As an Injun, I agree with the owl comment. My Grandmother always talked of owls as messengers of death, though as in this case, not always sorrow. The singer longs to reunite with his lost love, as did she her pony. She has left him on the cold, lonely prarie, his crops have died, and one could imagine how bad he wants to hear her returning for him. In a way, his believing she is calling for him is a way of surrendering to the elements.
As an Injun, I agree with the owl comment. My Grandmother always talked of owls as messengers of death, though as in this case, not always sorrow. The singer longs to reunite with his lost love, as did she her pony. She has left him on the cold, lonely prarie, his crops have died, and one could imagine how bad he wants to hear her returning for him. In a way, his believing she is calling for him is a way of surrendering to the elements.