Lyrics for No Children as interpreted by iagoAdmirer

No Children Lyrics
I hope that our few remaining friends
Give up on trying to save us
I hope we come out with a fail-safe plot
To piss off the dumb few that forgave us

I hope the fences we mended
Fall down beneath their own weight
And I hope we hang on past the last exit
I hope it's already too late

And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here
Someday burns down
And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away
And I never come back to this town again in my life

I hope I lie
And tell everyone you were a good wife
And I hope you die
I hope we both die

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
I hope it bleeds all day long
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong

I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
And I hope I never get sober

And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way

I am drowning
There is no sign of land
You are coming down with me
Hand in unlovable hand

And I hope you die
I hope we both die



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CORPSErawr
05-09-2009

 Rated  0 
I heard this on moral oral too and did entire minutes of research to try to find the song. I love the feeling i get from songs that talk about hopeless relationships and losing the will to try and appreciate anything anymore. I have this crazy feeling that if i deaden myself to it now it won't seem so bad when it really happens...

My favorite part is the piano at the end. The entire song is this kind of...happy to be completely fucked out of anything that will ever make me happy again, and the piano at the end makes me picture someone with a really hopeless smile just kind of...doing their thing, letting all the bullshit and unhappiness go right by and through them because they know nothing they can do will make it stop hurting.

for some sick, sad reason, i like it.

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1 Reply  ·  My Opinion
blue.painted.tears
05-13-2009

 Rated  0 
Masochism, yum. I totally feel this. I wanted to cry when I first read the lyrics because it's just so true.

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General Comment
mlirhar
06-05-2009

 Rated  0 
It seems to me that this song is the antithesis of a love song and that somehow makes it one. It's all those things you might sometimes think of saying to someone you love, but don't.

It reminds me of an SNL skit where this couple is at each others' throats throughout their meal and then they end up having sex in the kitchen.

This song is gorgeous.

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General Comment
whiteblitz625
06-08-2009

 Rated  0 
It is about a marriage going down the toilet and the husband is okay letting the marriage stay because since he is drinking himself to death the only satisfaction hell get is watching his wife die with him

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Song Meaning
closeface
07-22-2009

 Rated  0 
Such a brilliant song, combined with beautifully creative lyrics. I think it's sort an anthem for anyone who feels like they've gotten to a breaking point in their life, and then trying to push past it to pick up the pieces.
I first saw it on Moral Orel, and if you've ever watched the show it would be a pretty good summary of Orel's whole family. But sometimes good things can come of horrible situations. This song really seems to have a hint at that, almost like the couple in the song knew they could never be with another person and they're kind of laughing at the way they've grown to hate one another yet still can be in love in an ironic and insane sort of way.
That's what i take from it anyway.

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General Comment
mlfnk
07-27-2009

 Rated  0 
Watch the YouTube-clip of this live at the Amoeba record store. Darnielle is looking very happy, and saying something about "when you love someone so much... so much you want them to die".
I've always interpreted this song as being something positive, even before I saw that. Now, I'm even more sure that it is, in fact, about how much he/she loves the other person in the relationship.

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My Interpretation
GodsSoldier
08-23-2009

 Rated  0 
UGH! What a HATEFUL group! Bunch of devil-worshiping, murderous drug addicts!

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2 Replies  ·  General Comment
takeabow
08-31-2009

 Rated  0 
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way

wow.
i love how this song has fairly cheery music paired with slightly depressing lyrics

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General Comment
Darringer45
12-11-2009

 Rated  0 
The Alpha couple are basically trying to one-up each other in a "fuck you" contest. The Narrator is hoping for bad things to happen, almost to say "I told you so", to the other other person. All the lines about leaving are so the Narrator can have the last laugh.

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General Comment
tombert
01-22-2010

 Rated  0 
I think the he's being sarcastic when he says "hope". It seems to me he KNOWS that the worst isn't over, and he knows there really isn't any way out.

I thought at first that the wife might had done something like an affair, but the more I listen to it, the more it seems to me that he simply thinks she was a shitty wife and and a shitty person, and he's simply waiting for death, but he wants her to go down with him.

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General Comment
lizzayyyyx
02-28-2010

 Rated  0 
i dont know anything about the background of this song, but i think its very ironic and supposed to be very over the top, almost a satire. almost an inside joke between a couple.
just my thoughts

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General Comment
etceterenough
03-30-2010

 Rated  0 
I dont think its as sad as everyone else seems to. It reminds me of my relationship. They hate eachother so much because they're the only thing they have. He says he hopes it stays dark forever he says "You are coming down with me
Hand in unlovable hand" He doesnt want to stop fighting. You dont want to stop you want to keep the fire going and stay in it forever and just hate eachother. together.because its better than being alone and you know eachother too well to break up. When your in a relationship like that you just become the same person. and it gets stuck like that and your bound to hate eachother forever because of it but it doesnt mean you dont love eachother.

it reminds me so much of my relationship.

