"Skinny Love" is a song by American indie folk band Bon Iver.
"Skinny Love" was the first single released from Bon Iver's 2007 début album For Emma, Forever Ago in America. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2008. While "Skinny Love" has been considered a reference to his relationship with former girlfriend Christy Smith, Vernon countered this as "not entirely accurate [...] 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."
The song was used in the first episode of Grey's Anatomy's fifth season. The digital download track "Skinny Love" was selected to be iTunes (UK) single of the week and was available for free during that time, as well as being featured as the track of the day on National Public Radio. On 6 October 2008, "Skinny Love" was featured in the NBC series Chuck (season 2, episode 3). On 11 December 2008, Bon Iver performed "Skinny Love" on the Late Show with David Letterman. On 26 January 2009, "Skinny Love" was announced at #21 by the Australian national radio station Triple J in the annual Hottest 100 countdown of the previous year's best songs. In July 2009, "Skinny Love" was announced at #92 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time countdown. In June 2013, "Skinny Love" was announced at #16 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of the Last 20 Years countdown.
Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt, we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in this moment this order's tall
I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines
Come on skinny love what happened here
We suckled on the hope in lite brassieres
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
And who the hell was I?
I'm breaking at the bridges
And at the end of all your lines
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?