Four Winds
Bright Eyes
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Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe There's people always dying, trying to keep them alive There are bodies decomposing in containers tonight In an abandoned building where A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world Four winds blowing through her hair But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed She caves The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute If you burn them all together, you get close to the truth still They are pouring over Sanskrit on the ivy league moons While shadows lengthen in the sun Cast on a school of meditation built to soften the times And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines Four winds, cry until it comes And it's the sum of man Slouching towards Bethlehem A heart just can't contain all of that empty space It breaks, it breaks, it breaks Well, I went back to my rented Cadillac and company jet Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps All the way to Cassadaga to commune with the dead They said, 'You'd better look alive.' And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps In the black hills, the bad lands, the calloused east I buried my ballast, I made my peace Heard four winds leveling the pines But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon She just can't remain with all that outer space She breaks, she breaks, she caves, she caves
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Written by: CONOR OBERST
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
15 facts about this song
Song Origin"Four Winds" is a song by indie rock band Bright Eyes, initially released on March 6, 2007.
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Album ReferenceThis song is the first single from their 2007's full-length studio album called Cassadaga.
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Song Length"Four Winds" has the duration of approximately 4 minutes and 16 seconds.
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Music StyleThe song showcases the folk-rock genre, a trademark of Bright Eyes' music.
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Chart Performance"Four Winds" reached #37 on the UK Singles chart and made it to #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.
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Song InspirationThe title "Four winds" refers to the Four Winds of the Native American’s belief, embodying the cardinal directions: north, east, south, west.
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Bright Eyes' FormationBright Eyes, the creators of "Four Winds", is a band produced by Conor Oberst, a prominent singer-songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.
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Critical ReceptionThe song received widespread critical acclaim, praised for its lyricism and distinct sound.
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Recognition"Four Winds" was ranked #54 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.
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Lyrics ThemeThe lyrics of "Four Winds" discusses themes including social criticism, in-depth human emotions and religious iconography.
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Album ConceptThe album "Cassadaga," where the song "Four Winds" featured, is named after a spiritualist camp in Florida, reflecting the album's overall spiritual themes.
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Music VideoThe song's music video is directed by Patrick Daughters and features Conor Oberst in various roles, from a farm worker to a military officer.
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EPBesides the album, "Four Winds" is also included in an Extended Play release of the same name, boasting five B-side tracks not found on Cassadaga.
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CollaborationsThe song also features guest vocals by Rachael Yamagata, an American singer-songwriter and pianist.
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Live Performances"Four Winds" has been a regular staple on Bright Eyes' live set lists, performing the song at numerous concerts and music festivals worldwide.
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"Four Winds Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 14 Jan. 2025. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/10332685/Bright+Eyes/Four+Winds>.
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