The Meaning of Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind”
“Dust in the Wind” by Kansas is an abstract, beautiful song about the fleeting nature of life. Released in 1977 as part of their fifth album, Point of Know Return, “Dust in the Wind” peaked at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard charts and thus became the top-charting single of the band’s career, even besting their breakout hit “Carry On Wayward Son”.
The gentle arrangement of this song was an unlikely sound for Kansas, as the band had previously made a name for themselves with a progressive, electric guitar-driven rock sound.
Despite this, “Dust in the Wind” has a certain special essence to it, and when Kansas guitarist and composer Kerry Livgren played the song for his bandmates near the end of a studio session in 1976, they were stunned, and knew immediately that it had to be their next single.
Livgren is thought to have based the theme and the lyrics to “Dust in the Wind” of the Old Testament bible section of Ecclesiastes, which states in modern translation: “I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile–like chasing the wind!”
However, it’s also worth noting that Livgren did not convert to Christianity until around the time that the band was touring their 1979 album Monolith, though he did dabble in several religions during his younger days. In a 2006 interview with Christianity Today, he called himself a “classic religion seeker,” and just prior to his conversion to Christianity he became infatuated with The Urantia Book.
During a 1992 live radio interview for In The Studio with Redbeard, Livgren shared his inspiration for the song as well as what he feels it’s about:
I was reading a book on American Indian poetry one day, and I came across that line – this American Indian said “for all we are is dust in the wind.” And I thought, well, you know, that’s really true. Here I got all this success – I’ve got material possessions – I’ve got a goal in my life that had been accomplished at that point, but I’m going back into the ground – and what does this really mean in light of that? And that’s really kind of the message of that song, but the amazing thing was that so many people identified with that.
Kerry Livgren on the meaning of “Dust in the Wind”, 1992.
It’s true that many did, and still do identify with the lyrical message of “Dust in the Wind” — one of life’s dreams, troubles, and possessions being insignificant in the vast expanse of the universe. The idea is that we are only here for a short time, yet we are often so wrapped up in the individual drama of our own lives that we fail to see the bigger picture.
With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the lyrics, starting with the first verse:
I close my eyes
First verse to “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.
Only for a moment and the moment’s gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
The first verse introduces the idea that nothing lasts forever, with vocalist Steve Walsh singing with intent the image of closing his eyes for a moment, just to find that it has passed him by before he opens them again, not a moment later.
This then expands to not just one moment, but all of his dreams passing by with the same temporary nature. As we know, actual dreams are temporary, but Livgren’s lyrics here seem to be referring to the more abstract “hopes & dreams,” saying that even when he accomplishes the things that were once his dreams they seem to slip away just as quickly as they arrived.
The chorus provides the image that the song was named after:
Dust in the wind
Chorus to “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.
All they are is dust in the wind
When you picture a cloud or a speck of dust floating in the wind, it’s easy to see how the breeze would move it quickly, perhaps even before you had the chance to notice its presence. This song uses this as a metaphor for life in general, suggesting that no matter what happens, we will all be swept away just like that cloud of dust.
The second verse brings even loftier images of meaninglessness:
Same old song
Second verse to “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see
This verse begins with comparing the “same old song” of life, meaning the troubles and concerns of daily existence, with a single drop of water in the ocean. The sea is so vast, that one drop of water makes no difference to its mass.
Livgren’s lyrics go on to say that everything we do will fall apart in the end, because we will not be around to sustain it forever. No matter how large the empire, it will always crumble to the ground over time.
From there, we have another hit of the chorus, followed by an instrumental break before reaching the third and final verse:
Now, don’t hang on
Third verse to “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won’t another minute buy
It’s easy to interpret this verse as depressing, as it seems the lyrics are suggesting that nothing is worth hanging on to, even the good things like love and friendship, because they will fade away, too.
However, the positive side of this is that the things that bother us are also meaningless, so we can choose to focus instead on the things that bring us joy without stressing over the pressures placed upon us by society.
This is supported by the final line, bringing money into the equation directly by saying that no matter how much money you have, it will not buy you any more time on this planet. It can be debated that this is only partially true, due to money buying access to better housing and healthcare, but the general sentiment is that money doesn’t matter nearly as much as we are led to believe it does.
“Dust in the Wind” closes out with one more chorus and a prolonged section of acoustic guitar picking before it slowly fades off into nothingness.
Watch the music video for “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas below.