I get a very dark read from this song, always have.
So I see it as a guy reflecting on a relationship with a girl, spending time together in the fall. I took october as being symbolically important (more on that later) but can be literal. Eyes, often they say you have eyes for someone else meaning you are interested in them.
"October's got those orange eyes,"
After a date, she gives him a kiss and he is frustrated that they didn't go farther. He feels like she saw him for who he was and felt a strong connection to her.
Broke that horse i think is a reference to sex here though-- horses symbolically are highly connected to sex (just read any of Iagos lines regarding Desdamona and Othello) . Broke that horse then to me suggests losing virginity.
"But somehow I still lost sight
When you lifted the lid off of my pumpkin head
And kissed me goodnight
Should it be a thorn in my side
We never quite broke that horse"
He leaves her and goes home but can't stop thinking about wanting her leading him to returning and encouraging her to go somewhere secluded with him.
"She slept in the cul-de-sac rye
Seven miles from my front porch
Bundle up and come with me now
Down the road to the burnt down barn"
There he tries to suggest something romantic but is overcome by lust.
"We could make a blanket of coats
And breathe our souls into the neighbours front lawn
She is fearful and doesn't consent, feeling uneasy. He still uses the opportunity to pressure her/rape her. I think the biblical vine is a reference to the inheritance of sin. Though sin is supposed to have come from Eve offering the fruit to Adam I think this is a subversion-- more or less that he blames her for how he behaved at the time. Waiting to return to the dirt is her hoping to put it behind her/ in that moment hoping to die.
But oh god that look in your eye
Trouble that does not search words
It sprung from the biblical vine
And are waiting to return to the dirt"
The chorus lists things taken from horses. Thread is traditionally made of horse hair as are cello bows. These are things horses are broken to take, tamed by people who see them as possessions who have to bear these things for someone's selfish desires. He says sorry because he realises now it was wrong how he acted. He thought because she saw behind his mask that it was okay to push his wants onto her, breaking her in the process. Furthermore cellos are often symbolic of women and their fertility (large childbearing hips and breasts for nursing). Specifically citing winter clothes I think is related to the symbolism of october which I will get to at the end. Iron shoes are things which weigh you down but also make horses more capable of carrying heavy loads- foreshadowing pregnancy but also can represent the heavy emotional toll the ordeal took.
The rain i think it's pathetic fallacy amplifying the mistreatment of her.
In response she left him and tried to get away from this fate he tried to claim her for-- and he lost her, little did he know she was pregnant-- crossbeats occur when the baby's heartbeat is off from the mother's creating a crossbeat pattern.
"The stitches in your winter clothes
Your cello bows
We stole your hair to make them
We're sorry for the iron shoes
We nailed to you
And stuck you in the rain
And then you sprinted away
Sprinted away to where I don't know
God, it's moving in your bloodstream
Where the cross beats aren't so slow"
So, after having been forced himself into her, he feels sexually satisfied though she has left him. She returns. Afraid of the situation, she attempts to rekindle the relationship.
"You swept all the red from my cheeks
I didn't hear you come back inside
And light up the gas in the den
And stand there in the thin winter light"
This is where it is revealed that she is pregnant. Women who are pregnant often cradle the baby curving their spine downward. She goes to a doctor for confirmation and this is why she returned to him. She knew she was pregnant and wanted him to know. The repetition could be shock of realising there are consequences for actions.
"But oh god that curve in your spine
A question mark
A doctor sign was framed by the windowsill
And you saw something I did not in the night
You saw something I did not in the night"
*also i always hear this lyric in the daytrotter version as "i didn't end that night" -- doesn't change my interpretation but i think reinforces it.
Now onto the significance of october-- october is harvest season. It is about taking what you think you are owed from the earth much like how the narrator takes what he feels he is owed from the woman. It is sort of the culmination of a lengthy growing process much like how sex is the culmination of a courtship. Because she is impregnated by him, you could see that as seeding for the next year which reinforces this idea of reaping what you sow. The child being what would be harvested ie. Born the following year.
October is also associated with Halloween. This is reinforced when they mention removing the lid from his pumpkin head suggesting a sort of unmasking. She believes she knows who he is because she's seen behind the mask but later realises he is someone quite different. It is fitting that he reveals himself fully in october.
Winter clothes is significant as they are more padded, heavier-- referencing how the woman's body changes. They also though provide comfort, and warmth, he wants the warmth of her regardless of whether or not she is willing to provide it.
Winter is also important due to how it conveys coldness and loneliness. Winter logistically makes sense as women often begin to show pregnancy 3months in which from conception in october would put you squarely in december-january. Being seen in the winter light literally suggests she would be beginning to show but also suggests the cold lonely atmosphere and general deadness. She almost seems like a ghost having returned silently and seen in cool, thin light-- and while this could be literal I think it more is related to her being a shell of her former self having been broken by him. She returns because it is winter, and she is trapped into this life he selfishly decided for her, she tries her best to make it work, still she is no longer who she uses to be.
Crossbeats is a very interesting idea as while it is literally something that occurs with unborn babies and their mothers, it also can occur during sex if you were to compare heart rates or the rhythm of intercourse to heartbeats though usually people's heartrates tend to synchronize during. Being slightly out of beat to me further exaggerates the idea of rape rather than consensual sex.
The last thing that I will point out though it has nothing to do with the interpretation but I really appreciate how the song creates a crossbeat pattern during the cannon. It sounds really cool and helps echo the song themes well (no pun intended).
