well in light of djfrisk's post this song takes on a whole new incredible meaning IMO, i still agree the song can legitimately be understood as shortandsweetem analyzed, altho to me the line "pour a little salt..." recalls conquerors sowing fields with salt to make the infertile, and so to sow the fledgling relationship with salt to kill in before it ever happens, which anticipates the cutting of the ropes
Now the other interpretation. Imagine that Bon Iver has had a terrible, horrible break up years ago and his "skinny love" is a new girl he is beginning to see. and it is also important that in this scenario bon iver's relationship with the skinny love is ruined by his long ago breakup
First, he hopes they can make it a whole year since it is so hard for him to keep a relationship together.
Then he TOLD her that SHE had to be the patient, balanced, etc. partner in the relationship. And in the morning he will be better, no longer haunted by the ghosts of the past that come out at night perhaps, and in this way the morning will be a different "kind" in quotes.
"suckle on the hope in lite brassiere" a wonderful line, combining maternal love (suckle) and conjugal love (lite brassiere) into an expression of how bon iver hopes that with this love he can bury his past.
now i propose that the speaker changes. I would argue that the lines from "now all your love is wasted..." until the end are spoken by ms. skinny love herself who does not understand bon iver's internal struggles.
his love has been wasted on his former love, no one will love him when is stuck in the past, no one can fight his past for him and he will fall far behind
this leaves the speaker of the the second appearance of the "i told you to be..." section interestingly ambiguous, it could be bon iver telling her again and again that he needs her to be the rock, or it could be ms. skinny love telling him that she needs a rock of her own.... who can tell? :)
Wonderful interpretation, it just makes so much sense!
Wonderful interpretation, it just makes so much sense!
I just love the wonderful ambiguity in all of Bon Iver's songs and the fact that you can read so many things into them, even the presence of a female speaker.
I just love the wonderful ambiguity in all of Bon Iver's songs and the fact that you can read so many things into them, even the presence of a female speaker.
i just very very resently lost my husband to suicied and this song is just amazing my son sent it too he says im strong and moving forward is going to be so very hard but listing to skinny love i can here my husband telling me to be patient and this hole in my chest well im holding all the pieces all my love feels wasted im not sure i just know that this song is very real to me
i just very very resently lost my husband to suicied and this song is just amazing my son sent it too he says im strong and moving forward is going to be so very hard but listing to skinny love i can here my husband telling me to be patient and this hole in my chest well im holding all the pieces all my love feels wasted im not sure i just know that this song is very real to me
I love this interpretation, it brings an entirely new feeling to the song for me. It also works beautifully with the lines "And I'll be holding all the tickets / And you'll be owning all the fines." The damage done to him by this past relationship should be his alone to deal with and move on from, but instead he's transfered it to this new woman, and suddenly she's responsible for all the "fines" that he's racked up from his previous relationship. Whatever Justin Vernon's intention, the depth of interpretation this song allows just shows how remarkable...
I love this interpretation, it brings an entirely new feeling to the song for me. It also works beautifully with the lines "And I'll be holding all the tickets / And you'll be owning all the fines." The damage done to him by this past relationship should be his alone to deal with and move on from, but instead he's transfered it to this new woman, and suddenly she's responsible for all the "fines" that he's racked up from his previous relationship. Whatever Justin Vernon's intention, the depth of interpretation this song allows just shows how remarkable his songwriting it. Beautiful, beautiful song.
Sagaxfilos, I think your interpretation makes a lot of sense... I just seem to always let this song be more about how one love always tends to be bigger than the rest, the future ones... he sings about skinny love, maybe that's not a name but simply weaker love(s)... It always seems to me he's hoping for these future skinny loves, however difficult, to get him out of ropes of the old one... Pour salt in his wound to eventually get him out of the pain... Yet, I just find that the song has a somewhat hopeless tone. 'In the...
Sagaxfilos, I think your interpretation makes a lot of sense... I just seem to always let this song be more about how one love always tends to be bigger than the rest, the future ones... he sings about skinny love, maybe that's not a name but simply weaker love(s)... It always seems to me he's hoping for these future skinny loves, however difficult, to get him out of ropes of the old one... Pour salt in his wound to eventually get him out of the pain... Yet, I just find that the song has a somewhat hopeless tone. 'In the morning I'll be with you, but it will be a different 'kind'... Even the quotes kinda mock the new loves... 'come on skinny love, just last the year' seems so desperate as well as the final phrases: 'who will love you, who will fight...'
I really like your maternal/conjugal reference, which really also seems to underline what kind of love he's looking for to move him forward... maybe one more safe and stabile...
I also think it's quite amazing the amount of guilt the song in my view contains... she's owning the fines, her love is wasted, 'who was I?'...
