Dinu Lipatti's Bones

The Mountain Goats

We stank of hair dye and ammonia
We sealed ourselves away from view
You were looking at the void and seldom blinking
The best that I could do
Was to train my eyes on you
We scaled the hidden hills beneath the surface
Scraped our fingers bloody on the stones
And built a little house that we could live in
Out of Dinu Lipatti's bones

We kept our friends at bay all summer long
Treated the days as though they'd kill us if they could
Wringing out the hours like blood-drenched bedsheets
To keep wintertime at bay
But December showed up anyway
There was no money, it was money that you wanted
I went downtown, sold off most of what I owned
And we raised a tower to broadcast all our dark dreams
From Dinu Lipatti's bones


Lyrics submitted by flamebroiledchicken, edited by netsua08

Dinu Lipatti's Bones song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment
    Dinu Lipatti was a pianist, yes. But she also died of leukemia at the age of 33. Where does leukemia reside? Bone marrow. Hence, this song may be about one's Kryptonite. Or perhaps the uselessness of an object. Or perhaps it's just a dark reference for "dark dreams." Or, likelier still, Darnielle owns Dinu Lipatti's bones and intends to build a broadcasting tower. Literally.
    mindsaleon June 21, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment
    Of the many things I love about this song, I love the way it ends. It's almost a fadeout, but it doesn't just dissolve - it gets quieter, and calmer, and it just ends in a whisper. These are two people in pain, clinging to each other desperately because there's nothing else to cling to. They're the kids from "This Year," a matched pair of high-maintenance machines, always inches away from breaking down. The hushed falsetto, the muted tones of the guitar and bass and piano, and - especially - the tenderness of the ending sound like a lullaby to me - like Darnielle is carefully and gently tucking the song into a soft bed and whispering to it that everything will be OK, even though it probably won't. It's an amazing moment.
    bobgon January 06, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    dinu lipatti was a man, and he died of hodgkins which isnt quite leukemia but rather lymphoma. dinu lipatti's extraordinary skill with the piano stemmed from a quest for musical perfection; i think this is an attempt to find perfection in each other. thats why they cut themselves off from the world, and why their failure is inevitable. sounds like a wild visionary quest together through drugs.
    sophie_uhon December 22, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    I think Dinu Lipatti's Bones are his music. His remains, that is, his legacy. A theme I see a lot in the Sunset Tree is the saving power of music, and I think this song is another example of it. In this case, the Music of Dinu Lipatti serves as a way of bringing the two characters of John and the unnamed girlfriend together. But ultimately the song is about how he depends on her for moral support.
    PD711on June 20, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    What does this mean? O.o
    AGuyNamedDanon January 17, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Dinu Lipattis was an early 20th century Romanian pianist. What that has to do with this song, I have no idea.
    flamebroiledchickenon February 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Thanks for the lyrics. I *think* the third line is actually, "You were looking at the void and SELDOM blinking"
    robertonionon May 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I think its about tying to make something out of flawed material, houses are often seen as symbols of relationships, especially in darnielle's work (see the house that sripped blood). So the fact that this couple are building their house out of quite obviously flawed material, shows that their relationship was doomed from the start, however, in line with true human nature, they are willing to try anyway. Ignorance is bliss
    pocketsfullofshellson June 29, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I definitely think this is about a drug-related experience, and the reference to Dinu Lipatti may be no more than a part of the randomness of a psychadelic dream.
    JulyJulyon December 29, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    The last stanza of this song on Come Come to the Sunset Tree are There was no money, it was money that you wanted The paint cracked, and the moldy rafters groaned and we watched cracks form in the house we made out of Dinu Lipatti's bones
    madcorecoyoteon December 31, 2006   Link

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