Wildfire

I love this song, makes me teary eyed when I hear it. A girl and her pony, the bond is special, we feel his pain when she dies. Kinda spooky, is she a ghost?

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.

Well...if you want to be romantic and think of yonder days of an ancient native culture and an actual girl that ran off to chase a horse-go ahead. From an urban standpoint, and my disturbed mind this guy went away to clean up elsewhere. Yes, clean, no drugs, no coke, no heroin. To save himself, similar to Kristen (jennifer leigh Jason) in the movie Rush. His girl didn't follow but promised to. The urge was too much..she chased the cold needle and died as result. Don't take my word for it..I'm not on drugs, I'm just nuts. :)

oh yeah..and since he finds out she dies on her route to submission to the evil that ruined their 'souls seperately, the owl at his window (his cravings) were subsided until he found out she had passed (reminders and haunting). Since their love was only on a level of of 'highness' he then gives up and overdoses, himself.

I agree this is an enduring masterpiece. However this song is about a ghost horse who rescues people ---according to indian folklore. The girl is obviously a ghost also. while i agree with cachekid that the girl probally meant something(daughter or wife) to the farmer in this song --because she is not part of the original folklore of the ghosthorse. i believe also the lyrics are meant to explain the hardship of northern farmers who came to "make claim" to a dream. i also believe that the farmer dreams of being rescued by the ghost horse and reunited(in death) with the girl. Sodbusting is a term that refers to the farming of the soil. The farmers were actually refered to as sodbusters.

Excellent interpretation Cache Kid. Only one small correction. The horse Wildfire was not spooked by something. The horse busts down his stall BECAUSE the girl dies. I think he knew she was sick, and when she doesn't come to him, he knows she has passed and breaks down the stall. But it happens AFTER she dies.

Love this song.

The sing is so beautiful, it makes me cry too. I get confused about the order too and who dies whennwhere and how. As the girl who comes down the moutmust be living up in the mountain. And it sounds like the girl dies from the cold, and then the horse breaks down the stall and is lost in s blizzard. I also love the metaphors and the woot owl etc symbology. The order is confusing though as the girl died before the horse died, and then “she” is running after the horse calling him. So is there two she’s or is the ghost there running outside calling Wildfire???? Either way I loved that song for ages.