I wish I could have explained it better.

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General Comment
daylightrobber
05-14-2010

 Rated  0 
check out this awsome site.


http://themountaingoatswillcureyourbieberfever.com/

they totaly do.

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2 Replies  ·  General Comment
sct
05-26-2010

 Rated  0 
So many take the song so seriously. I had no idea anyone would try to take it seriously.

It's so over-the-top depressing that it becomes a form of comedy. I actually LOVE listening to this song when I'm in a fight with my wife, because it takes an emotion I'm feeling (anger at her), pushes it to its logical conclusion (I hope we both die), and makes me realize it's ridiculous...so I end up laughing instead. Yes, I'm a little mad, I realize...but not REALLY mad. It helps me let things roll off. I think the song is comedy, and its brilliant for that reason.


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My Opinion
ImInYourBasementLol
06-20-2010

 Rated  0 
i always thought this song was kind of like how if you expect the worst then everything seems better when it happens and if the worse should happen then at least you were expecting it. just my personal interpretation

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General Comment
Inunic
07-20-2010

 Rated  0 
Ok first of all, every single one of you needs to look up the episode of Moral Orel that this song was all about. If you want to know the meaning of this song or get a taste of what they mean, just watch that. It tells all. Orel Puffington's dad hates his wife, Orel's mom hates her husband. Orel's dad is bisexual and loves the gym teacher who is the real father of one of Mr. Puffington's kids. Orel's mom loves the gym teacher, who she cheated on Mr. Puffington with and had Shapey. Orel's actually truly miserable for once because he realizes his parents dont have any love left for eachother anymore. Mr. P gets drunk all the time and Mrs. P pleasures herself with home improvement tools and damages herself, BADLY, and falls for the doctor who looks at her. Also, for another good example, try to remember the worst relationship any single one of you has ever been in, or if your parents or friends or anyone you know has been divorced or stuck married because of kids and nowhere else to go then you know. You know damned well what this song is TRULY about.

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General Comment
nathanmholden
09-06-2010

 Rated  0 
The way I figure it, the lyrics aren't sarcasm.

It seems to me that both the narrator and their significant other seem to be in the relationship because people need relationships, and they really can't function alone (this is true of everyone, not just them), and because they have a spiteful need to "win" the relationship by keeping their hand in the pot the longest.

However, the tune's just so catchy, I keep listening to it even though I really don't know what it's like to experience that.

(Also, while the little Moral Orel I've seen is enough to convince me this song fits, I think that the suggestion above that this song is 'based on' Moral Orel is laughable.)

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General Comment
ItariShun
09-28-2010

 Rated  0 
this song is about a divorce methinks.

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1 Reply  ·  General Comment
DrShankums
11-03-2010

 Rated  +1 
I think there a few interpretations

The first being obvious, a couple who hate each other. The music itself may be a hint towards the lyrics also. The song sounds like a happy sing along song, but once you look deeper you see that it is sad and depressing, maybe like their marriage. They are stubborn and neither one wants to be the one to give up, supported by this lyric here:

I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
And I hope I never get sober

I think it's him saying he can and will beat her. They don't love each other and stick with each other because it's comfortable, supported by this (other's have said that's the way alcoholics are. I don't drink, but that's how I am with my current relationship, it's just comfortable):

I am drowning
There is no sign of land
You are coming down with me
Hand in unlovable hand

If he is depressed with no sign of hope, then he is going to make sure she will also be depressed.


The above doesn't make much sense though. Maybe there's a different meaning?:

I hope I lie
And tell everyone you were a good wife
And I hope you die
I hope we both die

Why would he lie if he hates her so much?


And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say


I think what the above is saying is that he thinks this is all his fault. Maybe it's his fault there are no children. He wants her to blame him but some reason she won't. Maybe it isn't a mutual hate, maybe he hates her and she doesn't hate him. We only assume the hate is mutual, but what if she is forgiving and he isn't? What if he hates himself because he can't provide children.


And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way


He wants to leave the relationship because he feels guilty, but he knows he won't be able to if she stops her. That might be why he wants her to hate him.



Well, there are a couple different interpretations in there, so either one might be true. Hel, neither could be true.

