‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ by Bon Iver - Lyrics & Meaning

‘THINGS BEHING THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ officially dropped as part of Bon Iver's 2024 EP, SABLE,, alongside ‘AWARDS SEASON’ and the previously released ‘S P E Y S I D E’.

However, for Bon Iver aficionados, ‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ is far from a brand new track. They've been keenly awaiting its arrival ever since Justin Vernon - the man behind Bon Iver - first performed the introspective offering during a 2020 presidential campaign live-stream for Bernie Sanders.

It finds Bon Iver at the most vulnerable we've ever seen him, as he reflects on the overarching theme of SABLE,, which is an ongoing, identity-challenging battle with anxiety and grief. In a statement from Bon Iver's team, ‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ is described as being written unexpectedly during a period of intense self-examination and doubt regarding what comes next for his artistry.

It's worth outlining that, as is always the case with Bon Iver, every detail is intentional and meaningful, right down to the spacing of ‘S P E Y S I D E’ and the comma in the title, ‘SABLE,’. Every project in Bon Iver's catalogue features a comma in the name. In the lead-up to his 2019 record, i,i, he explained that these commas signify “two thoughts, two pieces”. For the first time, SABLE, finds the comma coming at the end the title, perhaps symbolising that this body of work is pervaded by one core theme, rather than being underpinned by duelling concepts. Alternatively, some speculate that this could mean a sequel to SABLE, is on the way.

In the years following Bon Iver's trailblazing debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, in 2007, Justin Vernon has increasingly experimented with shape-shifting, ethereal vocal effects. This is exemplified by 2016's 22, A Million and 2019's i,i, which often leaves the listener trying to grasp onto Vernon's voice amidst the modulated haze, before it disappears, contorts itself and reemerges where you never expected it to be.

On ‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’, though, Bon Iver's voice is more lucid and sharp than we've heard it in a long time. His gravelly baritone grinds forlornly against an enchanting combination of a light, breezy guitar riff and a subtle, undulating drum pattern. The instrumental stays firmly within the bounds of folk, as is also the case with ‘S P E Y S I D E’, a stark contrast to the mercurial, genre-hopping feel of i,i. It seemingly represents how this is Bon Iver revealing himself in a more open, clear and candid way than he has across his previous projects to date.

“I would like the feeling
I would like the feeling
I would like the feeling gone

‘Cause I don't like the way it’s
I don't like the way it’s
I don't like the way it’s looking”

‘THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ appears to follow a protagonist who is struggling with uncomfortable feelings, such as anxiety, with Bon Iver crooning about how he wants these distressing emotions and sensations to leave him in pease.

“I get caught looking
In the mirror...on the regular
What I see there resembles some competitor
I see things behind things behind things
And there are rings within rings within rings”

The crux of the track is seemingly that each of our motives, feelings and perspectives is coloured by something deeper, which in turn is influenced by another experience or memory. The narrator looks at himself in the mirror, attempting to dissect why he feels this way, before seeing a sense of rivalry buried within him.

He transitions from the titular phrase (“I see things behind things behind things”) to a similar line (“And there are rings within rings within rings”). The latter could simply be another way of portraying how the cycles we find ourselves in are all relating to something else deeper within us, or alternatively, it could be a nod to the common image of trees having many rings in their stumps, showing their age. Another interpretation could be that Bon Iver is referring here to Dante's nine circles of hell, perhaps emphasising his sense of anguish and turmoil.

“I can’t go through the motions
I can’t go through the motions
How am I supposed to do this now?”

The protagonist explicates his feeling of listlessness, determining that he can't be content to merely ‘go through the motions’ in life. He seems to reference the uncertainties surrounding his future as an artist, which were mentioned in the official statement accompanying the SABLE, release, as he asks how he can continue on this path.

“Say we went out strolling
Say we went out strolling
Say I went and told them how

I am afraid
Of changing
And when it comes a time to check and rearrange shit
There are things behind things behind things
And there are rings within rings within rings”

The narrator juxtaposes the angst of the preceding lyrics with the comparatively light, comforting line, “Say we went out strolling”. He appears to accept that he needs to evolve and “rearrange shit”, but he is nonetheless scared of changing. The layers of his identity are too entrenched and intertwined with all the “things behind things behind things” that have helped to construct his identity.

“I got caught compiling
I got caught compiling
I got caught compiling my own news”

Given the fact that ‘THINGS BEHING THINGS BEHIND THINGS’ was penned in 2020, a particularly tumultuous period where a variety of depressing and vexing news was coming to the fore, these lyrics could be a reference to how troubled the narrator felt by these stories. The line, “I got caught compiling my own news” could be a reference to humans have a negativity bias when it comes to reports, so perhaps he felt as though he was focussing too much on the more painful aspects of the information he was receiving through social media, TV broadcasts, etc.

“I never lose
And who’s the benefactor
And how to move without touching every interactor
When there are things behind things behind things
(A little further)
And there are rings within rings within rings”

In these final lines, it feels as though Bon Iver is conveying an idea similar to the famous ‘Butterfly Effect’, which posits that the tiniest activities - such as the flap of a butterfly's wings - can ultimately, through a long line of consequences, lead to major events, such as a typhoon. The protagonist in this song acknowledges that everything is interwoven, and he wonders who benefits the most from these chains of causation, before seeking to go about his life without being caught up in this web of related events. The minimalism of SABLE, - both musically and aesthetically - seems to capture the yearning for a comforting isolation, and a safe-haven from the modern, globally connected nature of the world. It seems the anxiety the narrator references is being framed as stemming from this.

“I would like the feeling
I would like the feeling
I would like the feeling gone

-

‘Cause I don't like the way it’s
I don't like the way it’s
I don't like the way it’s looking

-

I get caught looking
In the mirror...on the regular
What I see there resembles some competitor
I see things behind things behind things
And there are rings within rings within rings

-

I can’t go through the motions
I can’t go through the motions
How am I supposed to do this now?

-

Say we went out strolling
Say we went out strolling
Say I went and told them how

-

I am afraid
Of changing
And when it comes a time to check and rearrange shit
There are things behind things behind things
And there are rings within rings within rings

-

I got caught compiling
I got caught compiling
I got caught compiling my own news

-

I never lose
And who’s the benefactor
And how to move without touching every interactor
When there are things behind things behind things
(A little further)
And there are rings within rings within rings”

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