Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in this moment this order’s tall
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I’ll be with you
But it will be a different “kind”
I’ll be holding all the tickets
And you’ll be owning all the fines
Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in light brassiere
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full; so slow on the split
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
Now I’m breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?
Ooh, ooh
The Fragility of ‘Skinny Love’: A Closer Look
Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” is a haunting ballad that captures the rawness of a relationship on the brink. The phrase “skinny love” itself suggests a bond that is barely holding on—fragile and stripped to its emotional core. Through vivid imagery like “staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer,” the lyrics evoke a sense of loss and vulnerability. The repeated pleas to be patient, fine, and kind reveal the struggle to salvage something slipping away, while the questions in the final verse reflect the uncertainty and pain of letting go.
Song Credits
- Songwriter: Justin Vernon
- Release Year: 2007
- Label: Jagjaguwar