Bon Iver - 22, A Million (September 30, 2016) Album • Page 53

Full disclosure, I have been battling a very serious bout of depression this year over an assortment of things, questioning my every move and purpose. I have had a lot of truly wonderful things happen this year as well, but I have been very, very lost.

Anyway, the line

"A word about Gnosis:
It aint gonna buy the groceries"

has had me in tears basically every time.

 

This is my favorite line in the whole album and I echo your sentiments completely

 

I think part of it is just how defeated he sounds by the end of that second line. My wife was in the room the first time I listened to it and I actually had to go hide in the bathroom.

 

Thanks for sharing that, dude.

One of my favourite lyrics of 2016.

 

"what is left when unhungry?" is such a great line. So profound.

 

Could you maybe describe what the line means to you? Im not sure i understand it tbh

 

Gnosis is the Greek word for enlightenment, basically. I interpret it as the amount of knowledge or higher level understanding you have of the world does not matter when it comes to day to day to life. As enlightened as one can be, you still need money to buy groceries and keep living life. Reaching a higher understanding of yourself won't change the everyday scheme of things.

 

For the sake of honesty, I had to Google what "gnosis" meant when I first heard the line. Now that I know, it gives that couplet so much meaning.

 

same

 

The others already posted some concise, succinct responses but I guess I'll add this as well. So as we all know, the closing track off the previous album, "Beth/Rest", was meant to sum up his entire journey out of that lonely cabin and back out into the world so to speak. It was this celebratory, cathartic moment of euphoria.

As a result of this high, however, it led to a precipitous drop into a deep anxiety-ridden depression. Justin went to Greece in an attempt to inspire himself, but it only made him more lonely, lost and confused. And that's how he ended up at this conclusion:

That quote flows well with a line from "00000 Million":

"What a river don't know is:
to climb out and heed a line
To slow among roses
Or stay behind"

The idea here being that a flowing river isn’t able to climb out of its bed and literally “heed the line” to “slow down and smell the roses.” When you’re moving full speed ahead, it’s hard to realize all the things you’re missing along the way. Thus, if you know the river does not end, that it is ever ongoing, then slow down once in a while and take time for yourself. This circles back to the line about Gnosis. If you are charging full speed ahead on a flowing river of anxiety about your place in the world, constantly searching for your Beth/Rest moment of spiritual enlightenment, which only comes in a moment of sudden revelation, you miss everything going on around you. Though such deep knowledge is desired, it ultimately does very little to sustain modern life. The next line is "it aint gonna buy the groceries / or middle-out locusts / or weigh to find". The locusts bit is another piece of biblical imagery found throughout the album and it suggests the plagues which swarm in from nowhere and inevitably lay waste to the bountiful crops in your life. So literally worrying and wondering over your place in this world, your life's purpose (or perhaps what you dreamed your purpose to be when it hasn't turned out that way) won't resolve either your day-to-day practical problems like buying groceries or paying the bills and it will do little to ease the pain of the greater hardships that beset you as well. In the end, those moments of Beth/Rest are wonderful, but they are not the end credits of a movie and they are fleeting. This only lends greater meaning to the closing refrain of "it harms me, I'll let it in."

For me personally this has meant a lot as I've wrestled with my own unresolved issues.

 

This is a fantastic analysis

 

Thank you. This song, whole album really but this song in particular, has genuinely been a source of comfort.

 

Does anyone know the opener on the current tour ?

 

I know Francis and the Lights are support for his shows in California that are happening right now, not sure about any other dates.

 

Missed them in Oakland but my god the new album was insanely cool live. Made me really appreciate the step he took artistically with 22aM

 

Yesterday was the first day I didn't listen to this album at least once since August 13th hahaha

 

You guys.....

 

really hope they tour a bunch next year. i'm sure they'll have a few wisconsin shows.

 

and that live video was sick

 

dang he got really high on "fold my clothes" haha.

 

Haha, yeah he did. Love what he did with the melody throughout.

 

I honestly just hope they play at Eaux Claires III but I don't really see it happening. Still going nonetheless lol

 

same, really not expecting it. volcano choir would be dope and i could potentially see that happening.

 

What I want to see more than anything is a DeYarmond reunion. At least give me Heroin(e) or As Long As I Can go, damnit.

 

my brother was there last night and sent me a snap during this video. I died.