Finally, 'staring at sink of love and crushed veneer'... I love this one, but I can't quite figure it out... perhaps just an image...?
btw, try listening to this one... I think she really does the song justice: youtube.com/watch
well in light of djfrisk's post this song takes on a whole new incredible meaning IMO, i still agree the song can legitimately be understood as shortandsweetem analyzed, altho to me the line "pour a little salt..." recalls conquerors sowing fields with salt to make the infertile, and so to sow the fledgling relationship with salt to kill in before it ever happens, which anticipates the cutting of the ropes
Now the other interpretation. Imagine that Bon Iver has had a terrible, horrible break up years ago and his "skinny love" is a new girl he is beginning to see. and it is also important that in this scenario bon iver's relationship with the skinny love is ruined by his long ago breakup
First, he hopes they can make it a whole year since it is so hard for him to keep a relationship together.
Then he TOLD her that SHE had to be the patient, balanced, etc. partner in the relationship. And in the morning he will be better, no longer haunted by the ghosts of the past that come out at night perhaps, and in this way the morning will be a different "kind" in quotes.
"suckle on the hope in lite brassiere" a wonderful line, combining maternal love (suckle) and conjugal love (lite brassiere) into an expression of how bon iver hopes that with this love he can bury his past.
now i propose that the speaker changes. I would argue that the lines from "now all your love is wasted..." until the end are spoken by ms. skinny love herself who does not understand bon iver's internal struggles.
his love has been wasted on his former love, no one will love him when is stuck in the past, no one can fight his past for him and he will fall far behind
this leaves the speaker of the the second appearance of the "i told you to be..." section interestingly ambiguous, it could be bon iver telling her again and again that he needs her to be the rock, or it could be ms. skinny love telling him that she needs a rock of her own.... who can tell? :)
Wonderful interpretation, it just makes so much sense!
Wonderful interpretation, it just makes so much sense!
I just love the wonderful ambiguity in all of Bon Iver's songs and the fact that you can read so many things into them, even the presence of a female speaker.
I just love the wonderful ambiguity in all of Bon Iver's songs and the fact that you can read so many things into them, even the presence of a female speaker.
i just very very resently lost my husband to suicied and this song is just amazing my son sent it too he says im strong and moving forward is going to be so very hard but listing to skinny love i can here my husband telling me to be patient and this hole in my chest well im holding all the pieces all my love feels wasted im not sure i just know that this song is very real to me
i just very very resently lost my husband to suicied and this song is just amazing my son sent it too he says im strong and moving forward is going to be so very hard but listing to skinny love i can here my husband telling me to be patient and this hole in my chest well im holding all the pieces all my love feels wasted im not sure i just know that this song is very real to me
Beautifully done.
Beautifully done.
Beautifully done.
Beautifully done.
I love this interpretation, it brings an entirely new feeling to the song for me. It also works beautifully with the lines "And I'll be holding all the tickets / And you'll be owning all the fines." The damage done to him by this past relationship should be his alone to deal with and move on from, but instead he's transfered it to this new woman, and suddenly she's responsible for all the "fines" that he's racked up from his previous relationship. Whatever Justin Vernon's intention, the depth of interpretation this song allows just shows how remarkable...
I love this interpretation, it brings an entirely new feeling to the song for me. It also works beautifully with the lines "And I'll be holding all the tickets / And you'll be owning all the fines." The damage done to him by this past relationship should be his alone to deal with and move on from, but instead he's transfered it to this new woman, and suddenly she's responsible for all the "fines" that he's racked up from his previous relationship. Whatever Justin Vernon's intention, the depth of interpretation this song allows just shows how remarkable his songwriting it. Beautiful, beautiful song.
Sagaxfilos, I think your interpretation makes a lot of sense... I just seem to always let this song be more about how one love always tends to be bigger than the rest, the future ones... he sings about skinny love, maybe that's not a name but simply weaker love(s)... It always seems to me he's hoping for these future skinny loves, however difficult, to get him out of ropes of the old one... Pour salt in his wound to eventually get him out of the pain... Yet, I just find that the song has a somewhat hopeless tone. 'In the...
Sagaxfilos, I think your interpretation makes a lot of sense... I just seem to always let this song be more about how one love always tends to be bigger than the rest, the future ones... he sings about skinny love, maybe that's not a name but simply weaker love(s)... It always seems to me he's hoping for these future skinny loves, however difficult, to get him out of ropes of the old one... Pour salt in his wound to eventually get him out of the pain... Yet, I just find that the song has a somewhat hopeless tone. 'In the morning I'll be with you, but it will be a different 'kind'... Even the quotes kinda mock the new loves... 'come on skinny love, just last the year' seems so desperate as well as the final phrases: 'who will love you, who will fight...'
I really like your maternal/conjugal reference, which really also seems to underline what kind of love he's looking for to move him forward... maybe one more safe and stabile...
I also think it's quite amazing the amount of guilt the song in my view contains... she's owning the fines, her love is wasted, 'who was I?'...
Finally, 'staring at sink of love and crushed veneer'... I love this one, but I can't quite figure it out... perhaps just an image...?
btw, try listening to this one... I think she really does the song justice: youtube.com/watch