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The Mountain Goats – Philippians 3:20-21 Lyrics 16 years ago
Darnielle in that same interview: "The song is actually about a specific person. I'm not going to say who, but it's a person of note."

I'd wager heavily that Darnielle was thinking of Elliott Smith. The strongest textual clue I see is "neuroleptics and electric shocks" (Smith subjected himself to a hell of a lot in trying to cure his depression and addiction), but I'm thinking more of the essay Darnielle wrote when Smith died: http://lastplanetojakarta.com/articles/elliott.html

Smith:
1. Was greatly admired by John Darnielle
2. Suffered his entire life, it's written
3. Was a person of note

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