LYRICS:
Narrator:
(So apropos: Saw death on a sunny snow)
Him:
"For every life..."
Her:
"Forego the parable."
Him:
"Seek the light."
Her:
"...My knees are cold."
(Running home, running home, running home, running home...)
Her:
"Go find another lover;
To bring a... to string along!"
"With all your lies,
You're still very lovable."
"I toured the light; so many foreign roads for Emma, forever ago."
The song; For Emma, was written by Bon Iver (Justin Vernon) while spending three winter months in his dads log cabin in north-east Wisconsin, where he isolated himself to create a solo album after breaking up with his band. I don't completely understand what the story of the song really is, I think everyone has their own understanding and interpretation of the words and what it means to them.
What I see in these few short lyrics is that maybe this is a break up that the writer may have experience long ago, maybe after cheating or lying to his girlfriend Emma. I feel that this song speaks of how he lived on from that experience and how Emma, possibly one of his first loves, always stayed with him throughout his life:
"So apropos: Saw death on a sunny snow" the image of the snowy, cold scenery and how light shines in the darkest of places and situations.
"For every life..." maybe the singer is trying to explain the lies he has hidden from Emma for so long.
"Forego the parable." she says to him not to beat around the bush but just to tell her what's going on.
"Seek the light." maybe he refers to light as forgiveness, and he pleas to her for forgiveness As he tells her the truth.
"...My knees are cold." awkwardness as she listens to the truth.
(Running home, running home, running home, running home...) repetitiveness of the action of always running home when things turn tough.
"Go find another lover;
To bring a... to string along!" she tells him to love others, and live his life without her.
"With all your lies,
You're still very lovable." even though he lies and hurts her, she still loves him.
"I toured the light; so many foreign roads for Emma, forever ago." he lived, he travelled, but always Emma stayed in his heart.
This song has very few words, and maybe even little meaning in it but I really like listening to the gentle music in the background; of the guitar, trumpet and trombone. All working together in creating a calming and nostalgic melody and feel of lonely cold winters, and the sadness of remembering past relationship, along with the haunting yet soothing high tones of Bon Iver.
