The Two Locks of Hair

Song Meaning

The narrator begins by describing a life of transient freedom, pitching his tent like an Arab and moving on. This initial state is one of light-hearted contentment, suggesting a deliberate choice to remain unburdened and unattached. Yet, this outward appearance of carefree wandering is immediately contrasted with a recurring, deeply personal dream. This dream reveals a profound, lost domesticity: a wife close to his heart and the tender act of rocking a blessed child. The intensity of this vision is such that it becomes an unwelcome, persistent presence, returning both day and night. The dream isn't just a fleeting fantasy; it's a powerful, almost haunting, memory or longing that disrupts his present reality. The lyrics then shift to the tragic conclusion of this dream-life: the beautiful mother is brought to a cold, deep grave, and the child is left to sleep. This stark imagery of loss and finality underscores the pain embedded within the narrator's idealized vision. The contrast between the initial light-heartedness and the dream's sorrowful end highlights a deep emotional conflict. Upon waking, the narrator claims the dream is "wholly o'er," and he is once again a youth, light and free, wandering the world. However, this return to his initial state is marked by the physical mementos of the dream: two locks of hair, one brown from the mother, one blond from the child. These tangible remnants serve as a constant, painful reminder, causing him to pale at the sight of the blond lock and wish for death when he sees the dark one, demonstrating that the dream's emotional weight has irrevocably altered his perception of freedom.