On 26 September 2006, Haines released the album Knives Don't Have Your Back on Last Gang Records. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, and New York over the previous four years, and features contributors including Sparklehorse's Scott Minor, Broken Social Scene's Justin Peroff, Stars' Evan Cranley, and Metric's Jimmy Shaw.
Though it took Haines four years to complete the album, the singer says she'd been plotting this for years. "When I was a little kid," she said in a statement, "I would creep downstairs to the piano and write rudimentary songs about imaginary places. I'm told the first song I ever wrote was a love song to a cranberry tree. I always used the mute pedal. I hated the idea of anybody hearing me.
"Everywhere I've lived while working with Metric, I've written songs on the piano and played them for no one," she continued. "On the advice of a friend, I decided I'd better start recording them before they were forgotten."
Among those songs are a track that was written while Haines was studying electroacoustics in Montreal while some were recorded in Toronto, Canada in the winter of 2002, shortly after the death of Haines' father.
Official site: http://www.emilyhaines.com
Legend of the Wild Horse
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She escaped from the racetrack, ran away and never came back
From the dark forest
For sanity I remember this
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
The legend of the wild horse
She got lost on a golf course
She got locked out of a life-force
Or sanity I remember this
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Before you knew me
I'd dive from the roof
I'd swing from the trees and hang from the moon
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I was the wild horse
"Legend of the Wild Horse" is a song by Emily Haines, the lead vocalist of the Canadian indie rock band Metric. The song is about the mythical wild horse that escaped from the racetrack and never came back, embodying the longing for freedom that humans also feel when they are trapped within societal confines. Haines sings about how she relates to the wild horse’s story and tries to break free from her own personal and emotional barriers to regain her sense of self.
The first stanza is a retelling of the legend of the wild horse. The horse symbolizes the struggle of breaking free from societal norms and expectations. Emily Haines then speaks to her own experience of feeling fenced in and locked out of a vital part of her own life. She acknowledges that she has been repeatedly beaten down, but she still swears to be a warrior and fight for her independence.
Haines then declares that before she was restrained, she had the freedom to do whatever she pleased, even if it meant diving off rooftops or swinging from trees. The song ends with the repetition of the pledge to be a warrior, empowered by the example of the wild horse.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me tell you 'bout the legend of the wild horse
Introducing the story of the wild horse
She escaped from the racetrack, ran away and never came back
The wild horse escaped captivity and refused to be confined again
From the dark forest
The wild horse roamed freely in nature
For sanity I remember this
The artist recalls the wild horse's story as a reminder of their own desire for freedom
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
The artist feels trapped and seeks a way out
Just like before, I swore
The singer is determined to fight for their freedom
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
The singer will stand up for themselves and fight against confinement
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
The artist has faced setbacks and struggles
Ten times or more, I swore
Despite the hardships, the artist remains determined to fight
The legend of the wild horse
The wild horse's story inspires the artist's own desire for freedom
She got lost on a golf course
The wild horse continued to explore and wander off the beaten path
She got locked out of a life-force
The wild horse refused to be confined to societal norms and expectations
Before you knew me
The singer reflects on their past experiences outside of confinement
I'd dive from the roof
The singer used to engage in daring and adventurous activities
I'd swing from the trees and hang from the moon
The singer enjoyed a limitless and expansive sense of freedom
I was the wild horse
The artist identifies with and aspires to regain the wild horse's unrestrained spirit
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Emily Haines
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saiguenstunning276
Let me tell you 'bout the legend of the wild horse
She escaped from the racetrack, ran away and never came back
From the dark forest
For sanity I remember this
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
The legend of the wild horse
She got lost on a golf course
She got locked out of a life-force
For sanity I remember this
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Before you knew me
I'd dive from the roof
I'd swing from the trees and hang from the moon
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I was the wild horse
@SubterraneanChick
Still. This song. Still, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. Both have my heart still in 2022. Knives Don't Have Your Back album has been my late Summer driving music on repeat. Emily Haines is one of the most prolific, mystical writers and musical composers. Give praise when due.
@Goatchild90
One of the best songs Emily had anything to do with. Haven't stop listening since it came out.
@PetStuBa
this is seriously a masterpiece of a song !!!!
@Claire-ing
this music and these videos are so redemptive, powerful, and artistic
@hsp.02
♡♡♡♡ from Nigeria, West Africa.
@Rorymcnabb39
Emily in slow motion is poetry
@SparkyNoMallarky
This felt like very David Lynch inspired, and I loved it.
@Rancid-Jane
A must have album.
@saiguenstunning276
Let me tell you 'bout the legend of the wild horse
She escaped from the racetrack, ran away and never came back
From the dark forest
For sanity I remember this
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
The legend of the wild horse
She got lost on a golf course
She got locked out of a life-force
For sanity I remember this
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Before you knew me
I'd dive from the roof
I'd swing from the trees and hang from the moon
Now that I'm fenced in ba-dum ba-dum
Just like before, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
Yeah I've been punched up ba-dum ba-dum
Ten times or more, I swore
I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I swore I'll be your warrior (warrior)
I was the wild horse
@SophieSullen
Reminds me of movies by David Lynch. The song is beautiful, Emily is gorgeous!