There's a boundary rider
at the five mile fence
bloodwood, bones + steers

And the sky's so deep
you can't find your sleep
keeps you walking through these tears

So you reach for things
you're never satisfied
you're running down the years

And to know yourself
is to be yourself
keeps you walking through these tears

Some days you ride it hard
to stop them getting out
then comes the day you ride
to stop them getting in

There's a boundary rider
on the five mile fence
bloodwood, bones + steers

And to know yourself
is to be yourself
keeps you walking through these tears.


Lyrics submitted by delial

Boundary Rider Lyrics as written by Robert Derwent Garth Forster Grant Mclennan

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Boundary Rider song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

1 Comment

sort form View by:
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    This is one of my favorites. It starts with a lone cowboy, a boundary rider, someone riding a horse along a perimeter fence at a ranch (or a cattle station - isn't that what a ranch is called in Australia?). He rides along the fence and sees the steers, and also the bones and blood of dead animals. He looks for breaks in the fence, where animals could get out or in (presumably to make repairs). Now this is where McLennan (I'm guessing it was McLennan, since he is on vocals) creates a wonderful metaphor. The boundary rider is anyone/everyone. The fence is the barrier between us and the world/other people. The rider is trying not to let too much get out of - or in to - his heart. To understand this process is to understand oneself, and by understanding one becomes more fully oneself. This gives us strength to get through pain and sadness. The stark, haunting music and straight forward singing goes well with these lines. A brilliant song imho.

    Dreadnowton May 19, 2016   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.