Although Bon Iver’s music is incredibly beautiful and thoughtful, from its humble folksy beginnings in For Emma, Forever Ago to the chaotic 22, A Million, Justin Vernon’s lyrics are pretty cryptic. For the most part, you can kind of figure out what each song is about, but there are some confusing words that you aren’t aware are confusing until you actually sing them out loud. (And then there are actual words like “modus” and “ponens” that you can Google, and then use the power of context to figure out why he used them.)

Here’s a list of words Mr. Vernon made up for the purposes of poetry (probably), and my interpretation of what they might mean:

Astuary, from “8 (circle)” — 22, A Million

“To walk aside your favor / I’m an astuary king”

It sounds similar to “estuary,” which is the part where the river stream meets the sea. This could either be a combination of “astute” and “estuary,” or Vernon was high when he wrote that word, and thought he was clever switching that vowel.

(I can confidently say he was high while making 22, A Million, because there’s a lyric in “29 #Strafford APTS” that literally goes: “Marijuana has you talkin’.”)

Arboretic, from “Minnesota, WI” — Bon Iver, Bon Iver

“Armour let it through / borne the arboretic truth, you kept posing”

There’s “athletic,” “diabetic,” “diuretic,” “prosthetic,” and so on. And then there’s “arboretic” — “arbor” having to do with trees. Either this is about forest-based trees, or Vernon’s talking about smoking weed again.

Ceremon, from “Towers” — Bon Iver, Bon Iver

“When you’re filling out your only form / can you tell that it’s just ceremon’ / now you’ve added up to what you’re from”

It’s a ceremony, but the “y” went missing while he was writing “Towers.”

Dedicoding, from “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” — 22, A Million

“Dedicoding every daemon / taken in the tall grass”

Dedicated coding. Or if I was serious about it: “dedi” means daddy in Belizean Creole, so it could mean patriarchal encryption? If it was enunciated differently, Dedicoding is likely to be a name for a future Pokemon.

Fuckified, from “10 d E A T h b R E a s T” — 22, A Million

“Or take it down the old lanes around / fuckified / darling don’t make love / fight it”

If “fuck” had its own “radical,” which would basically mean “fucked,” but, you know, jazzier.

Hagen, from “Towers” — Bon Iver, Bon Iver

“Fuck the fiercest fables / I’m with Hagen”

Now this is interesting, because if you’ve read the press release for 22, A Million, you’ll find out that “Hagen” is a reference to Vernon’s best friend Trever Hagen. In the press release, Hagen wrote about why 22, A Million was made in the first place — it basically stemmed from frustration and disillusionment after the success of Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Vernon had a breakdown on vacation and Hagen was there to comfort him. Afterward, Vernon decided to subvert expectations, and make an album that’s certain to alienate a lot of fans and potential new listeners. “Hagen,” as a lyric, is a symbol of strength and confidence for Vernon.

(That’s probably the most serious interpretation of a cryptic word I’m ever going to make in this post.)

In-vetted, from “Hinnom, TX” — Bon Iver, Bon Iver

“In Hinnom / go, the least / and the precious feast / the in-vetted”

An investigating on top of an investigation. Something that’s been created, but it comes with a stuffy nose, so the person has trouble pronouncing the “en” part of “invented.”

Michicant, from “Michicant” — Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Being prohibited to do things in Michigan.

Paramind, from “29 #Strafford APTS” — 22, A Million

“Paramind, paramind”

Well, “para” means “beside,” and “mind” means “mind.” He probably meant to pronounce it “pair o’ mine,” which, uh, wouldn’t have made the lyric less weird, really.

Rememorize, from “21 M♢♢N WATER” — 22, A Million

“Rememorize numb / and half the hum / moon water”

This is another weed thing, isn’t it?