Rio Grande Lyrics
There's a woman with an armload of grass
Weaving a basket
That’ll float the Rio Grande
She'll send her baby off in it
The river running wild and fast
To curry the favor
Of whatever Pharaoh owns the land
A seed of an idea, like mustard greens
Like newborn fingers
Curled and half asleep
Awake
From her mouth, a vineyard
Of swears and hallelujahs entwined
A new wine is vinted
A blend of sweet commandment
Oh, to hell with the semantics
The camel and the cable confide
The eye of a needle
Is tall enough to stand inside
A seed of an idea, like mustard greens
Like newborn fingers
Curled and half asleep
Awake with a thunder from underneath
Stretch up and reach through
The hardest part of me
About
“Rio Grande” is the first track on the ‘Zephryus’ album by The Oh Hellos. The song’s title, which it shares with a river that forms a major portion of the US-Mexico border (in Texas, between El Paso/Ciudad Juarez and the Gulf of Mexico), translates to ‘big river.’
Especially during the Trump presidency, which coincides with the 2017-2020 timeline of the Four Winds albums, this border has been an especially contentious topic, with building of or talk of building walls and fences along it and severe penalties to those who dare to cross it without official permission.
Also referring to the story of baby Moses, being sent down the Nile river in the hope of a better life.
The song represents a feeling of hope as the speaker wishes for progression and change to occur.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
