Wisconsin – English Lyrics

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

Lyrics & Translation

Uncover the profound beauty of Bon Iver's "Wisconsin," a song steeped in the evocative imagery of the American Midwest. This track offers a unique opportunity to explore English through its poetic lyrics, which artfully blend themes of love, loss, and the indelible mark of places and memories on our lives. Justin Vernon's distinct falsetto and introspective songwriting make "Wisconsin" a special journey into emotional depth and raw, acoustic storytelling, revealing how personal experiences can shape both language and music.

[English]

You ride in the park and youre peaking

Piss pools in your seat

Shes standing inside but you surely repeat

Oh God dont leave me here

I will freeze till the end

Love is loves reprieve

Winter is coming and you're stuck here

Oh and so is she

Now when the wind blows you cover your teeth

I told you to shed away and trade in your blues

Love is loves sad news

That was Wisconsin that was yesterday

Now I have nothing that I can keep

Cause every place I go I take another place with me

Love is loves mystique

Youre up on the bar and your shaking

With every grimy word

Who will love

Whats love when youve hurt

You wonder as you see the snow kissed the curb

Love is loves return

That was Wisconsin that was yesterday

Now I have nothing that I can keep

Cause every place I go I take another place with me

Love is loves critique

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ride /raɪd/ A2	verb - to travel by sitting on or in a vehicle or animal
freeze /friːz/ B1	verb - to become very cold and hard because of low temperature
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection for someone or something verb - to feel deep affection for someone
reprieve /rɪˈpriːv/ C1	noun - a relief or temporary escape from something unpleasant
winter /ˈwɪn.tər/ A1	noun - the coldest season of the year
wind /wɪnd/ A2	noun - air moving in a current outside
shed /ʃed/ B2	verb - to drop something naturally or remove it
trade /treɪd/ A2	verb - to exchange one thing for another
blues /bluːz/ B2	noun - a feeling of sadness; also a style of music
mystique /mɪˈstiːk/ C1	noun - an aura of mystery and magic around something
shake /ʃeɪk/ A2	verb - to move something quickly up and down or side to side
grimy /ˈɡraɪ.mi/ C1	adjective - covered with or characterized by dirt and filth
hurt /hɜːt/ A2	verb - to cause pain or sadness to someone
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - soft white frozen water that falls from the sky as flakes
curb /kɜːb/ B2	noun - the edge between a sidewalk and the street
return /rɪˈtɜːn/ A2	verb - to come or go back to a place
critique /krɪˈtiːk/ C1	noun - a detailed analysis or evaluation of something
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular location, position, or area

Key Grammar Structures

• You ride in the park and you're peaking

  ➔ Present continuous

  ➔ The form "you're peaking" shows an action happening right now.

• She’s standing inside but you surely repeat

  ➔ Present continuous + adverb of certainty

  ➔ "She's standing" shows an action happening now, and "surely" expresses confidence in the statement.

• I will freeze till the end

  ➔ Future simple with 'will'

  ➔ "Will freeze" expresses a future action or promise.

• Winter is coming and you're stuck here

  ➔ Present continuous as future + passive voice

  ➔ "Winter is coming" uses present continuous to talk about a near future event. "You're stuck" is in passive voice, showing the subject is affected.

• Now when the wind blows you cover your teeth

  ➔ Zero conditional

  ➔ The structure "when the wind blows, you cover your teeth" describes a general truth or habit.

• Now I have nothing that I can keep

  ➔ Relative clause with 'that'

  ➔ The clause "that I can keep" gives more information about "nothing" — what kind of 'nothing'.

• Cause every place I go I take another place with me

  ➔ Subordinate clause + parallel structure

  ➔ "Cause" introduces a reason clause, and the repetition of "place" creates a parallel structure emphasizing emotional carryover.

• Who will love? What's love when you've hurt?

  ➔ Interrogative form + present perfect

  ➔ The questions use inversion for interrogatives and "you've hurt" (you have hurt) describes an experience up to now.