Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Gather jewels from graveyards, when I get home bury them again
Wonder if you'll ever get the chance to ask me why I turned you in
I saved my own skin but I live to fight, I live to fight another day
Still remember how brave you were when they came to take you away
And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed
Prowl through empty fields, great Cain
Thought I'd seen the ghost up on the boulevard, between the broken bits
It's hard to tell gifts of the spirit from clever counterfeits.
Sleepwalk through my days and mark the hours until these dark times fade
Like a caterpillar crawling out along the surface of the blade
And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed
Prowl through empty fields, great Cain
Rummage through the gutted storehouse now
And lick the sweat from my brow
Saw the trucks roll out this morning, not sure when they're coming back again
Feel the prickings of my conscience in my chest ever now and then
Sometimes a great wave of forgetfulness rises up and blesses me
And other times the sickness howls and I despair of any remedy
And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed
Prowl through empty fields, great Cain
Wonder if you'll ever get the chance to ask me why I turned you in
I saved my own skin but I live to fight, I live to fight another day
Still remember how brave you were when they came to take you away
And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed
Prowl through empty fields, great Cain
Thought I'd seen the ghost up on the boulevard, between the broken bits
It's hard to tell gifts of the spirit from clever counterfeits.
Sleepwalk through my days and mark the hours until these dark times fade
Like a caterpillar crawling out along the surface of the blade
And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed
Prowl through empty fields, great Cain
Rummage through the gutted storehouse now
And lick the sweat from my brow
Saw the trucks roll out this morning, not sure when they're coming back again
Feel the prickings of my conscience in my chest ever now and then
Sometimes a great wave of forgetfulness rises up and blesses me
And other times the sickness howls and I despair of any remedy
And I feel guilty but I can't feel ashamed
Prowl through empty fields, great Cain
Lyrics submitted by mossushi
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
If not for JDs concert song intros, there would be nothing here at all to connect this song to Cambodia. Which is why I'm grateful for those who post them, and why reading Mountain Goats pages is slightly less of a waste of time then reading other pages where the meaning is all there in the lyrics - however open to interpreatation they may be.