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My Interpretation
loneberry
11-22-2010

 Rated  0 
I`m very much upset with how we`ve created societies of survival of the fittest and happiest. People seem so afraid to admit that they have problems, hell... even admitting they`re having a bad day. This song gives a big, fat finger to all that crap. At least, that`s something this song gives me thought about. It is OK to say "to hell with it" and "who cares what others think!?", everytime I hear the part where he sings he wish he will cut himself shaving, and that it bleeds all day long I find it very liberating ... and a little humorous. `cause, yes it`s childish and attention-seeking, but we all know how it feels to be in that mood, and why not admit it eh? spit it out, laugh at yourself and get over it.

A little note on the side of the topic;
another one of my favorite songs goes like this "bitterness happens to you, when you let others tell you what to do".
I love this part;
"I hope that our few remaining friends
Give up on trying to save us"
By pleasing others, before taking care of one`s own needs is almost doomed to lead to bitterness.


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My Opinion
vondruke
12-03-2010

 Rated  0 
Sorry guys, but I’m about to bust some knowledge into your Kleenex of understanding. This song is about a married couple who is drawn into a cult and is left feeling hopeless, confused, and a little Satanic.

I hope that our few remaining friends
Give up on trying to save us
I hope we come out with a fail-safe plot
To piss off the dumb few that forgave us

This starts to build insight into the fact that the couple in this song has been drawn into a cult. Some of their friends are trying to lead their lives back to Christ while others have given up and instead accepted that their friends’ souls may have been compromised.

I hope the fences we mended
Fall down beneath their own weight
And I hope we hang on past the last exit
I hope it's already too late

The first two lines in this verse refer to the fact that the couple was at one point Christian, and tried to live by Christ’s example, being good to all people. However, as the darkness of the cult has taken their souls, they no longer care to keep up with relationships forged during that time. The next two lines indicate that the couple is happy with the possibility that their souls may be too far gone to save.

And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here
Someday burns down
And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away
And I never come back to this town again in my life

The junkyard, of course, is how the man describes their former church. The black smoke is their cult, and he hopes that he and his wife can leave the good life they built in that town for their new path: Satan.

I hope I lie
And tell everyone you were a good wife
And I hope you die
I hope we both die

Since this song is from the first person perspective, we’re not privy to the wife’s thoughts on the cult. Since the narrator expresses that he wants his wife to die, it could be taken that she wasn’t completely devoted to the cult, and for that reason he resents her. And since he has a skeptical partner, he is not pure in the eyes of the cult, and must therefore die as well.

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
I hope it bleeds all day long
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong

The man, believing he is impure, starts wishing for death. He starts small. He wants to bleed to death and have it look like an accident. The friends mentioned earlier in the song, the ones still trying to save them, are trying to give him hope for salvation, but he disregards it.

I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
And I hope I never get sober

The cult has taken over his life and deeply affected his mood. Still wishing for death, he begins to wonder what will happen if his wife dies (‘blinks’) first. Will the absence of her impurity keep him from becoming distanced from the true nature of the cult?

And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way

The man is still hoping he can be devoted to the cult, and believes that if he pushes everyone out of his life, he might still have a chance. Obviously, this would negatively impact his friends and family, so they wouldn’t speak kindly of him. Conversely, he entertains the idea that if he were to leave the cult, no one in his life would make a big to-do about it.

I am drowning
There is no sign of land

The man believes that he has failed his cult and cannot be redeemed.

You are coming down with me
Hand in unlovable hand

He decides that his wife must be punished for not following the cult as he did. They are both seen as failures in the eyes of their leader.

And I hope you die
I hope we both die

The man, angry at his wife, decides on a murder-suicide rather than face the shame brought on by their beliefs.


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General Comment
Durango95
12-12-2010

 Rated  0 
This song to me is so painfully bitter. Its about a couple who no longer love each other but they still try and hold on even after the fire has gone out. They have grown to even resent each other and the only joy they can derive is seeing the other person in as much misery as they are no matter what the cost. The song is so self destructive and bitter it is the perfect hate song.

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General Comment
peaceLOVEheroin
07-25-2011

 Rated  0 
one of my favorite mountain goats songs. very few songs can make me smile & cry within the same verse.

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General Comment
suckswhen
09-01-2011

 Rated  0 
am i seriously the only person to think this couple never even wanted children? maybe that's the reason the dude wants to stick around and see both of them go down in flames, because there are no children to fuck up.

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General Comment
johnobscene
10-04-2011

 Rated  0 
Ah a great song.

A lot of great points here but the song is actually written about an alcoholic couple who are sick of their relationship from the husband's point of view. This is the thoughts of what they would do if they had NO CHILDREN.

The couple was actually aquaintences of one the band members much fitting with the song's biggest airing on the morel oral show that the song got alot of fame from.

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General Comment




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