My Interpretation of “Yoke”

refer to the last entry for a line by line analysis of Amy Ray’s lyrics.

Amy Ray is addressing someone deceitful and closed off.  I think the someone represents all of us listeners’ dark, non-caring side.  She mentions a “she” that (I think) could be interpreted a couple of ways (or even both ways).  The “she” is nature/environment/Earth/all living creatures or the “she” could be a loving, yet naive woman in a relationship.

The main message of the song is even though it isn’t in our past history, and it may be difficult for our psyche, people need to work together, be open, and loving or “she” will be destroyed.  Depending on the listener, the “she” is different and so are the implications.  If “she” is the environment, being bad and taking advantage of her will result in Earth’s destruction and the ultimate annihilation of humankind as well.  If the person listening to the songs thinks of “she” as a woman in a relationship, trying to play upon her helplessness in order to control her will result in eventual loneliness.

Amy is telling us we are here to figure out how to overcome our greed and deceptive core to appreciate what we have, treat the “she” in our lives with openness and honesty, and return her love.  If we succeed in working together, loving one-another without manipulation and not as a means of controlling another; and if we love the beauty of the animal kingdom and land, instead of over-hunting and over-consuming them–we will reach a higher plane.

In short, the song sounds so forlorn because Amy is asking all of us to stop carelessly and thoughtlessly grasping everything of our hearts desire.  She is saying going after everything we want has consequences for loving relationships and at a higher level, our planet.  She is imploring us to yoke together like oxen in a herd of hope and hold tightly (with grubby hands) to what we already have.