Hog of the Forsaken

Song Meaning

The "Hog of the Forsaken" presents a figure of profound, almost cosmic indifference. This creature doesn't cry, nor does it wait for answers, instead engaging in bizarre, abstract acts like "chew the angels fallin' from on hiiigh." The imagery of "woeful pie" – pie of eyesight, pie boot-black, pie of by-and-by – suggests a concoction of perception and delayed fate, something the Hog passively bakes without concern. The central tension lies in the Hog's absolute detachment from human anxieties. Unlike "you and I" with "bones always breakin' and no place to go an' lie," the Hog exists in a "box so dark and wet" with "so much time," yet remains "ain't even worried yet." This state of being, described as "the Pork of Crime," implies a primal, perhaps amoral existence outside conventional judgment or consequence. The lyrics employ a fascinating blend of the mundane and the surreal. The Hog's actions, from baking pies to leaving chances for ants, feel both absurdly specific and deeply symbolic. Its singing "of friend and foe" and "these and those times as well as the times to go" paints a picture of an entity that encompasses all possibilities without preference. The final image of the Hog swimming, choking water hyacinth, and observing natural predation before declaring itself "the hog for me!" solidifies its self-contained, untroubled identity. This lyrical construction is effective because it creates a character that is both alien and strangely compelling. The Hog's lack of human frailty and its embrace of its own peculiar existence, even in darkness and decay, offers a unique perspective on resilience. The repetition of "the Hog of the Forsaken, he is the hog for me!" acts as a defiant, self-affirming mantra, cementing the creature's absolute self-acceptance.