The Auteurs was a British alternative rock band of the 1990s.

Unfair… Read Full Bio ↴The Auteurs was a British alternative rock band of the 1990s.

Unfairly dismissed as the egotrip of acclaimed songwriter Luke Haines, The Auteurs were one of the unsung bands of the mid-nineties Britpop movement. Releasing their first record, New Wave, in 1993, the Auteurs were compared to Suede, and the resurgent glam-rock movement, and began to amass a reasonable cult following. 1994's second album, and commercial highlight, Now I'm A Cowboy, saw the band embracing at times a more contemporary sound, notably on the single Lenny Valentino, which probably remains Haines' best-known song. Now I'm A Cowboy was marked out by sprawling guitar lines as much as by Haines' inimitable lyrics, a kind of visceral social commentary. While touring this album in 1995, Haines jumped off a fifteen-foot wall, breaking both ankles, resulting in his being in a wheelchair for the rest of that year, recording the starker, angrier third album After Murder Park, most notable for the ballad-like lead single Unsolved Child Murder, released for Christmas at Haines own bidding. Following this, Haines took time out to work on other projects such as Black Box Recorder and Baader Meinhof, reforming the Auteurs in 1999 for the release of the mostly overlooked final album, How I Learned To Love The Bootboys.

While Haines remains widely respected for his lyrical eloquence and eye for the minutae of life, his eccentric, confrontational personality, and habit of styling himself as a louche ne'er-do-well, perhaps impeded the formation of a more affectionate bond with his fans. The Auteurs, similarly, tended to be respected rather more than they were loved.

High Diving Horses
The Auteurs Lyrics

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Well I had to shoot the lame horse
It's extra useless leg
Cut my hand
Pray for rain
Well I had to shoot the lame horse
To take him down a peg
Cut my hand
Pray for rain

And I'd do it again
I'd do it again
You don't have to look the gift horse
And stab him in the mouth
It's such
Such the nag

Outdoor operations
Are no longer fun
Make it do the high dive
Set up for a fall
Follow law

And I'd do it again
I'd do it again

You don't have to look the gift horse
And stab him in the mouth
It's such
Such the nag

High diving horses look so small
High diving horses look so small
High diving horses look so small

Outdoor operations
Are no longer fun
Make it do the high dive
Set up for a fall
High diving horses look so small

And I'd do it again
I'd do it again
You don't have to look the gift horse
And stab him in the mouth

It's such
Such the nag

Overall Meaning

The Auteurs’ “High Diving Horses” is a powerful and somewhat disturbing song that deals with ethics, morality, and the reality of death. The lyrics revolve around the singer’s decision to shoot a lame horse, and the subsequent guilt and remorse he feels. The opening lines, “Well I had to shoot the lame horse, it's extra useless leg, cut my hand, pray for rain” set the tone for the rest of the song, highlighting the tough choices that we sometimes have to make in life.

The second verse suggests that the horse was not the only victim here, with the singer lamenting that “outdoor operations are no longer fun”. It’s almost as if the singer is trying to justify his actions by saying that sometimes things have to be done, no matter how unpleasant they may be. The chorus, “And I'd do it again, I'd do it again, you don't have to look the gift horse and stab him in the mouth, it's such, such the nag” further emphasizes this point, with the singer clearly feeling justified in his decision to shoot the horse. However, the final verse, which repeats the line “High diving horses look so small”, seems to suggest that the singer is second-guessing his decision and is perhaps questioning the morality of the act.

Overall, “High Diving Horses” is a dark and thought-provoking song that forces the listener to think about some difficult issues. Despite the unsettling subject matter, the song is delivered in a hauntingly beautiful way, with a poetic and introspective quality that is both chilling and mesmerizing.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I had to shoot the lame horse
I had to eliminate something that was clearly not working

It's extra useless leg
An unnecessary complication

Cut my hand
Getting hurt in the process

Pray for rain
Hoping for some good luck

To take him down a peg
To reduce their status

And I'd do it again
I have no regrets

You don't have to look the gift horse
Be grateful for what you have

And stab him in the mouth
Don't ruin it by being unappreciative

It's such such the nag
A persistent annoyance

Outdoor operations
Difficulties faced in outdoor activities

Are no longer fun
The enjoyment is gone