My (updated) take on „Kid and leveret“

Disclaimer: I was using wrong pronouns in my original post about the song which also lead me to some false assumptions about the characters. To differentiate I’m gonna use They/them for Cole and It/its for Clemmie (if that’s ok?) You guys kindly corrected me so here is the updated version. I’m curious to what you think.

Hello There! I was a big fan of the Hayfields EP and loved the tone and the lore. (Even though there wasn’t much of it for the non-tumblr)

Now the new song „Kid and Leveret“ really hooked me and I wanted to find out more about the implied lore.

I didn’t really like the songs of origin (though I learned to love them now) so I didn’t look that much at the lyrics so I might have missed some things.

But here are my takes on Kid and Leveret. Correct me if anything is wrong.

So in „farewell to the fields“ it sounds to me like Cole lived in a village that was attacked by riders or horned and hoofed creatures? So they hid and then fled either to the story teller or away from them.

Verse 1 Cole It seems that their village was in a Kingdom with a neglectant Ruler, enabling raids.

Verse 2 Cole seems to flee and be found by „the feathered lady“ (maybe the croon? Doesn’t really make sense to me) (It could also be the Harpy, whoever that resembles) The hound seems to be their old family. Singing lullabies in „And the Hound“ and being left now.

Verse 3 Clemmie’s grandfather was someone knowing the etiquette and intrigue of nobility teaching this to his daughter the Baroness, Clementines mother. She took power once the baron (maybe the ruler of Cole’s land?) got mad and neglectant.

„Believe her she’s a mother“ seems to build on the difficult relationship of clementine with its mother as described in „harpy hare“. It was told to always do as its mother said.

I think at this point Clementine flees and comes to a door. Where it knocks. It’s the girl of silver and gold with its silver eyes and golden hair. In its old home it was a kid. A living soft and innocent but wild thing amongst cold nobles. In its new home it’s a bird. A fragile and rather noble creature. It compared itself to a bird earlier in „Birdcage blue and Yellow“. The birdcage again, being cold metal. Strict rules it had to follow.

(I just though: another way to interpret this door knocking is that Clemmie was not born to nobility but a foundling there.)

Now it’s amongst bears of bark and leaves. Much closer to nature. The wild side of life and also the crude and gross people of the „common folk“.

„I was real she was alone“ maybe referring to the person that took it in. (Be it the new caretaker or the baroness)

Clemmie is free now „no longer puppeted“

The „strings“ in its life are now the strings of (Cole’s?) Guitarlele and not the manipulative strings from its mother.

„Dearest though she was“ implies that Clemmie still loves its mum. This was also hinted to in „Harpy Hare“ where it begs its mother „tell me you’ll stay“ so Clemmie will always have its old home.

„She never saw me *silence! Silence!“ Maybe a quote of its mother silencing its „light“. Later the phrase is completed „saw me at my brightest“. Clemmie’s now at its brightest. Its full potential or the happiest state it ever was. Away from the mother.

outro Cole and clementine seem to have met now. Falling in love (win or wound me with a kiss, you are the lover, you’ve left me entwined etc.)

Now they go to the (Hay-)Fields together