Great Horse

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a surreal, almost dreamlike tableau of a horse named Champer Goldbraid, presented as a creature of myth and regal bearing. It prances through "garden villas with the sun," a scene of idyllic beauty that’s immediately undercut by the jarring image of its "horned onyx" and a saddle gleaming in the "black aped eyeballs of the gun." This juxtaposition sets a tone of uneasy grandeur, where natural splendor collides with an ominous, perhaps violent, undertone. The central tension seems to revolve around an impending, significant event, hinted at by the repeated refrain, "When the great apple falls / She'll be queen of your halls." The identity of "she" remains ambiguous, but the fall of the "great apple" suggests a moment of change, perhaps a loss of innocence or a transition of power, that will elevate this mysterious figure to a position of authority. The lyrics introduce a "tall bowman" who encounters Champer, bowing to his "his lord," and speaking of a "skull powdered cord," further deepening the sense of a ritualistic or fated encounter, where power is acknowledged and perhaps seized. The most striking aspect is the deliberate clash of imagery. Champer Goldbraid is both a majestic "great horsey" and a "strange beastie from the legend lair," adorned with "horned onyx" and associated with a "gun." This creates a disorienting effect, blurring the lines between the natural and the artificial, the noble and the dangerous. The bowman’s plea to "I can master with the aid of this skull powdered cord" introduces a dark, almost necromantic element, suggesting that control or dominion is sought through means that are both ancient and grim. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their evocative, fragmented nature. They don't offer a clear narrative but instead build a potent atmosphere of mythic unease and anticipation. The deliberate ambiguity, the striking contrasts between beauty and menace, and the ritualistic language combine to create a sense of foreboding and wonder, leaving the listener to piece together the implications of the falling apple and the rise of the queen.