She comes down from Yellow Mountain
On a dark, flat land she rides
On a pony she named Wildfire
With a whirlwind by her side
On a cold Nebraska night

Oh, they say she died one winter
When there came a killing frost
And the pony she named Wildfire
Busted down its stall
In a blizzard, he was lost

She ran calling Wildfire
She ran calling Wildfire
She ran calling Wildfire

By the dark of the moon, I planted
But there came an early snow
Been a hoot-owl howling outside my window now
'Bout six nights in a row
She's coming for me, I know
And on Wildfire we're both gonna go

We'll be ridin' Wildfire
We'll be ridin' Wildfire
We'll be ridin' Wildfire

On Wildfire we're gonna ride
We're gonna leave sodbustin' behind
Get these hard times right on out of our minds
Riding Wildfire


Lyrics submitted by lobo81865

Wildfire Lyrics as written by Martin Murphey Michael Larry Cansler

Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Sentric Music, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Wildfire song meanings
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  • +6
    General Comment

    This is one of the best songs ever written... Wildfire is both a story and a metaphor.

    The story is from the 19th Century, when Nebraska was still the wild, wild west, the settlers lived in homes made of sod, and life was hard.

    She is either the daughter, the wife or the fiance of the singer. He loved watching her ride her pony Wildfire, she was a vision of raging life, and love.

    She died during a 'killing frost' of the kind that blanketed the midwest in the winter of 2007-2008. The horse ran off, being spooked by something, and was never seen again.

    By the dark of the moon refers to the time when the moon is full to when it is new again, and is the time that you plant crops that grow below ground, such as potatoes, beets, turnips, etc. The singer was following the old farmers almanac, but his crops were destroyed by an early snow before he could harvest.

    He lay there in his cold, empty sod house, knowing he would die of starvation that winter, as promised by the hoot owl outside his window, which in native american lore meant death was coming.

    So he waited for her and Wildfire...

    Wildfire is a metaphor for something that takes you away from hard times. The song pays tribute to the bravery and hardships faced by our ancestors.

    It's a masterpiece.

    Cache Kidon April 09, 2008   Link

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