Lyric discussion by ImInYourBasementLol 

Cover art for Deuteronomy 2:10 lyrics by Mountain Goats, The

for the longest time i never really thought about the literal meaning of this song, i always thought the first verse was about a person in prison for life and his "stripes" were tattoos, the second verse about a wandering person who can't seem to find a place in the world and the third verse was about a hermit. Whether it be about animals or people this song is definitely about extinction, maybe even thinking about how you'll always be alone and never find a "mate" to further your own "species"

also i can totally see what MsMolly says, especially in the last lines of each verse