothing can topple their love ("Oh the demons come, they can subside").

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General Comment
dogwits44
10-29-2011

 Rated  -1 
That's hilarious, Murlough! I had a friend from Calgary who used to say the same. Amid a sea of non-descript flat prairie, the city emerges as if out of mythology. Before reading your comment, I had been wondering whether "nothing to the south" meant there wasn't much gritty sexual attraction. You know, south of the belt. But your geo interpretation seems more grounded. The geography is also pretty suggestive of an island, as Calgary is the only thing in Alberta for miles and miles.

And I must say, the video to this song visualizes Calgary not as a sort of Calvary, but as Ithaka, the mythological home of the Greek hero Odysseus (or Ulysses, if you're feeling Roman). There are many allusions to the epic story. In the opening scene, a bed is thronged by weird sperm-like things that never manage to reach this beautiful, rather inert-looking woman under a topsheet. She seems to be protected by it. Leaves sprout from the mattress, and we see that the bed posts are made from living, rooted trees. In the Odyssey, Odysseus and his young bride Penelope had built their palace around a marriage bed, constructed of 4 living olive trees. When Odysseus is away at war for many years (and is presumed by many to be dead), Penelope fends off would-be suitors for more than a decade by completely involving herself in weaving a burial shroud. She disconnects from all others and half lives in a trance-like state, awaiting the return of her husband.

What I like about this video is that it visualizes the song from her point of view. Because the vocals are male, the default assumption would be that Justin is speaking of his own (or at least a man's) experience. But in the video, the imagined lover, somewhere out there, is the guy. The woman is the dreamer, the seeker.

By the way, isn't she also a former contestant on America's Next Top Model?




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General Comment
emilywoodxx
12-28-2011

 Rated  0 
This is my prospective of the song and i fully enjoy unlocking these unique codes in a song. This song is genius, in recent times with such a corrupt media, a song like this glows next to today's rap music. the beauty of it is, only some people see the beauty of songs like this.

I believe this video is talking about LIFE.

-looking at the beginning scene, there is a bed and little beads of light that swim to it.
(this represents an egg and sperm)

-as the lights illumination the bed, an image of a girl appears
(the fetus)

-soon, we see a scene where she is in the sheets and she is unveiled
(i picture a baby in the womb right before its born)

-then she is released from the bed
(represents being released into life on your own)

-she meets a boy
(love)

-we notice how neither of them are wearing shoes
(i think its represents trials, hard to walk in mud without shoes)

-then the scene where they are in the woods
(trees represent life, but the trees looked dead and ill, i think it represents sickness)

-the part were they set the lake on fire
(fire usually means death, i image this is the end of the young lovers journey in life and the stones represent their soul flouting amoungst eternity together)

the last scene was kinda confusing..

-the scene where people seem to be looking into the ground upside down and a bear figure comes out
(the people looking down into the ground represent the funeral and loved ones, the bear that appears in a mist of fog could represent comfort and warmth in their hearts)




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General Comment
Crane42
12-29-2011

 Rated  0 
The bridge (so it's stormy on the lake/little waves our bodies break, etc.) is probably the most tearjerking moment of any of the songs on the new album. It reminds me of a moment of perfection that can never be attained again.

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General Comment




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