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.
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.