For a literal interpretation: it's a song about animals, namely moles and hedgehogs, that are ran over in roads by cars, and (perhaps ironically) the guilt and pain feelings such an event inflicts over drivers who run over them. In the first part of the poem, a driver is remorseful over one such running over incident, to the point of wanting to be able to go back in time to avoid the death (and hence the rewind at the end of the first section).
In the following section, the driver apologetically regrets all similar incidents, saying he will keep trying to avoid it in the future and (to great irony and comedic effect) adds that he is sure the moles and hedgehogs will keep trying as well.
In the last section, under the wolf's voice, a mole says the opposite, claiming to be part of a concerted effort with the hedgehogs to trip cars and blow their tires in a highway. Ironically, I guess.
The title does them the animals justice: the song is named "little red riding hood hits the road", as it's the color the moles and hedgehogs go when ran over by cars.
Why moles? Well, just go and listen to parallel "little red robin hood hit the road" part of the same album.
Probably my favorite Wyatt song. The puzzling lyrics haunted me for quite a few years until I came up with this perfectly logical interpretation (heh, you tell me). Its irony and humor has helped me cope with the strong lyrics better.
Yes there is irony and humour there at the end (the 'Robin Hood' track with Ivor Cutler). About moles - Wyatt was briefly - post Soft Machine - in a band called Matching Mole, maybe was with them when he had the accident I refer to in my comment. Also he was a Communist Party member during the Cold War, (when asked in an interview what profession he would have liked if not music he replied "A Postman") and I believe Marx refers to the workers' revolution as being like a mole, lots of hard work going unseen then...
Yes there is irony and humour there at the end (the 'Robin Hood' track with Ivor Cutler). About moles - Wyatt was briefly - post Soft Machine - in a band called Matching Mole, maybe was with them when he had the accident I refer to in my comment. Also he was a Communist Party member during the Cold War, (when asked in an interview what profession he would have liked if not music he replied "A Postman") and I believe Marx refers to the workers' revolution as being like a mole, lots of hard work going unseen then it pops up where no one expects it:)
For a literal interpretation: it's a song about animals, namely moles and hedgehogs, that are ran over in roads by cars, and (perhaps ironically) the guilt and pain feelings such an event inflicts over drivers who run over them. In the first part of the poem, a driver is remorseful over one such running over incident, to the point of wanting to be able to go back in time to avoid the death (and hence the rewind at the end of the first section). In the following section, the driver apologetically regrets all similar incidents, saying he will keep trying to avoid it in the future and (to great irony and comedic effect) adds that he is sure the moles and hedgehogs will keep trying as well. In the last section, under the wolf's voice, a mole says the opposite, claiming to be part of a concerted effort with the hedgehogs to trip cars and blow their tires in a highway. Ironically, I guess. The title does them the animals justice: the song is named "little red riding hood hits the road", as it's the color the moles and hedgehogs go when ran over by cars. Why moles? Well, just go and listen to parallel "little red robin hood hit the road" part of the same album.
Probably my favorite Wyatt song. The puzzling lyrics haunted me for quite a few years until I came up with this perfectly logical interpretation (heh, you tell me). Its irony and humor has helped me cope with the strong lyrics better.
Yes there is irony and humour there at the end (the 'Robin Hood' track with Ivor Cutler). About moles - Wyatt was briefly - post Soft Machine - in a band called Matching Mole, maybe was with them when he had the accident I refer to in my comment. Also he was a Communist Party member during the Cold War, (when asked in an interview what profession he would have liked if not music he replied "A Postman") and I believe Marx refers to the workers' revolution as being like a mole, lots of hard work going unseen then...
Yes there is irony and humour there at the end (the 'Robin Hood' track with Ivor Cutler). About moles - Wyatt was briefly - post Soft Machine - in a band called Matching Mole, maybe was with them when he had the accident I refer to in my comment. Also he was a Communist Party member during the Cold War, (when asked in an interview what profession he would have liked if not music he replied "A Postman") and I believe Marx refers to the workers' revolution as being like a mole, lots of hard work going unseen then it pops up where no one expects it:)