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The Mountain Goats – In Memory of Satan Lyrics

9 years ago

I liked what he said about this song during a recent concert in San Francisco: "This song is about how when things are going very badly for you in your personal life; things are bad in your head, in your heart, in your body and everywhere. And you reach this point of stasis with it and then it begins to feel like progress. Because it’s not like you’re getting better, but you're getting better at not being well. [crowd laughs] It’s funny now. At the time it’s maybe less funny. At the time it’s maybe less funny. At the time it feels more like demonic possession. And it feels like the moment of demonic possession where you go man if I’m going to be possessed by a demon, then fuck it. Let’s just demonically possess this world. Let's do the things we demon possessed people do. And if people can’t handle my possessed self, that’s between them and whatever god they worship, but here in this house, we will worship the devil, that’s what you say. [crowd cheers] But this is the thing I’m always trying to point out. We say “woo!” about that, but the devil I’m talking about isn’t the devil you actually like. He’s not the devil of whiskey and smokes or whatever. This is the devil that stands between you and what you hoped to become. The devil who stands between you and your better self. The one with whom you form an alliance with at some point in your life because you can’t escape it any other way. And then later you recall this time with great trembling."

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The Extra Glenns – twelve hands high Lyrics	10 years ago
From JD introducing this at a live show: "I accept that probably the stuff I'm writing down has some deeper meaning that's in there, but I personally am seldom acquainted with it. So this song is about a couple who will soon be divorced waltzing in a hardware store through which several horses are about to crash..." Also, I've heard that this is an Alpha song in disguise.

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The Mountain Goats – Going to Malibu Lyrics

10 years ago

I can totally visualize this scene - her saying she knows what he's thinking and him seething at that comment. I get the impression that when they were together, she always assumed she knew what he was thinking, maybe even *told* him what he was thinking. If you're on the receiving end of that, is infuriating. It IS a mean thing to say. I wonder why he even wanted to meet her again. I bet he's starting to wonder that too.

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The Mountain Goats – Alpha Sun Hat Lyrics

11 years ago

One of my very favorite songs; I can't believe in all these years not one person has commented on it! I love the description of the ruby red mouth and oboe reed voice, almost lulling and hypnotizing him into believing that nothing is wrong and he has nothing to worry about. But then he sees the buzzards, the symbol of death and decay, and can't lie to himself. "That's not music you hear, that's the devil; that's not the sun up in the sky, it's a human heart" - I feel like these lines are references to ritualized human sacrifice performed by the Aztecs. They would take the victim to the top of a pyramid, cut his chest open, take out his heart and then throw the body down to the bottom of the pyramid. The purpose of these sacrifices was to keep the sun from stopping its motion around the earth. I like the juxtaposition of that scene with the title, "alpha sun hat." "If you're planning your escape, you know I'm all for you" - The alpha male is saying to his wife, "if you want to get out of this, I don't blame you. Ours is a nasty fate. Run if you can." Which she eventually does, in Alpha Omega. I first heard this song while I was living in Tallahassee, FL, which I desperately hated. Before I really knew the Alpha's backstory, this song resonated with me on a deep emotional level because of its subtle, disturbing imagery.

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The Mountain Goats – The Alphonse Mambo Lyrics	11 years ago
The phrase "play it like it lays" is a reference to Joan Didion's 1970 novel, Play It As It Lays. It's a reference to a betting strategy in Craps and also recognizing the impossibility of controlling life, but playing the game anyway. This is a great description of the narrator's mental state at this moment in time.

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The Mountain Goats – Alpha Double Negative: Going to Catalina Lyrics

11 years ago

Catalina is an island off the coast of Southern California. The Alphas originally started in California, lived in Nevada for a bit, and then ended up in Tallahassee; since this takes place in CA, it's early in their relationship. I think the Alphas are taking a boat trip to Catalina Island ("I see you standing on the deck") and the Alpha Male (or both of them) have had a bit too much to drink. He's started to yell at her and cause a scene and she's not listening. It's the beginning of the end.

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The Mountain Goats – Ethiopians Lyrics

11 years ago

Any clues as to what the title references? I cracked open a copy of the Odyssey today and Ethiopians are referenced within the first couple of pages: "But now Poseidon had gone to visit the Ethiopians worlds away, Ethiopians at the farthest limits of mankind, a people split in two, one part where the Sungod sets and part where the Sungod rises." That got me wondering - is it a classical Greek reference? Something else? Any ideas?

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The Mountain Goats – Alpha Desperation March Lyrics	11 years ago
This song made me actually laugh out loud when I heard it, especially the "if it helps to jog your memory" part. Then I stopped to imagine someone actually beating down the door to get his money back and it's actually quite terrifying. I love the contrast of the humorous lyrics &cheerful melody with what is actually happening in the song.

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The Mountain Goats – Alpha Incipiens Lyrics	11 years ago
Morning glories blossom in the morning and then the blossoms die by the evening; so, in Victorian flower language, morning glories seem to have symbolized fleeting affection or "love in vain". Some kinds of morning glories are toxic to animals and still others are considered invasive weeds. Pretty appropriate for the Alphas.

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The Mountain Goats – Alibi Lyrics	11 years ago
What I love about this song, and other of JD's songs about adultery (Adultery, How I Left the Ministry to name two) is how he conveys the thrilling high of an illicit affair. The repetition of the lines "I'm gonna be right there" and "nobody saw me come in" are especially euphoric. The "high" and excitement are definitely a big reason that people cheat, and that adrenaline rush can be addictive.

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The Mountain Goats – If You See Light Lyrics

11 years ago

To me, this song is about the loneliness of anxiety. Some people with anxiety and panic disorders feel isolated and different from other people and it can be terribly lonely. My impression is that the guy in the song feels bad about some of his decisions and maybe even his thoughts. He feels like if someone found out about him - what he really thinks, the little stupid things he's done - they'll tell everyone else and they'll all turn against him. I could be wrong, but I struggle with anxiety and this song describes how I feel at least 50% of the time.

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The Mountain Goats – Oceanographer's Choice Lyrics	11 years ago
I always thought the line about the ceiling swerving was referring to the fact that they started drinking again - it was describing the way that everything seems to spin and swerve around you when you're really drunk. I do agree about the spousal abuse though. The lyrics and music don't make me think they're having rough sex; it sounds like someone's getting beaten up.

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The Mountain Goats – Autoclave Lyrics	11 years ago
I just re-listened to this the other day and thought the same thing! I was reading a lot about narcissists and Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and this song seemed to me to be absolutely written from a narcissist's point of view (if they had the ability for self-reflection anyway).

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