Wild Oat

Song Meaning

The lyrics recall a past romantic pursuit that began with a chance encounter twenty years prior. The narrator remembers two women, one a striking "bosomy English rose" and the other a friend "in specs" whom he found more approachable. This initial interaction, sparked by their "faces," led him to pursue the latter, despite the former's apparent initial allure. The narrative then details a prolonged, intense courtship of the "friend in specs." Over seven years, he wrote "over four hundred letters" and gave a "ten guinea ring," a significant investment of time and resources. Their meetings occurred in "numerous cathedral cities," suggesting a deliberate, perhaps clandestine, progression of the relationship. Yet, the narrator notes the woman "was trying both times... not to laugh," hinting at an underlying awkwardness or lack of genuine connection from her side. The relationship's ultimate failure is attributed to the narrator's own character flaws: "too selfish, withdrawn / And easily bored to love." This self-awareness, however, is presented with a detached pragmatism, as he states, "Well, useful to get that learnt." The poem concludes with a lingering, almost ironic, memento: two photographs of the "bosomy rose" kept as "unlucky charms," suggesting a persistent, perhaps regretful, fascination with the path not taken or the initial, more dazzling prospect. This piece effectively captures the quiet disappointment of a failed relationship, framed by the narrator's retrospective, unsentimental assessment. The contrast between the initial spark and the eventual outcome, coupled with the narrator's self-diagnosis of his own shortcomings, creates a poignant, if somewhat bleak, portrait of romantic misadventure and the lingering echoes of past choices.