"Let's go where the jackals are breeding" could refer to the imagery of Egyptian mythology where jackals lead souls to the afterlife, which would tie into the self-destructive recklessness of the song ("Shoving our heads straight into the guts of the stove").
More likely perhaps it's just a reference the line from Mole, "Out in the desert we'll live carefree", especially if you consider the subjects in the songs are the same.
I also like how Garden Grove is painted as a place of danger and destruction, given the irony of the peaceful name.
The line "wrap this bandana around your head, don't let anyone see that you're bleeding" always makes me think of the author David Foster Wallace who wore a bandana that became kind of a trademark look for him. He killed himself in 2008 after battling depression for a really long time, and Darnielle actually wrote a song about him in The Life of the World to Come. There's no way it could be reference in this song but it fits perfectly.
"Let's go where the jackals are breeding" could refer to the imagery of Egyptian mythology where jackals lead souls to the afterlife, which would tie into the self-destructive recklessness of the song ("Shoving our heads straight into the guts of the stove"). More likely perhaps it's just a reference the line from Mole, "Out in the desert we'll live carefree", especially if you consider the subjects in the songs are the same.
I also like how Garden Grove is painted as a place of danger and destruction, given the irony of the peaceful name.
The line "wrap this bandana around your head, don't let anyone see that you're bleeding" always makes me think of the author David Foster Wallace who wore a bandana that became kind of a trademark look for him. He killed himself in 2008 after battling depression for a really long time, and Darnielle actually wrote a song about him in The Life of the World to Come. There's no way it could be reference in this song but it fits perfectly.