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.
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.