Song Meaning
These lyrics plunge us into a stark, unsettling world, centered on a narrator's intense connection with a figure identified as a "buffalo skinner." From the outset, the skinner is painted in morally ambiguous strokes: a "two legged killer" and a "North American sinner." Yet, the narrator repeatedly declares, "They're beautiful," a jarring affirmation that immediately establishes a deep, conflicted emotional texture.
The central tension arises from this unsettling beauty. The lyrics present vivid, often brutal scenes: "Blood on the bedsheets" and the skinner's eyes like "lost coins / On a Las Vegas side street" suggest a life lived hard and fast, perhaps with a sense of internal emptiness. The narrator witnesses their "lover / Shot the buffalo down," a moment of raw violence that is then disturbingly echoed by the image of "our children / Run wild through the wheat / And sleep with their faces / At the buffalo feet." This disturbing innocence, intertwined with the act of killing, complicates any easy judgment.
The repeated chorus, "They're beautiful," acts as a powerful, almost defiant, refrain. Initially ambiguous, it could refer to the wildness, the children, or even the buffalo itself. However, by the final chorus, it shifts pointedly to "He's beautiful," directly applying the term to the skinner. This transformation underscores the narrator's profound, if troubling, affection. The brief, desperate plea in the bridge, "He took his gun / I say no no no," offers a fleeting glimpse of resistance, a moment where the narrator seems to push back against the skinner's dangerous nature, only for the final chorus to reaffirm their complex attachment.
Ultimately, these lyrics are effective because they refuse to simplify a difficult relationship. The stark, often brutal imagery, combined with the narrator's unwavering, if conflicted, declarations of beauty, creates a compelling portrait of love entangled with a wild, dangerous existence. It's a testament to how specific word choices and the strategic repetition of a single, loaded adjective can force a listener to grapple with uncomfortable truths about attraction and the human capacity for both darkness and devotion.
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