| The Mountain Goats – Narakaloka Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I can remember the first time I listened to this song. I was rocking along with this guy, growing cabbages, making toast. Life was good. Then it got to the line "the doctor says that I've got thirty days left at most". It nearly tore me in half. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Raid on Entebbe Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| Its about the Israeli raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda after a planeload of Israelis were hijacked. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Onions Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Headinthesand: Its a doddle to play, you can get the tab here: http://www.themountaingoats.net/wiki/doku.php?id=tabs:onions |
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| Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I think Rayman has it. The song is about the invasion of Britain, not the abortive colony of Vinland in Maine (NOT Newfoundland). The Norse armies invaded generally from the North and East. All of England was conquered except Wessex (our only goal the western shore, ie Wessex, ie total conquest of England). After failing to capture Wessex, the Vikings settled in the Danegeld. After this, the armies of Wessex were able to march out and conquer the settled Danes, who werent an organised army any more, but mostly farmers. The English suddenly had the advantage that the Danes had during the invasion. The Danes were converted to Christendom and the Anglo-Saxons regained control of England. Therefore: "So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins, For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing." Despite gettting their butts kicked, the English eventually won the day. Time to rebuild churches, etc. |
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| John Vanderslice – Emma Pearl Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Sounds like a guy with cabin fever who invents himself a friend. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Waco Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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The lyrics in the boot Ive got are quite a bit different, but thats normal for John. My attempt at them: Where the dry dust turns the sunset pink where all summer long its so hot you cant think straight where we drink water from a well by hand half a world away from the old promised land we understand what we've been given a new covanent, a real sharp one and we spend our days and nights gaining new appreciation of its finer points waiting for the dead to rise up from their graves waiting for jesus to come along and save us and biding our time biding our time biding our time as best we know how Second verse is much the same, but its George Romero, not O'mera. He's the god of end-of-world zombie movies (Night of the living dead, dawn of the dead, land of the dead, etc. etc.) |
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| The Mountain Goats – Waco Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This song NEVER should have got left of all hail west texas. Heard a boot of it on archive.org, its brilliant. | |
| John Vanderslice – Heated Pool And Bar Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Cheney said that "the American way of life was not negotiable". What the heck is the American way of life? Given the actions of the tyrants in the white house, its not anything to do with liberty, freedom or justice. A heated pool and bar sounds as much like the "American way of life" as anything else I can think of. |
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| John Vanderslice – You Were My Fiji Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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A lay-over in the pacific somewhere was fairly normal during the days of tall ships (for example, whaling ships). Often, sailors, even if married at home, would take native women while they were there. It was a temporary thing, and there was no chance of anyone at home finding out. I think this song compares the old sailing life with what its like to be out on tour. Many stopovers on "islands" a long way from home, with no chance of anyone finding out. |
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| John Vanderslice – Exodus Damage Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"There are definitely some 9-11 refrences in this song." so the second plane hit at 9:02 You think? |
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| John Vanderslice – Exodus Damage Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"There are definitely some 9-11 refrences in this song." so the second plane hit at 9:02 You think? |
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| John Vanderslice – Everything Changed Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I think the point is how self-centred the guy in the song is. Even though he's just killed a girl, his main concern is how it affects him, how he is whacked off his face because he's lost his job. A little girl being dead is only important because it affects him. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Flight 717: Going to Denmark Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I dont think there is much interpretation to do for this one. Just wanted to tell you that its one of my favourites ;-) | |
| The Mountain Goats – Going to Georgia Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| John is one of those rare artists that can write a geography. Its amazing. | |
| John Vanderslice – When It Hits My Blood Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I thought it was the son of a flower that grows on Afghani blood. Great song. |
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| Iron & Wine – Passing Afternoon Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I agree with Sam and Way. The song seems to follow a progression through her life, from when they married. Springtime is left off, because thats childhood and the characters arent together then. Summer is linked to a honeymoon, autumn is domestic and God-fearing, winter brings death and loniness. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Noctifer Birmingham Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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How can John write such plain Lyrics but make them magic? This is one of my favourite. Dont think there is much deeper than what it says. |
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| The Mountain Goats – The Anglo-Saxons Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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"they use to paint their bodies blue" Well, that was the Celts, and Caesar never saw an Angle or a Saxon (or even a Jute for that matter) Still, who says everything has to be accurate ;) |
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| The Mountain Goats – The Mess Inside Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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i wanted you to love me like you used to do. *sigh* |
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| The Mountain Goats – Song for Cleomenes Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I thought it was Varius not Verrius? Im with you dog, history rocks ;) |