I get a very dark read from this song, always have.
So I see it as a guy reflecting on a relationship with a girl, spending time together in the fall. I took october as being symbolically important (more on that later) but can be literal. Eyes, often they say you have eyes for someone else meaning you are interested in them.
"October's got those orange eyes,"
After a date, she gives him a kiss and he is frustrated that they didn't go farther. He feels like she saw him for who he was and felt a strong connection to her.
Broke that horse i think is a reference to sex here though-- horses symbolically are highly connected to sex (just read any of Iagos lines regarding Desdamona and Othello) . Broke that horse then to me suggests losing virginity.
"But somehow I still lost sight When you lifted the lid off of my pumpkin head And kissed me goodnight Should it be a thorn in my side We never quite broke that horse"
He leaves her and goes home but can't stop thinking about wanting her leading him to returning and encouraging her to go somewhere secluded with him.
"She slept in the cul-de-sac rye Seven miles from my front porch
Bundle up and come with me now Down the road to the burnt down barn"
There he tries to suggest something romantic but is overcome by lust.
"We could make a blanket of coats And breathe our souls into the neighbours front lawn
She is fearful and doesn't consent, feeling uneasy. He still uses the opportunity to pressure her/rape her. I think the biblical vine is a reference to the inheritance of sin. Though sin is supposed to have come from Eve offering the fruit to Adam I think this is a subversion-- more or less that he blames her for how he behaved at the time. Waiting to return to the dirt is her hoping to put it behind her/ in that moment hoping to die.
But oh god that look in your eye Trouble that does not search words It sprung from the biblical vine And are waiting to return to the dirt"
The chorus lists things taken from horses. Thread is traditionally made of horse hair as are cello bows. These are things horses are broken to take, tamed by people who see them as possessions who have to bear these things for someone's selfish desires. He says sorry because he realises now it was wrong how he acted. He thought because she saw behind his mask that it was okay to push his wants onto her, breaking her in the process. Furthermore cellos are often symbolic of women and their fertility (large childbearing hips and breasts for nursing). Specifically citing winter clothes I think is related to the symbolism of october which I will get to at the end. Iron shoes are things which weigh you down but also make horses more capable of carrying heavy loads- foreshadowing pregnancy but also can represent the heavy emotional toll the ordeal took. The rain i think it's pathetic fallacy amplifying the mistreatment of her.
In response she left him and tried to get away from this fate he tried to claim her for-- and he lost her, little did he know she was pregnant-- crossbeats occur when the baby's heartbeat is off from the mother's creating a crossbeat pattern.
"The stitches in your winter clothes Your cello bows We stole your hair to make them We're sorry for the iron shoes We nailed to you And stuck you in the rain And then you sprinted away Sprinted away to where I don't know God, it's moving in your bloodstream Where the cross beats aren't so slow"
So, after having been forced himself into her, he feels sexually satisfied though she has left him. She returns. Afraid of the situation, she attempts to rekindle the relationship.
"You swept all the red from my cheeks I didn't hear you come back inside And light up the gas in the den And stand there in the thin winter light"
This is where it is revealed that she is pregnant. Women who are pregnant often cradle the baby curving their spine downward. She goes to a doctor for confirmation and this is why she returned to him. She knew she was pregnant and wanted him to know. The repetition could be shock of realising there are consequences for actions.
"But oh god that curve in your spine A question mark A doctor sign was framed by the windowsill And you saw something I did not in the night You saw something I did not in the night"
*also i always hear this lyric in the daytrotter version as "i didn't end that night" -- doesn't change my interpretation but i think reinforces it.
Now onto the significance of october-- october is harvest season. It is about taking what you think you are owed from the earth much like how the narrator takes what he feels he is owed from the woman. It is sort of the culmination of a lengthy growing process much like how sex is the culmination of a courtship. Because she is impregnated by him, you could see that as seeding for the next year which reinforces this idea of reaping what you sow. The child being what would be harvested ie. Born the following year.
October is also associated with Halloween. This is reinforced when they mention removing the lid from his pumpkin head suggesting a sort of unmasking. She believes she knows who he is because she's seen behind the mask but later realises he is someone quite different. It is fitting that he reveals himself fully in october.
Winter clothes is significant as they are more padded, heavier-- referencing how the woman's body changes. They also though provide comfort, and warmth, he wants the warmth of her regardless of whether or not she is willing to provide it.
Winter is also important due to how it conveys coldness and loneliness. Winter logistically makes sense as women often begin to show pregnancy 3months in which from conception in october would put you squarely in december-january. Being seen in the winter light literally suggests she would be beginning to show but also suggests the cold lonely atmosphere and general deadness. She almost seems like a ghost having returned silently and seen in cool, thin light-- and while this could be literal I think it more is related to her being a shell of her former self having been broken by him. She returns because it is winter, and she is trapped into this life he selfishly decided for her, she tries her best to make it work, still she is no longer who she uses to be.
Crossbeats is a very interesting idea as while it is literally something that occurs with unborn babies and their mothers, it also can occur during sex if you were to compare heart rates or the rhythm of intercourse to heartbeats though usually people's heartrates tend to synchronize during. Being slightly out of beat to me further exaggerates the idea of rape rather than consensual sex.
The last thing that I will point out though it has nothing to do with the interpretation but I really appreciate how the song creates a crossbeat pattern during the cannon. It sounds really cool and helps echo the song themes well (no pun intended).