After fronting several rock bands in his native Idaho, singer/songwriter Justin Ringle moved to Portland, OR in 2004 and began focusing on acoustic music, playing open mics regularly under the moniker Horse Feathers. In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick heard a couple of Justin's demos and offered to help flesh them out. In February 2006 the duo went into Skyler Norwood's Miracle Lake studios and recorded their debut album, Words are Dead, which was released that September on Portland label, Lucky Madison. Later that year, Peter's sister Heather Broderick joined the group on cello and by 2007, Horse Feathers began featuring a rotating cast of instrumentalists backing Justin's guitar and vocals.
Justin and the Brodericks returned to Miracle Lake studios in the fall and winter of 2007 and recorded House With No Home, which was released on Kill Rock Stars in the spring of 2008. Around that time, Peter left the country to pursue music in Europe, and Nathan Crockett was enlisted to cover violin duties. Several months later, Heather also left the group to pursue other musical projects and cellist Catherine Odell came on board. The current lineup was rounded out at the beginning of 2009 when Sam Cooper joined as a multi-instrumentalist. As a four piece, the group has been touring extensively and released a new album entitled Thistled Spring on Kill Rock Stars, April 20th, 2010.
Dustbowl
Horse Feathers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wicked are the vowes she breaks.
Leaving all her luck to haste.
Leaving all her luck to waste.
All these things in a box,
Where she goes she lays.
Leaving all these boys to fight.
Leaving all her luck to haste.
Leaving all her lust to waste.
All these things in a box,
Where she goes she stops.
Hell to all these moneymakers.
Lives they won't mistake.
Oh, you knew I loved to hate her.
Eyes that won't debate.
The opening lines of Horse Feathers' Dustbowl are about a woman who is dangerous and unpredictable. The singer describes her as tasting vicious mouths and breaking wicked vows, indicating that she is someone who can't be trusted. She is also impulsive, leaving her luck to haste and waste. The following lines suggest that she is constantly on the move, with all her things packed up in a box as she goes from place to place. The singer notes that wherever she lays is where she goes, indicating that she doesn't stay in one place for long.
The second verse continues the theme of the woman leaving men behind, but this time it's more about her abandoning them to fight amongst themselves, emphasizing her manipulative nature. Again, she leaves her luck to haste and her lust to waste, suggesting that she is a player who doesn't really care about the people she uses or the consequences of her actions. The final lines of the song are more enigmatic, describing "moneymakers" who won't mistake their lives and "eyes that won't debate." It's unclear who or what these lines refer to, but they suggest a world of ruthless competition where people are always trying to get ahead and not get caught.
Overall, Dustbowl is a song about a woman who is destructive and selfish, moving through life without any real sense of purpose or loyalty. The lyrics paint a bleak picture of a world where people are constantly fighting for survival and there is little time for compassion or empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
Viscious are the mouthes she tastes.
The women this person associates with are often going behind other people's backs and spreading negativity.
Wicked are the vowes she breaks.
They have no problem breaking promises or disregarding people's feelings.
Leaving all her luck to haste.
They're not willing to take their time and make well thought out decisions, leading to mistakes.
Leaving all her luck to waste.
Due to their carelessness, they're squandering their potential opportunities.
All these things in a box,
Person is describing the complexity of this person and how they seem to have many different secrets and sides to them.
Where she goes she lays.
This person is promiscuous and sleeps around a lot, always moving on to the next thing.
Leaving all these men tonight,
They're not faithful and have no emotional connection to the people they're sleeping with.
Leaving all these boys to fight.
They're actively causing conflict and drama between people they're with.
Leaving all her lust to waste.
They're throwing away their desire and passion by not committing to anything.
All these things in a box,
They're difficult to understand and not transparent in their actions.
Where she goes she stops.
They don't stick around in one place for too long and cease to create anything long-lasting.
Hell to all these moneymakers.
Person has a distaste for people who prioritize money above all else.
Lives they won't mistake.
The livelihoods of these money-hungry people will not be affected by their actions.
Oh, you knew I loved to hate her.
This person hates this woman for all her negative behavior but can't seem to leave them alone.
Eyes that won't debate.
Their eyes are stubborn and show no sign of changing or being influenced by outside opinions.
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.