This beautiful title track from the new EP by the Irish folk singer-songwriter from Cavan is a powerful original about man-made, greed-motivated unnatural disasters, joining with five other poignant numbers, including a new version of The Bleak Midwinter, out now on Rough Trade. A 12-inch vinyl edition will be out on 20 February 2026.
Over a successful past few years, O’Neill has sung with the Pogues and supplied tracks for the hit drama series Peaky Blinders, including here on the EP a version of Bob Dylan’s 1970 original All The Tired Horses.
Of the other other numbers of the six, Homeless in the Thousands was released in January 2025, again as a stand alone single about the increasing housing crisis.
Mother Jones “is about Mary Harris from Cork, who was an Irish emigrant to America in the 1850s and became an union organiser and activist, changing laws for the betterment of the working class people of the United States and is a powerful reminder of the importance of activism and standing up to injustice.”
O’Neill says she has loved The Bleak Midwinter since first hearing Bert Jansch's recording of it, then finding greater depth in learning more about the writer and poet Christina Rossetti, who published it under the title ‘A Christmas Carol' in January 1872. “Not unlike Mother Jones, Christina - a woman conflicted with her own personal griefs - put her heart and energy into those who struggled in the margins of society. When I sing this song, I think about the abundance of compassion and love we have within us even when we feel we have nothing to give. In the bleakest of circumstances, love is a beacon.”
Autumn 1915 “is a poem written by my favourite Irish writer James Stephens. I recorded this at home in February 2022. That time alone was precious to me. I later tried to re-record my reading of it in the studio while compiling this collection but there was something captured in the original which I couldn't recreate. With David Odlum, Jordon O' Leary, Joseph Doyle and Seamas Hyland, we later developed the piece built around the original recording of voice and drone.”
And of her own penned title track, The Wind Doesn't Blow This Far Right , she explains that “natural disasters devastate and turn our world upside down, BUT it is the man-made greed-motivated unnatural disasters put upon our beautiful planet and it's people that inspired this song. I hope the title track of this collection pulls these six pieces together in a cohesive journey for the listener.”
Lisa O’Neill (photo: Ellius Grace)
To explore and enjoy more by Lisa O’Neill, including the rest of the EP, see also the other embedded links below.
I've lately been thinking of an old friend
Who I haven't seen in a while
Last night I dreamed that the same friend
Passed without sayin' goodbye
Oh, to be wild like the roses
Oh, to be red with delight
My blood is red out of fury
The wind doesn't blow this far right
Some terrors are born out of nature
Some terrors are born overnight
Some terrors are born out of leaders
With their eye on a different prize
The thing is, some leaders are players
And players sometimes can be clowns
And clowns then sometimes can be dangerous
When they're there and yet they can't be found
The Big Mac, the big man, the big bomb
The power of money and lies
The power of fear in the people
The wind doesn't blow this far right
Some terrors are born out of nature
Some terrors are born overnight
Some terrors are born out of leaders
With their eye on a different prize
Oh, to be wild like the roses
Oh, to be red with delight
My blood is red out of fury
The wind doesn't blow this far right
Drill, baby, drill
Don't, baby, don't
Don't you hear the winds, feel the fires as they burn?
Beautiful planet, beautiful home
Drill, baby, drill
Don't, baby, don't
Kill, baby, kill
Don't, baby, don't
Don't you hear the kids as you blindly bulldoze on?
Beautiful children, starved to the bone
Kill, baby, kill
Don't, baby, don't
Kill, baby, kill
Don't, baby, don't
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Whether it’s about this or others, feel free to recommend more new albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running.