For the love, Iʼd fallen on
in the swampy August dawn
what a mischief you would bring young darling!
when the onus is not all your own
when you’re up for it before you’ve grown
from the faun forever gone
in the towers of your honeycomb
I’d a tore your hair out just to climb back darling
when you’re filling out your only form
can you tell that itʼs just ceremon’
now you’ve added up to what you’re from
build your tether rain-out from your fragments…
break the sailor’s table on your sacrum…
fuck the fiercest fables, I’m with Hagen
for the love, comes the burning young
from the liver, sweating through your tongue
well, youʼre standing on my sternum don’t you climb down darling
oh the sermons are the first to rest
smoke on Sundays when youʼre drunk and dressed
out the hollows where the swallow nests
Exploring Memory and Longing in “Towers”
Bon Iver’s “Towers” is a masterclass in poetic lyricism, weaving together themes of memory, youth, and emotional distance. The song’s imagery—swampy August dawns, honeycomb towers, and sailors’ tables—creates a dreamlike landscape where nostalgia and regret intertwine. The lyrics suggest a relationship marked by both tenderness and turbulence, with lines like “I’d a tore your hair out just to climb back darling” evoking desperation and longing for what once was.
Symbols and Emotional Layers
The recurring references to growth, ceremony, and the passage of time hint at coming-of-age struggles and the burden of expectation. The “towers of your honeycomb” symbolize both safety and isolation, while the final verses echo with the pain of separation and the rituals we use to cope. Ultimately, “Towers” stands as a haunting meditation on love’s impermanence and the fragments we try to rebuild from.
Song Credits
Artist: Bon Iver
Songwriter: Justin Vernon
Release Year: 2011
Label: Jagjaguwar