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.
Working Poor
Horse Feathers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as blank as we are bleak.
Too far gone in our heads.
We all live and work in the red.
We're cold,
we had done all we've been told.
There's no court for our case.
We all bend, we all break.
We all forfeit what we make.
Too far gone, in our heads.
We all live and work in the red.
We're cold,
we had done all we've been told.
There's no court for our case.
What failure gave us suits our taste.
There's no money to our names.
Empty pockets to our graves.
There's no court for our case.
What failure gave us suits our taste
The lyrics of Horse Feathers' song Working Poor paint a picture of a group of young people who feel defeated and trapped by their circumstances. They describe themselves as weak, bleak, and too far gone in their heads, suggesting that they are struggling with mental health issues. They live and work in the red, meaning that they are in debt and struggling to make ends meet.
Despite working hard and doing everything they have been told to do, they feel like they are getting nowhere. They are cold and broken, having forfeited everything they have made. They feel like there is no court for their case, meaning that they have no legal recourse or chance of changing their situation. And yet, they seem to find some comfort in their failure, suggesting that it somehow suits their taste.
The final verse of the song emphasizes their poverty, with the bleak image of empty pockets leading to their graves. The lyrics suggest that they are resigned to their situation, with failure being the only thing that feels familiar or comfortable to them.
Line by Line Meaning
We are young and we are weak.
Despite our youth, we lack strength and vitality.
Just as blank as we are bleak.
We are devoid of hope, our future appears bleak and empty.
Too far gone in our heads.
Our thoughts and emotions are consumed by our struggles and difficulties.
We all live and work in the red.
We are in a constant state of financial instability and debt.
We're cold, we had done all we've been told.
The harsh reality has left us numb to the constant demands of authority figures.
There's no court for our case.
We are unable to find justice or relief from our dire circumstances.
What failure gave us suits our taste.
Our past mistakes and shortcomings have molded our current existence and identity.
We all bend, we all break.
We are all vulnerable to failures and hardships, which take a toll on us.
We all forfeit what we make.
Despite our hard work, our earnings are never enough, and we are forced to give them up.
There's no money to our names.
We have no financial resources or stability.
Empty pockets to our graves.
Our impoverished state will continue until our death.
What failure gave us suits our taste.
Our taste and preferences have been shaped by our failures and limitations.
Contributed by Owen I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@steviegoodgravy8624
Does this jam make anybody else yearn to sit outside on a kick-ass porch in a comfy rockin' chair and just smoke dope and whittle wood? This whole album has its claws in me and I'm diggin' it!
@Teriyakipapita
Needs more viewers and listeners
@austinnicholson1335
Amazing
@davidschanbacher75
The lead singers voice reminds me of Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon a bit. Lovin it
@baron3904
Really digging the swelling main melody towards the end
@user-uu2bs2tq5y
çok güzelsin
@ItsMeJessMarie
I love the song but what's up with the kill rock stars? Lol
@klemens33331
For as long workers work for an employer they are "modern slaves" and subject to exploitation. Thus, the only way to put an end to slavery, we should adopt the concept of "Commonwealth", as never applied before. I think I found the solution to the problem: I reason that for as long workers work for an employer they are "modern slaves" and subject to exploitation. - Thus, the only way to put an end to slavery, we should adopt the concept of "Commonwealth", as never applied before. Here's an example of it: a talented entrepreneurs enjoys the challenge to create a successful business. He then sells it to his employees, who then become owners; i.e. don't depend anymore on unions and low wages.
The entrepreneur gets his money back with some extra bonus and starts a new venture... and again selling it to his employees etc. and every time the entrepreneur gets his money back with some extra and starts an even bigger venture... Gradually, most of us will become self-employed business owners! If then the more greedy ones own more, the less greedy ones won't envy them as much. Imagine how proud an entrepreneur then could be after having turned 3000 low wage earners into well to do business owners!
So, why it is not happening? Because most (if not all) talented entrepreneurs suffer from sordid greed! Do they really believe that only their talents deserve all the materialistic riches in our world? Those of them who believe this failed to dismantle their inherited/ or environmentally acquired negative traits and thus, turn materialists to compensate the the loss of exchange of virtues in true love, by atempting to "force/buy" it.
Are they not worried that their grossly selfish behavior in the long run might ignite yet another massive "Kristallnacht" type revolt?
The fact, only few materialists seem to know, dare or dare to acknowledge, is that their intrinsic/ acquired materialistic, sordid possessiveness is a flawed fixation from which they hope to buy all the worldly happiness. In most cases they either suffered a cruel childhood or lack emotionally creative talents. Thus, their meaning of life is rather based on mutual exploitation than on exchange of virtues. Since they lack compassion, they totally ignore the suffering of fellow citizens, due to lack of basic commodities. To them their suffering merely offers them even greater opportunities for exploitation. That type of capitalist ideology is of course unsustainable and invariably leads to social unrest and chaos.
In stark contrast stands a person, who enjoyed a wonderful, early childhood (like some noble capitalists & me), because they grasp the true meaning of life, in which they aim to continue to fulfill their ancestor's mission, in which they long to enjoy highest-possible,lasting innermost contentment.
Isn't this what we really all long for?
To achieve it, our capitalist system needs to firstly provide, basic, materialistic security to all citizens and then teach them the difference between once "wants and needs", as well as the true meaning of life.
Most progressive countries introduced a social safety net, which is a positive step into the right direction. It offers the unemployed (even the lost & lazy) basic means to "exist". Thus, there's nothing for us to envy them. I'm even in favor to allow them even a bit more social care, for it might teach them that society cares for their welfare. Yet, at the moment our sordid capitalist system offers them and working poor little hope and something has to done to revise and amend our capitalist ideology for the better or it will collapse.
Personally, I "sordidly" managed to sort out my personal philosophical mess, even wrote and wrote a few books about. (see Lulu.com: "A Guide To Personal Contentment") - This explains why my materialistic needs are fairly basic; rather based on amassing emotional riches, such as emotional creativity. - Here's a bit of proof for it. It's a musical piece to which I perform my whistling to music:
https://app.box.com/s/6f72eb90c2002db2e9fc
@pennyroyalkurtgrl
Selfishness and greed can happen to the richest or the poorest of people. Not just the rich. Handed any amount of cash or anything valuable, who knows what out of character thing you might do? I do believe in equal pay, however, what I believe makes it equal is that whether we’re paid with money or charity or hard work, we all do what we have to do to take care of ourselves and each other.