Wildfire
Langley Schools Music Project Lyrics


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She comes down from yellow mountain
On a dark, flat land she rides
On a pony she named wildfire
With a whirlwind by her side

On a cold Nebraska night
Oh, they say she died one winter
And there came a killing frost
And the pony she named wildfire
Busted down his stall
And in a blizzard he was lost

She ran calling wildfire
Calling wildfire
Calling wildfire

By the dark of the moon I planted
But there came an early snow
There's been a hoot owl howling by my window now
For six nights in a row
She's coming for me I know
And on wildfire we're both gonna go

We'll be riding with wildfire
Riding with wildfire
Riding with wildfire

On a wildfire we're gonna ride
We're gonna leave sod bustin' behind




Let these hard times right out if my mind
Riding wildfire

Overall Meaning

The Langley Schools Music Project's song Wildfire is a hauntingly beautiful tune that tells the tale of a woman who comes down from a yellow mountain on a pony she named Wildfire. She rides across the dark, flat land with a whirlwind by her side, and her presence is both captivating and mysterious. The singer describes a cold Nebraska night when they say that the woman died one winter, and a killing frost followed. The pony she named Wildfire busted down his stall and got lost in a blizzard. The woman's loss seems to have left an indelible mark on the singer's life, and he runs calling Wildfire, calling Wildfire, calling Wildfire.


The second half of the song blends in with the first in terms of the theme, but the context is different. The singer talks about planting during the dark of the moon, but an early snow came, and a hoot owl started howling at his window for six nights in a row. He feels that the woman is coming for him, and they'll both ride on Wildfire. He describes riding with Wildfire as a release from hard times, and they'll leave "sod bustin'" behind. Throughout the song, the woman's presence, and the pony she named Wildfire, seems to symbolize freedom or even death, and the singer's conflation of the two themes makes the song profoundly moving.


Overall, the song Wildfire is a hauntingly beautiful tune that tells a story ripe with symbolism and meaning. The woman who comes down from the yellow mountain with her pony named Wildfire is both captivating and mysterious, and the singer bridges the themes of freedom and death through his descriptions of her and the pony.


Line by Line Meaning

She comes down from yellow mountain
She descends from a majestic mountain with a distinctly yellow hue


On a dark, flat land she rides
She rides on a flat and dark plain


On a pony she named wildfire
She rides on a pony that goes by the name Wildfire


With a whirlwind by her side
A strong wind accompanies her on her journey


On a cold Nebraska night
It was a frigid evening in the state of Nebraska


Oh, they say she died one winter
According to rumors, she passed away in the winter


And there came a killing frost
A harsh frost arrived


And the pony she named wildfire
Her trusty steed, known as Wildfire


Busted down his stall
Wildfire broke out of his stable


And in a blizzard he was lost
Amidst a blizzard, Wildfire went missing


She ran calling wildfire
She frantically searched for her horse, calling Wildfire's name


Calling wildfire
Repeatedly calling out to Wildfire


By the dark of the moon I planted
She sowed some seeds under the dark of the moon


But there came an early snow
An unexpected snowfall arrived soon after


There's been a hoot owl howling by my window now
A nearby owl has been making loud calls outside her window


For six nights in a row
This has been going on for six consecutive nights


She's coming for me I know
She feels certain that something is coming for her


And on wildfire we're both gonna go
She plans to escape on Wildfire


We'll be riding with wildfire
Together with her pony, Wildfire, they will ride


Riding with wildfire
Continuing to travel with Wildfire


On a wildfire we're gonna ride
They will make their escape on Wildfire


We're gonna leave sod bustin' behind
She is leaving behind her tough, rural life


Let these hard times right out if my mind
She hopes that this journey will help her forget about her hardships


Riding wildfire
Continuing to flee on Wildfire




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: SARA ALLEN, DARYL HALL, DARYL F HALL, PETER LORD, PETER MORELAND, VERNON SMITH, V JEFFREY SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Clayton Jeffs

This is really weird. Someone told me to check out a podcast about this album today because they knew I went to school in Langley at this time. Sure enough, I was in Grade 4 in 1977 at Wix Brown Elementary and Mr. Fenger was my music teacher. This is one of the tracks I am singing on (somewhere in there). Mr. Fenger was an incredible teacher. I am trying to find my face in the photos on the album cover.

The Liberation Station

Thats awesome! A friend told me to check out the same podcast today. I love the story. Great music!

Deus Ex Machina

I believe you're referring to the digression in 99 Percent Invisible’s episode 328 - Devolutionary Design. I came from a comment on the article form of the episode on 99pi’s site.

Saxtondonald97020 Buddha

These kids were AWESOME!!! Kudos to the music intructor that saw their potential early on.

jizzmonkeyreunion

Yeah, Space Oddity had me kind of losing my mind when I first heard it in the 90s. Every single one on this is a gem -- the solos get me hard. This is definitely something special, also great songwriting to begin with.

Andrew Cockburn

Remarkable and beautiful.

RuRag

Люблю, когда поют дети, поют, а не плачут, не плачут и поют. Русские не любят, когда кто-то или что-то заставляет детей лить слёзы. Если хочешь стать Великим человеком - проживи жизнь не став причиной ни одной детской слезы, кроме той, которая льётся из глаз от счастья созерцания тебя, как долгожданного друга, брата, отца, деда.

Clive Teare

This is the one song I wasn't familiar with. And it makes me cry

travisbickle65

Seriously? No one? How the hell did you people spend your late '90s? Not drinking beer out in the country and listening to Langley's "Space Oddity" over and over again? Your lives are poorer for it.

DavidfromBA

travisbickle65 Personally, I only first heard Langley (or even heard OF them, for that matter) a couple days ago. Considering that they're not exactly household names or anything, and that these "kids" are now deeper into their middle age years than I am, I'd say I can probably be forgiven. ;-)

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