“Flume” has an eerily interiorized sound, which matches his unsettling similes. “Lump Sum” begins with a choir of Vernons echoing cavernously, which, along with that rhythmically rushing guitar, initiates the listener into the song’s strange space.
The stage name of electronic music producer Flume...
[Verse 1]
I am my mother's only one
It's enough
I wear my garment so it shows
Now you know
[Chorus]
Only love is all maroon
Gluey feathers on a flume
Sky is womb and she's the moon
[Verse 2]
I am my mother on the wall
With us all
I move in water, shore to shore
Nothing's more
[Chorus]
Only love is all maroon
Lapping lakes like leery loons
Leaving rope burns, reddish rouge
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
Only love is all maroon
Gluey feathers on a flume
Sky is womb and she's the moon
Flume was written by Justin Vernon.
Flume was produced by Justin Vernon.
From an interview with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon with Pitchfork:
When I made “Flume” one afternoon at Christy [Smith, Justin’s girlfriend at the time and a player on For Emma]’s house, it immediately felt insane. I’d never done anything like that. It was this new falsetto thing that I’d been working...
From an interview with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon with Pitchfork:
After growing up in a Neil Young/ Bob Dylan/ Indigo Girls/ John Prine/ subjective-songwriter kind of world, I finally realized I didn’t have what they had, or I couldn’t do it as well, or I wasn’t exploring deep enough.
The subconsciou...
In a tweet, Justin Vernon revealed it was his favorite song he ever wrote.
On July 25, 2023, “Flume” was certified gold by the RIAA.