First Of The Gang To Die

The lyrics mix romance, violence and memory. The speaker describes beauty in ordinary places, then introduces Hector, a young criminal remembered as the first in his group to carry a gun, go to prison and die. The mood shifts from wonder to bleakness, but the repeated refrain gives Hector a kind of lasting, almost affectionate presence.

The stars reflected in reservoirs and dawn behind a home for blind people are unexpected images of beauty in a rough setting. “Smashed human bones” sharply breaks that romantic mood, suggesting that violence is part of the same landscape. “Go under the sod” is an idiom meaning to be buried, while “a bullet in his gullet” is a blunt, rhyming way to describe his death. The phrase “stole all hearts away” can mean that he won people’s affection, not only that he stole things.

Hector is presented as both dangerous and appealing: he steals from people across the social scale, yet seems to capture everyone’s sympathy. Calling him “such a silly boy” may sound tender, dismissive, or bitterly ironic. The lyrics do not explain whether the speaker admires him, mourns him, or is simply caught up in the group’s legend. That uncertainty makes the repeated praise feel both moving and uneasy.