Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a portrait of a man perpetually at odds with his own history, existing in a state of limbo. He drifts through hotels, a transient existence fueled by wine, suggesting a life of constant motion without true grounding. This man is described as a "boy of life" who lived "upon a knife," implying a precarious and perhaps dangerous existence where he took from many places but never settled down. The central tension lies in his self-imposed exile and the internal struggle with his past. He's "burned by the twentieth century" and now serves "time in the back of his mind," a prisoner of his own thoughts and experiences. The repeated command to "run, rabbit run" underscores a desperate flight, not from external threats, but from himself, a frantic attempt to escape the "killing fields" of his memories. The recurring motif of the "mercenary" is particularly striking. The narrator finds this lifestyle acceptable "if you're in the right mind," a chilling qualification that hints at the psychological cost. This mercenary existence, coupled with the imagery of a hunted "rabbit," creates a powerful sense of a life lived on the run, driven by instinct and a deep-seated fear of being caught by one's own past. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their stark, almost fatalistic portrayal of a man trapped by his own choices and history. The simple, repetitive structure of the chorus, especially the "run rabbit run" refrain, amplifies the feeling of inescapable panic. The phrase "son of a gun" lands with a complex mix of defiance and resignation, a label that feels both earned and imposed upon a life lived on the edge.