The lyric speaker is an individual who remembers playing freely on the village green during childhood. Returning to this cherished sanctuary, the speaker finds it altered by restrictive gates and dark architecture. They observe the suppression of the natural world and feel their own inherent physical and emotional urges being forcibly restrained.

These figures patrol the altered grounds of the Garden of Love wearing black gowns. They function as strict enforcers of the chapel's rules, following a rigid, prescribed route rather than wandering freely. Their primary activity involves using sharp briars to tie down and punish human happiness.