Song Meaning

May arrives, bringing a vibrant green to the village, adorning doorways and windowsills with bindweed and basil. This arrival ignites a palpable energy, as guitars adorn themselves with 'ribbons of love,' their tuning pegs filled with 'jealousy,' and strings taut with 'rage.' The instruments seem to yearn for a serenade, a restless anticipation for the season's unfolding. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of nature's own awakening. In the 'temperate stables,' where love itself smells of honest straw, manure, and milk, cows moo and ruminate, seemingly falling in love on their own. Even the wilder creatures are affected: goats shed their coats, sheep their wool, wolves their color, and grass its roots. This widespread transformation suggests a primal, instinctual force at play, a fundamental shift in the natural order. The most striking aspect is how this natural fervor is mirrored in human experience, particularly the 'early youth.' Their intentions and words change, reflecting a new season of life and desire. The imagery of the night sky as 'pure glass' and the days as 'emeralds' and 'pure white silver' for the dawns emphasizes the heightened sensory perception and romantic idealism of this time. Even the donkeys sighing for their female counterparts contribute to this pervasive atmosphere of burgeoning affection. Ultimately, the lyrics capture the overwhelming, almost inescapable presence of love and desire that 'May the loving' brings. It 'haunts' the flocks, stables, and shepherds, but also the more intimate spaces of doors, beds, and young women at dances. The season is depicted as an active, pervasive force, a romantic tide that sweeps through both the natural and human landscapes, making the arrival of May synonymous with the arrival of love in all its forms.