errant heat to the star
and the rain let in
the hawser rolls, the vessel's whole and Christ, it's thin

well Iʼd know that you'd offer
would reveal it, though it's soft and flat
won't repeat it, cull and coffers that
for the soffit, hang this homeward
pry it open with your love
sending lost and alone standing offers

it is steep, it is stone
such recovery
from the daily press, the deepest nest, in keeper's keep

all the news at the door
such a revelry
well, it's hocked inside of everything you said to me

it was found what we orphaned
didn't mention it would serve us picked
said your love is known
I'm standing up on it

aren't we married?!
I ainʼt living in the dark no more
it's not a promise, Iʼm just gonna call it

heavy mitted love

our love is a star
sure some hazardry
for the light before and after most indefinitely

danger has been stole away



Lyrics submitted by iquitmyscene

Track duration: 05:16


Beth/Rest song meanings
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35 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:When I hear this song, I picture Tom Cruise driving away from Kelly McGillis at dusk, and he's contemplating the big challenges he needs to face after his most debilitating crisis of confidence.
    Flag fogzaon November 23, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think this means that he gave the simple parts of dreams up thats meaning had dwindled or burnt out. A focus on these few things whose meaning are the highest. The recognition that this period that is happening is both powerfully encouraging, yet longing for the time of the comfort that can come from that time when nothing changed was so comfortable.

    It is one of the most wonderful times in life.
    Flag ReverseEngineson June 06, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I interpret this song to be about someone that he loves a lot, but they're being very veiled with their feelings(Heavy mitted love), like he's sure they're there, but they're not very strong and that person is very iffy about them (The hawser rolls, the vessel's whole and Christ, it's thin), and maybe even betrays him several times (aren't we married?!I ainʼt living in the dark no more)?
    Flagged ptarandactylon June 06, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:People get over yourselves with this 80's critisism. Incredibly beautiful music and lyric. This song is a "creation" much in the same vain that "the lure would prove too much" by Greg Dulli with the Twilight Singers. Songs like these are created like paintings - true creations - layered and through different pieces they come together into one masterful piece. This one puts Bon Iver in the musical genius category.
    Flag tsma120on May 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Oh my god, i did not feel this song at all at first either, i thought the 80's feel was so cheesy, but after some listens, i feel like this is one of the best on the album, its amazing and i love it.
    Flag Arcson May 14, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the song in my opinion (like many) is about a marriage/relationship. i feel that the singer is trying to apologize to his love and make things as right as he can. He was emotionless in his relationship/marriage, without realizing that he was neglecting. She was trying to let him know, but he just didn't want to see it. she starts to stray/or is walking away from it all. he then see's everything clearly, the emotion in the song picks up. he feels promising her that he will change is not enough. that he can only do it. the road for them is going to continue to be rough, the problems will not disappear overnight. but he'll stand beside her.

    just an opinion.
    Flagged sillystaron April 20, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:...This is way long, just a warning. And I have terrible grammar is terrible.

    So this is my take on the meaning of this song, coming from a song writer. I usually don't comment on artists lyrics but I found this exceptionally good. I can say Justin really loves his thesaurus/dictionary (or just has a hella good vocabulary), normally this turns me off, but I think it works here. I found these lyrics incredibly hard to decipher on my first read though, and I think many have said the same. I feel that's because he gives hints and clues to the meaning of earlier ideas presented later in the song. So by taking that I should preface this with.
    - He uses star as a metaphor for their love/relationship throughout. The star in this song as generalized as being made of heat and giving off light
    - The two people in the song are married. This is important because (for anyone not married), in a marriage you can't make idol threats. you have to give pieces of yourself to make it work while retaining what makes you, you. sometimes you give only what is needed to get by or move past something. shit gets real in marriage, feeling "in love" can quickly turn to feeling trapped or abandoned. You are a team, and you can't (well your not supposed to) just up and leave.

    anyways, phrase by phrase here it is....or what I hear.


    errant heat to the star
    and the rain let in
    the hawser rolls, the vessel's whole and Christ, it's thin