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| The Mountain Goats – Sendero Cuminoso Verdado Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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"and the skin on my face has a memory all its own and it drinks in the pure heat, real slow." Having left a tropical paradise for a grey, temperate plain, those lines really hit me in the chest. Makes me want to go home. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Pigs That Ran Straightaway into the Water, Triumph of Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Id interpreted the prison references as a methaphor for addiction. Still, I like your link between the pigs and getting caught for possession and the pigs. Its clever, made me laugh :) Who then would be being sent to tempt him? "And you send your dark messengers to tempt me" Ive taken that to be a challenge to meth itself, "Im above you now, you dont attract me anymore" Instead of heading back to the old prison of addiction (going to court and taken to jail) he is heading off in a new free direction. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Palmcorder Yajna Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Hadnt thought of that before Livid. Maybe you are right, I think that because it was so early in the album, it wasnt time to "come clean" in the story yet. Should be happening around Mole or Cotton or Pigs. Maybe you are right though :) |
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| The Mountain Goats – Oceanographer's Choice Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I dont think there is any reconciling. Just more booze and sex. Its what the Alphas do. She leaves him in the end, is this the last try? | |
| The Mountain Goats – Jenny Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I think Ive heard the same boot Mr Glass. If it is, it sounded like he'd had a few drinks by the time he got to that one, maybe he just got it wrong? In the same set he did a version of Source Decay that was slightly different (and far, far superior to the AHWT version too). | |
| The Mountain Goats – Itzcuintli-Totzli Days Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| No idea. Im guessing that its using a metaphor from Aztec mythology (wasnt there a rabbit god?) Might check it out some more and get back to you guys :) | |
| The Mountain Goats – Going to Malibu Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Im pretty sure its feel :-) Broken up couple meeting again? |
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| The Mountain Goats – Fault Lines Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| Its deathless. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Alpha Omega Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| Im not an American, so forgive my geography, but dont the Rockies run all the way down California? Isnt there somewhere high enough for it to snow significantly in southern California, like further North? | |
| The Mountain Goats – Dance Music Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I just got this album. Must say that it made me feel a bit ill. Am I right in saying this is the first time John has dealt with violence in a big way? The alphas, WSABH, etc. they have hopes, failures and regrets, but there is nothing terribly violent about them. John does violence as well as any other emotion, thats why I feel ill. Brilliant, simply brilliant. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Third Snow Song Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| Does the person in this song kill themselves by drowning/hypothemia? | |
| The Mountain Goats – Source Decay Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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Ive always got the impression that the two people in the song used to travel together (as many young friends do). They were both living in west Texas, and decided to pack up and see the world "to check the austin post office box, and i take the detour, through our old neighborhood". Anyway, they travel around for a long time, and backpack around the globe (including Thailand of course). The main character after a while decides its time to "grow up" and leaves the other person, moving back to west Texas", the other person wants to keep travelling. They leave on good terms though, and agree to keep in touch "well i'll tell you what i know, like i swore i always would" The traveller tries to keep in touch, sending postcards from various places they visit, sending them to the PO Box. On the trip home, the main character realises how much misses the one who keeps travelling, and longs to return to them again (his "heart breaks"). He trys to figure out where he could possible rejoin his friend by looking at the postcards that they sent, to see if he can predict where they will be next "i check the the picture, and the postmarks, and the captions and the stamps, for signs of any patern at all". Soon, he realises that it is impossible "when i come up empty handed, the feeling almost overwhelms me" and becomes incredibly bitter as he realises that all that he has left are his memories "and i smile a bitter smile, not a pretty thing to see, think about a raileroad platform, back in nineteen eighty three" This is perhaps my favourite MG song (for this week at least). I heard a live boot of this. Only John could do a live version recorded on a palmcorder that has better production values than he album version. If you dont know what a mobius strip is, look it up, it adds a lot of depth to the song. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Letter from Belgium Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| Meth users are more sensitive to bright light. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Home Again Garden Grove Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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John at his lo-fi best. "I can remember when we were in high school Our dreams were like fugitive warlords Plotting triumphant returns to the city " Magic. |
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| The Mountain Goats – Alpha Omega Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| I heard John live once. He had a bit of a preamble about the Alpha couple before he did Alpha Double Negative: Going to Catalina. He said that the Alphas started out in California, then went to Nevada for a bit, then moved down to Tallahassee in Florida. If you wanted to build up a chronology of songs, placing the geography might help. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Pigs That Ran Straightaway into the Water, Triumph of Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| This song is about triumph. The meth demons that haunted the character in the earlier song are gone, he is no longer possessed by his addiction | |
| The Mountain Goats – Old College Try Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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"In the way those eyes I've always loved illuminate this place Like a trashcan fire in a prison cell" Best simile ever :D |
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| The Mountain Goats – The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton Lyrics | 21 years ago |
| Sirus should been 'Cyrus', like the Persian emperor. Great song. | |
| The Mountain Goats – Palmcorder Yajna Lyrics | 21 years ago |
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The song, and the whole album is about a meth user (John?). I dont think the implication is that anyone dies in this song, but the incinerate bit is some self-loathing. Ive heard that John used to do meth once, and that the album actually is based more on his own experiences than other songs, which are largely fictional. As with Tallahasse, dont try to interpret this song outside of the context of the whole album. Great album BTW :-) |
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