Fascinating discussion, as I in turn find the song fascinating. The song has a very catchy tune, but I am struck by the sense of ritual detailed by it, and the honoring of the prey. Whether this sport is and was cruel is left to the individual to assess, but there is no doubt it is as old as the friendship between mankind and the canine.

The term relope I have taken to refer to a return by the hare along its previous track and, in conjunction with the phrase "retiring hare", an implication that the hare has gone to ground under a rock, in brush, or a hollow tree, etc. In this situation the dogs would likely be called away to prevent complete destruction of the hare.

The adjective "innocent" I also find intriguing. To a modern audience, the term conjures an immediate sympathy with the hare, for it has done no wrong to bring on its death. But I think this may be a more archaic usage, implying ignorance, even dumb instinct in reaction to threat and the chase. Whatever the specific meaning, the song is quite remarkable in that we are shown not only the structure and flow of the hunt, but we also have a sympathetic view of the desperate flight and frantic actions of the prey. At the end of the song, the hunters drink to their success, but also to that of the hare, as if the hare's skillfull avoidance of capture were not only admirable but, in some form, an honorable achievement.

But "overthinking" is the flaw of us who are given to analysis of songs that were likely understood on an organic level in their past, and still carry that power, if we let them.