Reading some of the other comments (and most importantly KT’s herself) it seems clear that the meaning of the song is about choice – about following your head or your heart.
The big black horse and the cherry tree represent somewhere in her past, a time and a place when she was happy, free, liberated and in control of her life. Back then she had the opportunity to stay free and carry on with this free flowing lifestyle where she could escape the pressures of modern life. But it scared her, was this she wanted for the rest of her life? What if the grass really is greener on the other side? What about her desire to succeed? – The thought of forsaking all this had to be weighed up against this idyllic paradise that she was tempted with……in the end the thought of giving everything up and settling down in this land of big black horses and cherry tree’s scared her that she had to over rule her heart and just “keep on walking…” despite the last minute temptations from horse “hey lady, will you marry me?” Not a literal invitation obviously but asking her to make a commitment and don’t leave this place behind
What’s ironic at this point and hints at the ultimate outcome of the decisions is that the song obviously is trying to give us a moral insight – that we should follow our heart more often than our head because it’s the one that knows whats best for you hence the line “well my heart knows me better than i know myself so i'm gonna let it do all the talking” but despite giving her heart the mic so to speak she continues to refer to it in the 3rd person therefore its still her head that takes control!
Anyway, the story continues that she leaves this simple idyllic life behind in pursuit of her career, of fame and fortune but her hearts not happy, anxiety attacks in the middle of the night tell her that all along her heart was right even though her head told her that that life was “not the one for me”. The pressure and expectation of her first album has made her heart cry even more for the time when it was free and happy….the problem is KT has made this choice, committed to this route of action and cant turn back now that she’s cut the cord...... “but i cut some cord, and i shouldn't have done that, and it won't forgive me after all these years”
She has no choice now – her emotions (her heart) are tearing her apart – she wants to go back to that big black horse and the cherry tree but she cant – contracts, commitments, expectations have all tied her up – not only does she not have the freedom any more but its gone so far that she doesn’t even have the choice any more – anonymity isn’t an option once this record is released, she will never be a nobody in the middle of nowhere again – she will always be KT Tunstall – the artist.
So she does the only thing she can do – she embraces her choice even further and kills off those emotions that were tearing her apart and sends it back to where its happy. The only problem being is that her heart was what was keeping her real, that was preventing her from slipping from a person to a commodity…..but now its gone and there’s no way its coming back! Both her heart and her big black horse and all they represent (freedom) have gone forever and have forsaken her.
Forever more she is KT Tunstall the artist and never again will she be that little girl on a moped fleeting through the olive groves of Greece. Should she have followed her heart? I suspect she would say yes, but then her head would kick in and say that life’s gone now and even though you have the scars “a hole for the world to see” just think of all the things you would have missed out on if you’d stayed and not chosen this path…………… Like 30 year old Marketeers bored in their office trying to decipher your songs on a Thursday afternoon……..I’m sure it was all worth it KT
Reading some of the other comments (and most importantly KT’s herself) it seems clear that the meaning of the song is about choice – about following your head or your heart.
The big black horse and the cherry tree represent somewhere in her past, a time and a place when she was happy, free, liberated and in control of her life. Back then she had the opportunity to stay free and carry on with this free flowing lifestyle where she could escape the pressures of modern life. But it scared her, was this she wanted for the rest of her life? What if the grass really is greener on the other side? What about her desire to succeed? – The thought of forsaking all this had to be weighed up against this idyllic paradise that she was tempted with……in the end the thought of giving everything up and settling down in this land of big black horses and cherry tree’s scared her that she had to over rule her heart and just “keep on walking…” despite the last minute temptations from horse “hey lady, will you marry me?” Not a literal invitation obviously but asking her to make a commitment and don’t leave this place behind
What’s ironic at this point and hints at the ultimate outcome of the decisions is that the song obviously is trying to give us a moral insight – that we should follow our heart more often than our head because it’s the one that knows whats best for you hence the line “well my heart knows me better than i know myself so i'm gonna let it do all the talking” but despite giving her heart the mic so to speak she continues to refer to it in the 3rd person therefore its still her head that takes control!
Anyway, the story continues that she leaves this simple idyllic life behind in pursuit of her career, of fame and fortune but her hearts not happy, anxiety attacks in the middle of the night tell her that all along her heart was right even though her head told her that that life was “not the one for me”. The pressure and expectation of her first album has made her heart cry even more for the time when it was free and happy….the problem is KT has made this choice, committed to this route of action and cant turn back now that she’s cut the cord...... “but i cut some cord, and i shouldn't have done that, and it won't forgive me after all these years”
She has no choice now – her emotions (her heart) are tearing her apart – she wants to go back to that big black horse and the cherry tree but she cant – contracts, commitments, expectations have all tied her up – not only does she not have the freedom any more but its gone so far that she doesn’t even have the choice any more – anonymity isn’t an option once this record is released, she will never be a nobody in the middle of nowhere again – she will always be KT Tunstall – the artist.
So she does the only thing she can do – she embraces her choice even further and kills off those emotions that were tearing her apart and sends it back to where its happy. The only problem being is that her heart was what was keeping her real, that was preventing her from slipping from a person to a commodity…..but now its gone and there’s no way its coming back! Both her heart and her big black horse and all they represent (freedom) have gone forever and have forsaken her.
Forever more she is KT Tunstall the artist and never again will she be that little girl on a moped fleeting through the olive groves of Greece. Should she have followed her heart? I suspect she would say yes, but then her head would kick in and say that life’s gone now and even though you have the scars “a hole for the world to see” just think of all the things you would have missed out on if you’d stayed and not chosen this path…………… Like 30 year old Marketeers bored in their office trying to decipher your songs on a Thursday afternoon……..I’m sure it was all worth it KT