The Collar-Bone of a Hare

Song Meaning

The narrator longs for an escape, a mythical place reached by sailing "on the water" where royalty and revelry abound. This imagined realm offers a freedom from conventional bonds, suggesting that "the best thing is / To change my loves while dancing." It's a fantasy of effortless connection and fleeting pleasure, a stark contrast to the narrator's current reality. This idealized escape is juxtaposed with a desire to find a specific, almost ritualistic object: "The collar-bone of a hare." This bone, worn thin by time and water, becomes a focal point for observing the "old bitter world." The narrator wants to use it as a lens, a tool to mock and dismiss the societal institution of marriage, particularly the solemnity of "marry in churches." The striking image of piercing the hare's bone with a gimlet and staring through it is the lyrical centerpiece. It's a deliberate act of deconstruction, seeking to find a new perspective by looking *through* something fragile and ancient. This contrasts sharply with the perceived permanence and sanctity of marriage, suggesting the narrator finds more truth or amusement in the ephemeral and the overlooked. Ultimately, the lyrics articulate a profound disillusionment with the established order, particularly concerning love and commitment. The narrator seeks not just an escape, but a way to reframe reality through a symbol of nature's decay and fragility, finding a bitter, almost defiant, joy in observing the world's rituals from a detached, critical vantage point.