by George Spencer·Published · Updated
There’s two things that we know about Justin Vernon, the mastermind behind Bon Iver.One is that his lyrics are never straightforward.Second,he isn’twhat one would define as a mainstream Christian. So listeners with that foreknowledge know that“Heavenly Father”, despite what may be implied by its title, will not be a traditional religious song.
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You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Bon Iver's Heavenly Father at Lyrics.org.
And by and large what we are met with here can be classified as philosophical, as in good luck understanding all that’s being put forth.But what the lyrics seem to revolve around is the concept of freedom and the vocalist’s search for such.Since this is indeed a religion-inspired piece, in this case what we are referring to here is spiritual freedom, and it can be said as akin to what’s advertised in the New Testament.
All lyrics of “Heavenly Father” considered, what Justin seems to be putting forth is a sense of humbleness in this quest. He doesn’t fully understand how this goal is achieved.But in his own unique way, the vocalist appears to acknowledge that the “Heavenly Father” is merciful, i.e. entertaining followers like Justin who are far from perfect.
It also seems that the vocalist is recognizing a sense of ultimate peace that can be achieved through a relationship with the Lord. In his eyes, this peace can be found regardless of how tumultuous life itself may be. And concerning other parts of the song that are not as easily discernible, it should be noted that, even beyond Bon Iver’s generally-confusing artistic leanings,“Heavenly Father”was directly inspired by the movie it was written for (which by the wayseems to have relatively littleto do with religion itself).
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Sosome credible analystshave offered that fully understanding this piece would require a viewing of said film.
When was “Heavenly Father” released?
“Heavenly Father” came out on 30 June 2014. It is one of Bon Iver’s earliest singles. It came out aspart of the soundtrackto a Zach Braff film titled“Wish I Was Here“.
Credits
This song was written and produced by Bon Iver frontman and founder Justin Vernon.
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Bob says:
October 5, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Sorry to burst your bubble Greg. As a believer, I continue to be amazed at the fanciful meanings my brothers and sisters in Christ superimpose on secular music that has nothing whatsoever to do with the blessed hope. This song is no exception. Whatever the ultimate meaning is of the song, you can be assured that Christian faith had little if anything to do with it. Granted there are religious underpinnings to it, because the main character of the flick that inspired the song is a Jew.
But the reality is that the subject matter is mainly about transformation in the main character’s life and the catalyst for that transformation was the imminent death of this character’s father. Additionally, Vernon has stated categorically that he is NOT a Christian. He doesn’t even believe in a higher power…at all. I understand that the song is somewhat oblique.
Hell…I even thought the song was a worship piece before I sat down and read the lyrics. That’s when I realized it was NOT at all what I thought it was. Just read the lyrics; they’re not so oblique that you can’t understand he’s not speaking of NT Christian freedom in Christ.
Faith in Christ has nothing to do with this song. And if it did, that would be strange, since the inspiration for the song is a character steeped in Judaism. There are quite a few lines in the lyrics of the song that strongly suggest the opposite of anything even remotely tied to Christian faith.
Along with that it’s pretty obvious that Heavenly Father is a metaphor signifying the main character’s earthly father. But given Vernon’s lack of spiritual orientation, it’s not a stretch to say that the character’s father’s death is a type of death of God in Vernon’s own life. As such he sees himself as free from such strictures. Therefore, it’s not surprising that these ideas would make their way into this song.
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Anonymous says:
July 20, 2023 at 3:42 am
No malice or ill intentions here, but first off why would anyone think this song is a “traditional religious song”? I sincerely can’t believe how far off the mark OP is. I completely disagree with what s/he states. I can’t imagine why anyone would think this song has anything to do with Christianity. It doesn’t. What does “I don’t know how you house the sin” mean if it does? Choler means anger or ill humor, so think about it. I mean, has OP even listened to the song? I’m stunned. I guess OP is someone that takes the Bible literally and doesn’t understand how it’s coded. It’s coded and it’s been bastardized. Entire books are missing. Google The Gospel of Thomas and you’ll understand. I don’t understand how people are so misguided. OP has no idea who or what s/he really is. OP doesn’t know s/he IS God. OP doesn’t know that s/he is co-creating her/his own reality every day. Do you think these lyrics support Christianity? “Heavenly father is whose brought to his autumn and love is left in end”. Really? It’s the opposite of what you think and that’s a good thing because Christians don’t have any idea who they’re actually worshipping. If they did they’d all go jump off a bridge. Just bring love. That’s the only goal. Feel joy and bring love. That’s what living is for. You don’t have to come back here if you don’t want to but you have to figure it out or you’ll keep coming back. You’ve lived a thousand lives. Evolution is real. Evolve, please.
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The Dude says:
August 24, 2023 at 9:45 am
Im really sorry to both comments above. But you’re both right and wrong. Right because your opinions are valid (and for me personally somewhat agreeable), but you’re wrong because everyones interpretations of song can be different. The OG Post even references how his lyrics are never straight forward.
Since I’m here my two cents…
The song references the death of main character’s father. It also references the relationship that main character felt he had with his father. It’s about forgiveness of his father and of himself (maybe for not making better effort to patch things up better). And this forgiveness was made through love. That Love can be like lava, it purifies everything in its wake.
I think this song is honestly on for the most beautiful songs in the world. And to be honest not worth tearing down anyones interpretations of. The beauty that is found in the song is that it can meaning anything to anyone at all different times of their lives.
So go back enjoy the song. And let love rule.
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