| The Mountain Goats – Peacocks Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| This is a dream sequence. "In an hour or two, we will rise." She's out on the porch, alone, watching the peacocks, but with a vague sense of unease. When a sharp breeze pulls her out of her reverie, she thinks about the peacocks. What are they doing there? They're such a strange, fantastical animal... almost like they couldn't exist in real life. Certainly not on her porch. And then she feels his hands grasping and groping, and her brief escape from reality is over. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Alpha Rats Nest Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I know Alpha Omega is supposed to be the last one, but I am convinced that they both die in Oceanographer's Choice. That leaves Alpha Rats Nest as the finale, a capstone to the whole sordid story. I've always thought of it as the couple taking a bow. Credits roll, everybody sings a happy song to summarize. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Oceanographer's Choice Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I've always thought this song was the one where he kills her... and now I'm certain. There's so much gorgeous imagery in this whole album, that it never occurred to me that the imagery in this song could be perfectly literal. When you look at it that way... it really just tells the story. "Guy in a skeleton costume Comes up to the guy in the Superman suit Runs through him with a broadsword" He's watching TV, obviously. Likely one of those Turkish cult classics that doesn't mind mashing up characters with no respect for continuity or copyright. "I flipped the television off Bring all the bright lights up Turn the radio up loud I don't know why I'm so persuaded That if I think things through Long enough and hard enough I'll somehow get to you" He's fuming. Working himself up into a rage, and starting to realize that he's never going to get through to her. "But then you came in and we locked eyes You kicked the ashtray over as we came toward each other Stubbed my cigarette out against the west wall Quickly lit another" This is where the fire starts. The one we all saw coming, referenced in No Children and Alpha Rats Nest. Not only does it happen right in front of our eyes... "Look at that Would you look at that? We're throwing off sparks" ...it happens right in front of his. I don't know if she notices, but this line is him noticing that the fire has started, and thinking how perfect it is that the sparks their clashing throws off can start real fires. "What will I do when I don't have you To hold onto in the dark?" And then in the very next line, he is contemplating her being gone. "Everybody's going to need a witness Everybody's going to need a little backup In case the scene gets nasty" They've always been there for each other, but they can't protect each other *from* each other. There won't be any witnesses. The fire builds. "You throw the attic window open And I throw myself all around you And night comes to Tallahassee" She tries to escape the burning house, and *he pulls her back in*. And night comes to Tallahassee. They struggle. They knock the dresser over. She must be pleading with him, I think, but he says he doesn't love her anymore. He loves her so, so much. They see the ceiling waver and swerve in the heat, finally exhausted on their backs, and he knows he is about to get what he deserves. |
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