The song "Four Strong Winds" was written by Ian Tyson, a Canadian singer, during the early 1960s and it remained one of the most popular country songs ever written and performed in Canada. The song is rather melancholy in nature, as it recounts the difficult lives of farm labourers who are often out of work and must constantly resettle in different areas in order to find new, usually low-paying, jobs.
The narrator of "Four Strong Winds" tells the listener how he is considering resettling in Alberta, where he hopes to find some work. At the same time, the narrator alludes to the fact that he also has a lover who will stay behind. The narrator promises to look up his former lover if he ever returns home.
The song's refrain focuses on the loneliness of transient workers. The narrator also hopes to reach Alberta during the fall, rather than the winter, when the western prairie province is covered by a thick blanket of snow and swept by chilling winds.
The song has been performed by many country singers, including Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, John Denver and Ian Tyson himself.
The narrator of "Four Strong Winds" tells the listener how he is considering resettling in Alberta, where he hopes to find some work. At the same time, the narrator alludes to the fact that he also has a lover who will stay behind. The narrator promises to look up his former lover if he ever returns home.
The song's refrain focuses on the loneliness of transient workers. The narrator also hopes to reach Alberta during the fall, rather than the winter, when the western prairie province is covered by a thick blanket of snow and swept by chilling winds.
The song has been performed by many country singers, including Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, John Denver and Ian Tyson himself.