    "errant heat to the star (their "love/relationship" is not receiving "stable" fuel and is waning, or comes in waves), and the rain let in (basically it is a "cold" period in their relationship, not necessarily fighting but the warmth is just not there). the hawser rolls, the vessel's whole and Christ, it's thin. (this is one of my 3 favorite lines, all pertaining to him struggling with the energy it takes to live this way and keep the relationship afloat. Hawser in a line that tows a ship, he is basically towing her at this point, and she is dead weight/not giving her share, "vessel's whole" she is heavy and a burden in this state. "Christ, it's thin" his hawser/line is thin and weak. Probably from repeated episodes of pulling her along...basically he doesn't know if he can be the one to be the tow her/the relationship this time. He is exhausted.

    well Iʼd know that you'd offer
    would reveal it, though it's soft and flat
    won't repeat it, cull and coffers that
    for the soffit, hang this homeward
    pry it open with your love
    sending lost and alone standing offers

    (This phrase for me starts out strong, then wanes. I think he tries to hard to make coffer and soffit work together, but if I try and give credit (where it may not be due) to the phrase it can be perceived as quite strong. "Well I'd know that you'd offer, would reveal it though it's soft and flat" He uses "I'd" in the past tense to show that by looking at past events (cause we learned in the beginning and it will be revealed at the end this is an ongoing issue) That she would offer either an apology or an I Love You (doesn't really matter which) but it would be without real meaning, just something to say to move on or forget. "won't repeat it, cull and coffers that." again she would say it once and then lock it away again for the future to just use again when this happens all over again. "for the soffit, hang this homeward" this is the weakest line if you ask me, I think he uses soffit cause it works with coffer. But to try and take something away from it. Her coffer (safe) is stored away in a metaphorical soffit (ceiling) that covers her from the light of the star, here she keeps the pieces of herself hidden and protected from the relationship, she can't get hurt as long as she has this and closes herself off in times of hardship, and only opens it quickly to offer trivial amounts of what is needed. "hang this homeward" this is some random crap I would probably write myself, hard to decipher but probably just means he wants to steer everything back home to that place she hides. And is asking her to "pry it open with your love, sending lost and alone standing offers." He want her to open that coffer where she hides, and release all of the standing (all the fake, stored up generic I'm sorry's and I love you's) offers. And not live behind that shit anymore.)

    it is steep, it is stone
    such recovery
    from the daily press, the deepest nest, in keeper's keep

    (This line is also one of my 3 favorites and gets me every time. Getting their relationship back to good is like pushing a boulder up a hill. A steep hill, and their relationship is heavy like stone. "Such recovery" so simple but so grand. It take so much of him to recover each time this happens. From the strain of what already is going on in everyday life "daily press" on top of this. He has to dig as deep as he can to be able to do it. His "deepest nest" in his "keep", the part of himself he holds on to and gives to recover each time.)

    all the news at the door
    such a revelry
    well, it's hocked inside of everything you said to me

    (Basically in this phrase he is just saying, everything happening outside their home "freedom," or the thought of freedom is a revelry. But he has to take all that in context of what they are, it is something that calls to him, but takes it as secondary to them at this point. But he sees that light outside calling.)

    it was found what we orphaned
    didn't mention it would serve us picked
    said your love is known
    I'm standing up on it

    (I can't say for sure how this part came about it the story, but most likely she gave one of her less than genuine "I love you's" and it was just enough move past whatever was happening. He is saying he didn't realize that you could hold up a relationship by just choosing when and where to offer your love. She says, that her love is known, probably even though she seldom freely offers it and it seldom seems genuine when she says it. But that love is all that keeps him going "standing." I also feel the next line should be put up with this phrase when written out. "Aren't we married!?" This one line explains everything that came before. He is saying that in marriage love shouldn't come in waves, it should't be "picked," it shouldn't be soft and flat, or errant. The star should burn hot and strong always.

    aren't we married?!
    I ainʼt living in the dark no more
    it's not a promise, Iʼm just gonna call it

    (This is the last of my 3 favorite lines. He doesn't want to continue in a marriage without that light of the star...in the dark. Going through this time and again. Yet in marriage you can't just leave for greener pastures, that "revelry outside your door." He accepts the fact that if they continue in the dark he may not leave, he may continue to put up with it. But there is a chance that one day he just may walk.)

    heavy mitted love

    (their love is tied down by all of this and can't be true and free, they work hard to show only what they have to as to keep a part of themselves and not be hurt.)

