| The Jazz Butcher – Angels Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
I've been a fan a long while - this is his best song. He said at a concert I attended that it was inspired by the film Wings of Desire. I think the "making jokes and wearing black" gets at that directly. The aching of the "hold you in my arms" line isn't done justice in the lyrics. There's a real punch to his delivery there. |
|
| The Mountain Goats – Tallahassee Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
Anyone who lives in a college town can relate to the "half the whole town" line. What did I come down here for? That speaks to everyone in this damn town who moved for a lover, only to have it fall apart. Crushing. One of his best. |
|
| The Mountain Goats – Palmcorder Yajna Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
John was a student at Pitzer college in Claremont. The adjacent town, Pomona is sketchy. Holt Blvd. between Gary is and White is a good place to score there. The place actually. Like many songs it could be a story - but the comb the carpet for clues line makes it clear he's talking from experience. |
|
| The Mountain Goats – This Year Lyrics | 17 years ago |
|
When I heard the "there will be feasting and dancing in Jerusalem next year" line, I immediately thought of the Jewish kids in high school who were going to spend a year in Israel after graduation (my dad wanted me to be one of them). This isn't religious -- it is about wishing you were one of those kids who would get to get away from everything. I think the entire song is about escape -- he cements it with a wish to be like those kids. Not to dispute Irish but this would be a better fit with the high school persona he's writing from. |
|
| The Mountain Goats – This Year Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Actually, despite what BoomSwagger says, Mountain Goats are similar to TMBG lyrically -- check an album like Lincoln or Apollo 18 -- all of those songs sound airy and funny but the lyrics are often crushingly sad, personal, and covering ground similar to MG. | |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.