"[In Memory of Satan] is a look at the process of someone becoming a borderline recluse, getting inside their head and looking out at a world that seems too much to take. "Everyone has spent those years, or maybe entire seasons, indoors where you don't really leave," Darnielle said. "That's when you go into the inner realms of the spirit. This guy's in hiding, and it's this most spiritual realm. That old saying holds here, that you can't be in a cave unless there's an exit, or else it's a grave."
I read an article that said:
"[In Memory of Satan] is a look at the process of someone becoming a borderline recluse, getting inside their head and looking out at a world that seems too much to take. "Everyone has spent those years, or maybe entire seasons, indoors where you don't really leave," Darnielle said. "That's when you go into the inner realms of the spirit. This guy's in hiding, and it's this most spiritual realm. That old saying holds here, that you can't be in a cave unless there's an exit, or else it's a grave."
More here: rollingstone.com/music/news/mountain-goats-john-darnielle-discusses-the-satan-record-20120120