    our love is a star
    sure some hazardry
    for the light before and after most indefinitely

    (He's just looking back over the whole thing. Understanding their will always be problems in the relationship. It has happened before and though it is not definite it will happen again, he says "most," which I take as him saying, that likely, it will.)

    danger has been stole away

    (I think here he is just saying that the "danger" that their relationship would end is over. But it was not resolved, they were not able to acknowledge the true problems because the problem was solved "stolen away" with words or actions that were less than heartfelt. Only given out to move on)

    This is axiom

    (all this is truth)

    If you actually read all this thanks. -Matt
    Flag gentlegianton March 29, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the heath ledger comment seems plausible.

    the first verse seems to suggest a heart deviating from the star--as in a famous person--and then whatever "the rain" is comes in and makes a boat heavier, and more difficult for a tower to bring back on course, and the tower's rope is thin. maybe it suggests that the rope is their relationship and "thin" means he didn't have much influence over heath's actions. the second part of the verse seems like it could be a metaphor to trying to lure someone back home and getting them to open up.

    the next part could imply that recovery is difficult, especially if you're a star who has easy access to drugs and the money/means to hold/keep them, and the media could drive one to becoming a recluse, making them that much harder to reach. or, on the other hand, since they were friends, they probably got wasted together regularly. perhaps it isn't a one-sided thing at all.

    the next phrase could refer to being surprised or moved to nostalgia by the news of your friend dying.

    "it was found what we orphaned" sounds like drugs to me; it could refer to what was left over, and he" didn't mention" that it would've served them both.

    the remainder of the song could refer to their last conversation together and the fact that he had taken their friendship for granted, and being like 'damn, i thought we were married,' or inseparable/invincible, and then saying, "i ain't living in the dark no more": that i'm not going to take a friendship for granted again; i'm gonna get my life in order, or whatever; i can't promise that i'll follow through, but i'm gonna go ahead and call it. "our life's a star, sure some hazardry", think about it; it fits. but the hazardry or "danger" or his parter in crime or whatever has been stolen away to go to whatever's next... but then he calls that an "axiom", or assumed: as in faith in what's after life must be assumed--presumably because faith is what you have when you don't have reason/evidence to believe in something, so you have to assume it, like an axiom.

    of course, this is all speculation beyond the level of prudential. but it seems like it fits, to me.
    Flag tama2hot4u06on February 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the heath ledger comment seems plausible.

    the first verse seems to suggest a heart deviating from the star--as in a famous person--and then whatever "the rain" is comes in and makes a boat heavier, and more difficult for a tower to bring back on course, and the tower's rope is thin. maybe it suggests that the rope is their relationship and "thin" means he didn't have much influence over heath's actions. the second part of the verse seems like it could be a metaphor to trying to lure someone back home and getting them to open up.

    the next part could imply that recovery is difficult, especially if you're a star who has easy access to drugs and the money/means to hold/keep them, and the media could drive one to becoming a recluse, making them that much harder to reach. or, on the other hand, since they were friends, they probably got wasted together regularly. perhaps it isn't a one-sided thing at all.

    the next phrase could refer to being surprised or moved to nostalgia by the news of your friend dying.

    "it was found what we orphaned" sounds like drugs to me; it could refer to what was left over, and he" didn't mention" that it would've served them both.

    the remainder of the song could refer to their last conversation together and the fact that he had taken their friendship for granted, and being like 'damn, i thought we were married,' or inseparable/invincible, and then saying, "i ain't living in the dark no more": that i'm not going to take a friendship for granted again; i'm gonna get my life in order, or whatever; i can't promise that i'll follow through, but i'm gonna go ahead and call it. "our life's a star, sure some hazardry", think about it; it fits. but the hazardry or "danger" or his parter in crime or whatever has been stolen away to go to whatever's next... but then he calls that an "axiom", or assumed: as in faith in what's after life must be assumed--presumably because faith is what you have when you don't have reason/evidence to believe in something, so you have to assume it, like an axiom.

    of course, this is all speculation beyond the level of prudential. but it seems like it fits, to me.
    Flag tama2hot4u06on February 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:at 4:00 does he say "THIS IS AWESOME!" ?

    because that would be awesome...
    Flag Turquoiseyeson February 03, 2012   Link

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