“U (Man Like)” is a piano-driven ballad that touches on modern social issues. The Gospel-influenced song features silvery backing vocals from Jenn Wasner, Moses Sumney and Elsa Jensen, as well as graceful vocal parts from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and Bryce Dessner of The National.
Justin Vernon(Wr...
[Verse 1: Justin Vernon]
Mmm, mmm
I will see you off now
Down the back of the ridge
There's just something that I got to show you
There is domer and there's rot
And the common case
It ain't nothing what you say is true
[Chorus: Justin Vernon, Jenn Wasner, & Elsa Jensen]
With your long arms, try
And just give some time
Presently, it does include my dues
Ain't your standard premonitions
All this phallic repetition
Boy, you tell yourself a tale or two
[Post-Chorus: Jenn Wasner, Moses Sumney, & Elsa Jensen]
Man like you
Man, improve
[Verse 2: Bruce Hornsby, (Moses Sumney), & Brooklyn Youth Chorus]
Well, I know that we set off for a common place
(And the lines have run too deep)
How much caring is there of some American love
When there's lovers sleeping in your streets?
[Chorus: Justin Vernon, Jenn Wasner, & Elsa Jensen]
So Cerberus Ride
Bring those dead alive
Like Pirate Jenny on the Black Freighter
It'll be a long day of fixing
Make something else your mission
Boy, why this shit's so hard to cue?
[Post-Chorus: Moses Sumney]
Man like you
How you do?
[Outro: Justin Vernon, Bruce Hornsby, Jenn Wasner, Elsa Jensen, & Moses Sumney]
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Na-na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Hey
U (Man Like) was written by Justin Vernon & Naeem & Chris Messina & Bruce Hornsby.
U (Man Like) was produced by Chris Messina & Brad Cook & Justin Vernon.
Bon Iver released U (Man Like) on Mon Jun 03 2019.
We had Bruce [Hornsby] come out to Justin’s studio for a session for his Absolute Zero record. Bruce was playing a bunch of musical ideas that he had just sort of done at his house, and that piano figure in that song–I feel like we were tracking 15 seconds later. It was like, “Wait, can we listen to...