Earthy Anecdote Lyrics
Every time the bucks went clattering
Over Oklahoma
A firecat bristled in the way.
Wherever they went,
They went clattering,
Until they swerved
In a swift, circular line
To the right,
Because of the firecat.
Or until they swerved
In a swift, circular line
To the left,
Because of the firecat.
The bucks clattered.
The firecat went leaping,
To the right, to the left,
And
Bristled in the way.
Later, the firecat closed his bright eyes
And slept.
Over Oklahoma
A firecat bristled in the way.
Wherever they went,
They went clattering,
Until they swerved
In a swift, circular line
To the right,
Because of the firecat.
Or until they swerved
In a swift, circular line
To the left,
Because of the firecat.
The bucks clattered.
The firecat went leaping,
To the right, to the left,
And
Bristled in the way.
Later, the firecat closed his bright eyes
And slept.
About
Genius Annotation
This poem, the first published of Wallace Stevens, would have startled a reader of 1923 with the simplicity of its imagery. It is not an allegory, and its predominant theme really is the interaction between a herd of bucks and an imaginary predator called a firecat. For an elaborated explanation, visit http://billsigler.blogspot.com/2012/07/stevens-textplication-20-earthy.html.
In this light, the title appears to be a joke on credulous readers.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 1.Earthy Anecdote
- 8.The Snow Man
- 26.The Jack-Rabbit
- 40.Banal Soujourn
- 43.The Cuban Doctor
- 46.Sunday Morning
- 49.Explanation
- 57.Tattoo
- 59.Life Is Motion
- 60.The Wind Shifts
- 62.Gubbinal
- 64.Theory
- 69.Nomad Exquisite
- 70.Tea
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