Re: Stacks – English Lyrics

• By: Bon Iver
• Album: For Emma, Forever Ago

Lyrics & Translation

Bon Iver's "Re: Stacks" is a masterclass in emotional vulnerability and metaphorical language. The simple acoustic arrangement and Justin Vernon's distinctive falsetto offer a quiet intimacy that is perfect for developing listening comprehension. Learning its lyrics will introduce you to deeply poetic phrases like 'This my excavation and today is Qumran,' providing insight into English metaphor and symbolism rooted in personal crisis and religious imagery.

[English]

This my excavation and today is kumran

...

Everything that happens is from now on

This is pouring rain

This is paralyzed

...

I keep throwing it down two-hundred at a time

...

It's hard to find it when you knew it

When your money's gone

And you're drunk as hell

...

On your back with your racks as the stacks are your load

In the back and the racks and the stacks of your load

...

In the back with your racks and you're un-stacking your load

...

Well I've been twisting to the sun and the moon

I needed to replace

...

The fountain in the front yard is rusted out

All my love was down

In a frozen ground

...

There's a black crow sitting across from me

His wiry legs are crossed

...

He is dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss

Whatever could it be

That has brought me to this loss?

...

On your back with your racks as the stacks are your load

In the back and the racks and the stacks of your load

...

In the back with your racks and you're un-stacking your load

...

This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization

...

It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away

Your love will be

Safe with me

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
excavation /ˌekskəˈveɪʃən/ C1	noun - the act of digging out and removing earth
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - water that falls from the sky in small drops
paralyzed /ˈpærəlaɪzd/ B2	adjective - unable to move or act
throw /θroʊ/ A2	verb - to send something through the air with your hand
find /faɪnd/ A2	verb - to discover or locate something
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - coins or notes used to buy things
load /loʊd/ B2	noun - something being carried, often heavy
stack /stæk/ B2	noun - a pile of objects arranged neatly verb - to arrange things in a pile
replace /rɪˈpleɪs/ B2	verb - to take the place of something or put something back
fountain /ˈfaʊntən/ B2	noun - a structure that sends water into the air
rusted /ˈrʌstɪd/ B2	adjective - covered with or affected by rust
crow /kroʊ/ B1	noun - a large black bird with a rough call
loss /lɔːs/ B1	noun - the fact of no longer having something or someone
unlocking /ʌnˈlɒkɪŋ/ B2	verb - to open something that is locked verb - to make something available or understood
safe /seɪf/ A2	adjective - protected from harm or danger

Key Grammar Structures

• Everything that happens is from now on

  ➔ Defining relative clause with 'that'

  ➔ 'that happens' defines which 'everything' the speaker refers to.

• This is pouring rain

  ➔ Metaphorical use of present continuous for description

  ➔ ‘is pouring’ implies ongoing emotion or atmosphere, not literal rain.

• I keep throwing it down two-hundred at a time

  ➔ Use of 'keep' + gerund for repeated action

  ➔ ‘keep throwing’ shows persistence or habitual repetition.

• When your money's gone and you're drunk as hell

  ➔ Elliptical sentence using 'when' clause with omitted main clause

  ➔ The main clause ('you feel lost' etc.) is implied, not stated.

• On your back with your racks as the stacks are your load

  ➔ Use of 'as' for equivalence or function

  ➔ ‘as the stacks are your load’ means ‘with the stacks functioning as your burden’.

• I needed to replace

  ➔ Past tense used for reflective realization

  ➔ ‘needed’ suggests the speaker realized a prior lack or change over time.

• All my love was down in a frozen ground

  ➔ Metaphorical passive structure using 'was down'

  ➔ ‘was down’ symbolizes love being buried or lost emotionally.

• He is dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss

  ➔ Parallel structure with present continuous and simple present

  ➔ ‘is dangling’ shows ongoing teasing; ‘fakes’ shows a quick, deliberate act.

• Whatever could it be that has brought me to this loss?

  ➔ Inversion for emphasis with modal + subject

  ➔ ‘Could it be’ places the modal before the subject to highlight wonder or emotion.

• It’s the sound of the unlocking and the lift away

  ➔ Nominalization using 'the + gerund' as noun phrase

  ➔ ‘the unlocking’ and ‘the lift away’ function as abstract nouns describing processes.