Ballad of a Runaway Horse - Emmylou Harris (Lyrics) 

These "autolyrics" suck.

No. I think "speed" is the correct word. Speed in this case means "hoof" and it is a methapor for the speediness of the runaway horse.

@@detlevvollmer1369 Could be right as she rewrote if from: And he nailed to her feet when he was the lord.

@@raymooney1295 Yes, may be. In any case the "Ballad of a Runaway Horse" is a very fascinating and mysterious song.

@@raymooney1295Um, Emmylou didn't write it. Leonard Cohen did. But she has definitely made it her own. It is also a metaphor for a doomed relationship. That is the genius of Leonard, and Emmylou's interpretation makes it alchemical hoodoo.

@@janetdidonato9963 Um, she definitely rewrote it as I said in my post, when she adapted it by changing the sex.