Old reference, but in a September 2011 interview Condon explains the songs meaning a bit:
Q: "The highlight of the album is “Goshen.” It’s heartbreaking, just you and the piano and an old-school torch song. Is it about a real experience, a real breakup?"
Condon: "That’s what I like about it. Some close friends asked me about it – is that about you in real life or is it you on the stage? At this point I can’t tell the difference. Not in reality, but it’s fun to think of it that way. Everything is a performance, be it a relationship or on the stage. It was fun writing that song. It’s a heavy song. That three-chord piano progression was ripe for melody. It’s also the most raw song on the record – just piano and vocals. It was the last one I did. Everything I put down I was scared to leave in. I was scared to finish it, to say, “This is the take.” I remember, the producer, Griffin Rodriguez, I had to call him out from New Mexico to keep moving forward. The vocal take on there is the first one I did when he was in town. When I do vocals on record I usually do them alone, out of the studio. I go home and record by myself. He made it feel as private as possible by surrounding me with blinders. I felt like an ostrich with my head in the sand. He gave me a glass of whisky and said, “Do it!” It took one take for the vocals and a couple more for the backing."
Old reference, but in a September 2011 interview Condon explains the songs meaning a bit:
Q: "The highlight of the album is “Goshen.” It’s heartbreaking, just you and the piano and an old-school torch song. Is it about a real experience, a real breakup?"
Condon: "That’s what I like about it. Some close friends asked me about it – is that about you in real life or is it you on the stage? At this point I can’t tell the difference. Not in reality, but it’s fun to think of it that way. Everything is a performance, be it a relationship or on the stage. It was fun writing that song. It’s a heavy song. That three-chord piano progression was ripe for melody. It’s also the most raw song on the record – just piano and vocals. It was the last one I did. Everything I put down I was scared to leave in. I was scared to finish it, to say, “This is the take.” I remember, the producer, Griffin Rodriguez, I had to call him out from New Mexico to keep moving forward. The vocal take on there is the first one I did when he was in town. When I do vocals on record I usually do them alone, out of the studio. I go home and record by myself. He made it feel as private as possible by surrounding me with blinders. I felt like an ostrich with my head in the sand. He gave me a glass of whisky and said, “Do it!” It took one take for the vocals and a couple more for the backing."
Source: http://www.mtvhive.com/2011/09/02/beirut-settles-down-buys-a-dog/