I don't want to step on anyone else's interpretation, but for me this is absolutely not a song about the betrayal of on affair. For me, the "behind my back Lord, you made a fool of me" is an aside directed to God / a higher power.
This is a man who has lost his entire livelihood - his flock/herd, in the foot & mouth epidemic. He's going through the motions of being a continuing farmer, going to Tow Law to pick up what he needs, but in the end he's going to be drowning his sorrows by drinking, possibly killing himself. The 12 bore shotgun - did he just have to shoot his flock/herd? The razor wire - was that to contribute to the protection of the burial site just by the town? Killer for the weeds - weeds that would spring up because there was no longer a flock to eat them and keep them down?
Tow Law has/had a population of around 2000. Not a big city where you can meet someone new in a bar and have a fling. If he was going to be unfaithful, it would take time to strike up such a relationship, with someone likely known to his wife, and he's explicitly said he's never been unfaithful. "Have my fun" is melancholic.
I feel he's always done the right things, what was expected of him. God still fucked him. So bad, so bad. He's apologising to his wife, he can't go on any longer.
The dog has picked up something is wrong, perhaps they've argued; perhaps the dog is itching to herd the flock which no longer exists. Leave him be. Don't wait up for me.
I don't want to step on anyone else's interpretation, but for me this is absolutely not a song about the betrayal of on affair. For me, the "behind my back Lord, you made a fool of me" is an aside directed to God / a higher power.
This is a man who has lost his entire livelihood - his flock/herd, in the foot & mouth epidemic. He's going through the motions of being a continuing farmer, going to Tow Law to pick up what he needs, but in the end he's going to be drowning his sorrows by drinking, possibly killing himself. The 12 bore shotgun - did he just have to shoot his flock/herd? The razor wire - was that to contribute to the protection of the burial site just by the town? Killer for the weeds - weeds that would spring up because there was no longer a flock to eat them and keep them down?
Tow Law has/had a population of around 2000. Not a big city where you can meet someone new in a bar and have a fling. If he was going to be unfaithful, it would take time to strike up such a relationship, with someone likely known to his wife, and he's explicitly said he's never been unfaithful. "Have my fun" is melancholic.
I feel he's always done the right things, what was expected of him. God still fucked him. So bad, so bad. He's apologising to his wife, he can't go on any longer.
The dog has picked up something is wrong, perhaps they've argued; perhaps the dog is itching to herd the flock which no longer exists. Leave him be. Don't wait up for me.