Goats in Trees

I'm pretty sure this song is about Marks drug addiction

"Well I was caught inside the wreck never found my way out I was filled with indifference The animals they were getting tired so I sang Them a song cause they promised not to take too long Well I can't find my way back home"

He got into drugs and was too addicted to get out of this mess. All he longed for were drugs, everything else around him lost more and more importance until he became indifferent. to everything. I guess the tired animals are just a hallucination he had during a trip, and the line about him not finding his way back home is similar to some lines of "Live on the nickel" and refers to how he derailed from the life his parents tried to build up for him. It might also be important that Mark lived in LA during his "drug days", so far away from his hometown and family. So probably, him not finding the way back home refers to that, too. Plus, he couldn't go back home because if he would, his parents would've find out about his drug addiction.

"I'll listen to you If you want me to but you have to share a smoke" His addiction deprived him of his humanity, so he stopped caring about others and only listens to them if they pay him with some kind of drug. His priorities have changed.

"And I can't hear the angels calling the madness" Notice how the angels tell him about him going crazy: it's probable that he's high, hallucinating them and therefore thinks he's nuts because of the things he sees.

"I feel the change in the rising tide and blood is in the room" Things get worse, the rising tide changes, and his living conditions are decadent (blood on walls). Or maybe, the walls are his body and protection mechanisms: but they betrayed him, since the tragedy happened on the inside while he walls pretended to keep him safe from the outside. This metaphor works great with drugs, since they give you the feeling of protecting you from your sorrows and depression, but meanwhile destroy you on the inside

I buried all my wrongs there with my youth I'm On the outside and I'm falling apart woohh yeah He spent his youth stoned and unconsciously destroying himself. Now his youth is gone, and he's determined to set an end to all his mistakes (mostly to his addiction). Still, he has to burry his lost youth too.

Well pleased to meet you excuse my hand I've been Bitten by an enemy that's pretended to be my friend Drug addicts often get shaky hands, mostly if they're withdrawing. The protagonist obviously wants to hide his addiction, and so accuses an "enemy who pretended to be his friend" for the condition of his hand. Somehow, though, the singer tells the truth, even though in an abstract way. Drugs pretended to be his friend by making him feel better, but he found they're actually his biggest enemies.

No I never wanted to be like them I thought I was just to clever to be brought down to their level of miss fortune chagrin He never thought he'd end up like the drug addicts he knew. Assured that he was too strong to get addicted, he got himself into this mess.

"I don't care now what it's worth but if you lift this burden off my back I'll follow you to the bloody end" He's on withdrawal, and he'd give anything to escape the enormous pain it causes. Since he doesn't "care what it's worth", we may assume that he'd go as far as taking drugs again to stop this pain. (I'll leave the next few lines since they're a repetition of what was already stated)

And I'm on the outside of this This war I'm on the outside That's a lie He took drugs again, so he's on the "outside" of the world, of reality and of his problems. He's in denial, and says that his physical decadence has nothing to do with the drugs

Dont give up on me now And I'm on the outside But it's warm on the outside That's a lie, I don't wanna fall apart

He needs helps and someone who doesn't give up on him even though he gave them enough reasons to do so. The other lines could be interpreted in so many ways...but I'll go for this option: He confesses he's done drugs again. First he tries to excuse it by the fact that it feels so good (warm feeling typical for heroine), but finally admits that he did them again because he's afraid of life and withdrawal and fears that without them he won't survive.

Yeah, well me, I've been afraid I clawed and I fought like hell Didn't know it was getting closer Darkest days upon you Yeah, well, me? I've gone astray, my blood was turning to sand Darkest days upon you Yeah, well me, I've been afraid that the numbness was getting closer The feverish days upon you

The last lines are somewhat uplifting, since we find out he made it out of there anyways. He fought like hell to escape his addiction, and didn't realize he was getting better and better even though he was.But even though he made it, he's aware of the fact that someone else is soon gonna live through this darkness.

So this is how I interpreted it. Feel free to have your own opinion about it's meaning. Have a nice day :)

I 'goggled' "goats in trees" and found literally the image of goats in trees actual phenomenon that occurs in some middle eastern countries. From this then I'm interpreting the song to mean that the protagonist in the song is comparing an experience he had with like minded unfortunates in a similar situation, maybe a drug rehab situation. The meetings where they would gather was a comforting environment where they shared similar problems and were working to free themselves of such burdens. In the end there is "cold turkey", where one must with stand not being high and deal with fear and physical withdrawal.