Fog lifts from the harbor, dawn goes down today
An agent crests the shadows of the nearby alleyway
Piles of broken bricks, sign posts on the path
Every moment points towards the aftermath
Yeah ah ah
Sailors straggle back from their nights out on the town
Hopeless urchins from the city gather around
Spies from imperial China wash in with the tide
Every battle heads toward surrender on both sides
And I am coming home to you
With my own blood in my mouth
And I am coming home to you
If it’s the last thing that I do
Bells ring in the tower, wolves howl in the hills
Chalk marks show up on a few high windowsills
And a rabbit gives up somewhere, and a dozen hawks descend
Every moment leads toward its own sad end
Yeah ah ah
Ships loosed from their moorings capsize and then they’re gone
Sailors with no captains watch awhile and then move on
And an agent crests the shadows and I head in her direction
All roads lead toward the same blocked intersection
I am coming home to you
With my own blood in my mouth
And I am coming home to you
If it’s the last thing that I do
An agent crests the shadows of the nearby alleyway
Piles of broken bricks, sign posts on the path
Every moment points towards the aftermath
Yeah ah ah
Sailors straggle back from their nights out on the town
Hopeless urchins from the city gather around
Spies from imperial China wash in with the tide
Every battle heads toward surrender on both sides
And I am coming home to you
With my own blood in my mouth
And I am coming home to you
If it’s the last thing that I do
Bells ring in the tower, wolves howl in the hills
Chalk marks show up on a few high windowsills
And a rabbit gives up somewhere, and a dozen hawks descend
Every moment leads toward its own sad end
Yeah ah ah
Ships loosed from their moorings capsize and then they’re gone
Sailors with no captains watch awhile and then move on
And an agent crests the shadows and I head in her direction
All roads lead toward the same blocked intersection
I am coming home to you
With my own blood in my mouth
And I am coming home to you
If it’s the last thing that I do
Lyrics submitted by mdon06
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
thejeffreylewissite.com/…
I like that this song stands on its own, but also could be a scene from a novel. Sax Rohmer was the author of the Fu Manchu books (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…). While I haven't read them, this scene certainly seems like it could fit in.
"i am coming back to you, with my own blood in my mouth"
probably wrong, but oh well this is such a powerful song, like all their songs!
"a rabbit gives up somewhere, and a dozen hawks descend"
It seems to be a kind of snapshot of his creative mind's output, with all the associated Fu Manchu stuff (spies from imperial China etc.).
For those who don't know, Wikipedia told me that Sax Rohmer once ridiculed the suggestion that his novels were racist in tone towards Chinese people by saying something like "but all Chinese people are like that". Hence, heretic pride...
This is the first Mountain Goats song I ever heard, and I've been in love with Darnielle's work ever since :)