You could choose to take "bare-knuckled" as a metaphor for "boldly" (marching, speaking, filing legal briefs, voting, singing etc.)

Or you could choose to take it literally.

You took it literally
1
0
0
Well yes. It’s kind of that way now. I marched. I vote. I don’t file legal briefs.

I can choose
1
0
0
Yay

I can't file legal briefs anymore because I turned in my license, but the way things are going these days, I fell like maybe I retired too soon.
1
0
1