Skinny Love

From the first listen, I was enchanted by Birdy's recording of Skinny Love but was unsure of what it was about. How immensely gratifying it was late last night to stumble upon an interview that revealed the following thoughts from songwriter Justin Vernon:

"We dated and she's an incredibly important person that I lived with for a long time, but it's about that time in a relationship that I was going through; you're in a relationship because you need help, but that's not necessarily why you should be in a relationship, and that's skinny. It doesn't have weight. Skinny love doesn't have a chance because it is not nourished."

Nourished. That's exactly how I feel when I drink in this exquisitely beautiful and melancholic song:

Lyrics for Skinny Love, by Justin Vernon

Come on skinny love just last the year,
Pour a little salt we were never here,
My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer.

Tell my love to wreck it all,
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall,
My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...
Right in the 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,
'Cause 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 brassieres,
My my 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?
'Cause now I'm breaking at the britches,
And at the end of all your lines.

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
And who will fall far behind?

Come on skinny love,
My my my, my my my, my-my my-my...
My my my, my my my, my-my my-my.