When a horse asks who’s really trapped
The Unexpected Philosophy Lesson
I’ve never been an animal person. Admired them from a polite distance, sure, but the whole human-animal bond thing seemed like emotional territory better left to people who actually knew what they were doing. Then I rode the Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tramway in May 2025.
What started as a tourist curiosity became something that burrowed deep into my psyche. Meeting the trainers, the handlers, the magnificent Clydesdales themselves, I witnessed something that challenged every assumption I’d carried about work, purpose, and who’s actually free in this arrangement we call modern life.
The Physics of Trust
Here’s what blew my mind: that massive tram car, all that apparent weight and effort, comes down to basic physics. Those metal wheels on metal tracks reduce the load to roughly 20 kilograms. Something a Clydesdale could pull in its sleep. Yet people still call it cruel, still project human anxieties about captivity onto creatures who’ve found their calling.
The trainers spoke about this misunderstanding with weary patience. How do you explain to someone that what looks like burden might actually be purpose? That love can indeed wear a working frame?
Murray’s Voice
This song emerged from my subconscious as an unexpected turn on the familiar narrative of animal liberation. What if the horse isn’t the one who needs freeing? What if Murray the Clydesdale has figured out something about contentment that we restless humans keep missing?
The bridge hits hardest for me: “Do you feel sorry for me / Do you think I should break free / If you do you’ve grabbed the wrong end of the reins.” It’s Murray asking the uncomfortable question: who’s actually trapped here? The horse with clear purpose and genuine connection, or the humans drinking away their dissatisfaction while chasing the illusion of unlimited choice?
The Complete Lyrics
Verse 1:
Morning breaks across the bay
Brush my coat the same old way
Check my hooves, pat my head
“Good boy, Murray,” someone said
One more time, one more day
Verse 2:
Harness on, I know the weight
Start the journey, never late
There and back across the sea
All those faces watching me
This has always been my fate
Chorus:
Sometimes I wonder
How it feels to run
Chase the thunder
Chase the setting sun
But then I see a child
Smiling up at me
And I remember where I need to be
Verse 3:
Three times crossing in my shift
Every smile’s a precious gift
Steady hooves on weathered wood
Doing what I always should
Watch the morning shadows shift
Verse 4:
Grandpa pulled before I came
Grandma too, they felt the same
In our blood this knowing flows
Every Clydesdale knows
Love can wear a working frame
Bridge:
Do you feel sorry for me
Do you think I should break free
If you do you’ve grabbed the wrong end of the reins
You have the choice to travel far
So what keeps you where you are
I’m the one who’s happy while you drink away your pains
Final Chorus:
Sometimes I wonder
How it feels to run
Chase the thunder
Chase the setting sun
But then I see a child
Smiling up at me
And I remember where I need to be
I remember where I need to be
Outro:
Morning breaks across the bay
Gentle hands start another day…
The Question Worth Asking
Murray’s wisdom cuts through our modern anxiety about authentic living. We’ve been sold the story that freedom means endless options, that purpose requires constant choice. But what if contentment comes from knowing exactly where you belong and why you matter?
In our world of infinite scrolling and perpetual possibility, maybe the Clydesdale knows something we’ve forgotten: that the real question isn’t whether you’re free to run anywhere, but whether you’re happy where your hooves have landed.
Murray’s Song is part of the Steve Davis & The Virtualosos collection, songs made to be discovered by performers ready to make them their own.