1 Meaning
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Song for the Julian Calendar Lyrics
Sun twinkling on the river this evening
The taste of chocolate on my tongue
Darkness climbing up the ladders to the sky
Rung by agonizing rung
Heard firecrackers popping next door
Wondered what it was I'd bargained for
And I laid quiet on the floor
And you were not here
Let me be a witness
Let me walk out on the edge
The sun refused to shine on my back yard today
Darkness climbing up the house
Coming through the window ledge
I heard the firecrackers bursting on the sidewalk
Heard you talking that baby talk
Saw the black lights again and I felt a shock
When you were knocking
When you were knocking
The taste of chocolate on my tongue
Darkness climbing up the ladders to the sky
Rung by agonizing rung
Wondered what it was I'd bargained for
And I laid quiet on the floor
And you were not here
Let me walk out on the edge
The sun refused to shine on my back yard today
Darkness climbing up the house
Coming through the window ledge
Heard you talking that baby talk
Saw the black lights again and I felt a shock
When you were knocking
When you were knocking
Song Info
Submitted by
my Anaphora On Jul 26, 2005
More The Mountain Goats
No Children
This Year
Dance Music
Dilaudid
The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Jesus...this song is desperate and gorgeous. I am so in love with
Let me be your witness Let me walk out on the edge
As for the meaning...we switched from Julian to Gregorian calendars in 1582, but I know the Orthodox church still uses Julian. And...maybe this is a stretch, but the reason we didn't keep Julian as the civil calendar is that it required a good deal of refinement and days added and subtracted to keep it aligned with the tropical calendar. These days were typically decided by pontiffs, and when the Romans were caught up in civil wars they were sometimes forgotten, leading to drift and misalignment. I think this song typifies that drift. The lines "Darkness climbing up the ladders to the sky/Rung by agonizing rung" and "The sun refused to shine on my back yard today/Darkness climbing up the house" bring on the feeling of time being different from how it's supposed to be.
Just...picture the surreality that comes when we switch times for daylight savings. Now stretch that feeling out so it encompasses the entire year being off-kilter, not being sure what day it really is, and then project that feeling on to your relationship. That's how I see this song.