Skinny love lyrics break down

1. Brett Egan and Charlotte Pepper.
Skinny Love- Bon Iver (Birdy Cover) - (3:34)

(Piano intro)- 0:15
Come on skinny love just last the year – (0:15- 0:19)
Pour a little salt; we were never here - (0:22- 0:27)
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my- (0:28- 0:32)
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer- (0:33- 0:39)

I tell my love to wreck it all- (0:42- 0:45)
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall- (0:47- 0:51)
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my- (0:52- 0:56)
Right in this moment this order's tall- (0:57- 1:02)

I told you to be patient- (1:04- 1:06)
I told you to be fine- (1:07- 1:09)
And I told you to be balanced- (1:10- 1:12)
And I told you to be kind- (1:12- 1:14)

In the morning I'll be with you- (1:14- 1:17)
But it will be a different kind- (1:18- 1: 20)
I'll be holding all the tickets- (1:21- 1:24)
And you'll be owning all the fines- (1:24- 1:27)

Come on skinny love what happened here- (1:32- 1:35)
We suckled on the hope in lite brassieres- (1:37- 1:42)
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my- (1:42- 1:46)
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split- (1:48- 1:52)

2. And I told you to be patient- (1:55- 1:57)
And I told you to be fine- (1:58- 2:00)
And I told you to be balanced- (2:01- 2:03)
And I told you to be kind- (2:03- 2:05)

And now all your love is wasted- (2:07- 2:09)
And who the hell was I? (2:09- 2:11)
I'm breaking at the bridges- (2:12- 2:14)
And at the end of all your lines- (2:14- 2:17)

Who will love you?- (2:24- 2:26)
Who will fight?- (2:26- 2:28)
Who will fall far behind?- (2:30- 2:36)

Come on skinny love – (2:41- 2:47)
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my- (2:52- 2:56)
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my- (2:58- 3:03)


Meaning:
I think its about love going wrong and relationships breaking down and hitting someone hard.
As for the title "Skinny Love" it could be an affectionate term he gave his girlfriend, or maybe the fact
that their love is wasting away- shrinking to skinny. The latter is probably more likely, due to the
reference in the first line "Come on, skinny love just last the year".

"Pour a little salt, we were never here" Salt has healing properties, when put on open wound they
help the process along. Metaphorically speaking, he wants this doomed relationship to heal, to even
"Just last the year."

3. Vivid imagery –‘blood and crushed veneer’ in a sink, as if a vase was broken in a fight of some sort.

‘Cut out all the ropes and let me fall’- I think this shows that he wants to break away but finds it hard
to do it himself and wants her to end the relationship.

I think the third verse is him blaming her for the split, I think this may reflect the angry period after a
break-up when a couple are bitter towards each other.

Stanza four seems like a mixture of memories, asking why and how they went so wrong and how
even though the burden of pain (through separating) is heavy, it's still hard to "split."

The last part gives us a glimpse as to WHY it went sour. It seems she kind of led him on, that she
wasn't that into him- when he really cared for her.

He then states that its unlikely she'll find anyone worthwhile, no one will be able to love her for all
the stuff she puts her partners through.