| Bright Eyes – Susan Miller Rag Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I'm pretty sure it's "tequila gimlets" not "tequila, Guiness". | |
| Bright Eyes – Four Winds Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I'd like to point out that Cassadaga is a town of PSYCHICS, not mediums. All mediums are psychics, but not all psychics are mediums. Oh, but how many are charlatans? Also as mentioned before and according to Wikipedia: "Great Satan is a common epithet for the United States of America in Iranian foreign policy statements." Also the word "great" itself has rather more than one meaning; one of which is "of extraordinary powers" which I think would be a fitting description of Satan no matter whose side you're on. I think Conor's mixing imagery from a variety of sources and spiritual beliefs here, not merely biblical. Besides Christian, I can pick out Islamic, Native American, Jewish, New Age and Buddhist and/or Hindu (or maybe something else) references easily, plus the allusion to Yeats -- I think "slouches toward Bethlehem" is lifted from the poem The Second Coming and therefore doesn't refer to Jesus at all. In fact, now that I consider it, I wonder if Conor isn't simply alluding to Yeats' poem but updating the warning for these "interesting times" that we're living in. Whatever Conor's personal beliefs are, he seems to be saying something along the lines of "the end is nigh". Indeed, I think by calling on all these different beliefs the implication is that particular religions are irrelevant, that whatever's impending is not concerned with conforming to any ideology and won't bother making distinctions. Or perhaps that the clashing of all these beliefs (or the believers) will be to blame. Alright, I was gonna take this further, but I'm done for tonight. |
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| Bright Eyes – Four Winds Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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While there is a Cassadaga in New York, I think the Cassadaga referenced here is the one in Florida, with all the psychics. In a Rolling Stone article Conor said he had reading from a medium there. Also, the Four Winds cover is on Amazon now. I looked up EHEIIE, ELIION, ELOA, IEOVA (the words around the yellow drawing) on google and the only return I got was the Key of Solomon. Which is apparently a medival book of conjuring and magic. |
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| Bright Eyes – Four Winds Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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It's definitely "Black HILLS" not "black hairs". The Black Hills and the Badlands are geological features in South Dakota. I'm fairly certain Conor's referring to the Lakota (Sioux) in that verse; the Black Hills are sacred land to them and there was a series of conflicts over the territory. As far as the "genocide" I wonder if he's referring to a particular event. I found it interesting to note that the Lakota were to be transported to Omaha prior the Wounded Knee Massacre. It's amazing how evocative a couple little lines in a song can be. Although, I'm kinda fascinated with the history of the West, and the Lakota in particular, so having that history in my mind makes those lines really stand out. On a lighter note, I wanted to be in the video! I could've done it too, but I would've had to take the bus out to L.A. and then I would've been on my own when I was really sick so it didn't seem like a good idea. I wish I'd been well enough to go; it's not an oppurtunity that comes around often. |
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| Bright Eyes – Four Winds Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I think it's Cassadaga (a community in Florida with a large number of psychics), not Casa David. Other corrections: it's caste, not cash in line 1, and the son of man, not song in line 20. Also I think the 13th line goes: "If you burned them all together you'd get close to the truth" and the 24th is "Well I went back by rented Cadillac and company jet". At least in the version I heard. I really hope this one makes it onto the next record. Or EP. Or something. I love all the imagery and different spiritual references. |
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