“Our House Has No Structural Flaws”

October 29, 2015 5:52 AM

Songs From A Mountain Goats Album In Which Cicero Is Not Mentioned And Everybody’s Marriages Work Out [SLtoast]
posted by schmod (155 comments total)

I am swimming / not too far from the land / you are swimming here with me / yeah yeah / it's so shallow right here we could stand
posted by postcommunism at 6:03 AM on October 29, 2015 [33 favorites]

"My Tascam 4-Track Does Not Need An Overhaul"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:08 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

"Is This Something That I Would Need To Know Who John Darnielle Is To Get?" would actually be a pretty good title for a Mountain Goats album.
posted by ardgedee at 6:09 AM on October 29, 2015 [17 favorites]

“We Both Have Steady Paychecks And Put 15% Into Savings”

Dude, for a non-existent song, I HEAR YOU.
posted by Kitteh at 6:12 AM on October 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

You know, their last album was actually pretty upbeat lyrically. You just have to know what John Darnielle finds uplifting: broken down wrestlers, old before their time, and dudes who think they're murderous werewolves.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:13 AM on October 29, 2015 [24 favorites]

"Is This Something That I Would Need To Know Who John Darnielle Is To Get?" would actually be a pretty good title for a Mountain Goats album.


This is actually a pretty good title for every Mountain Goats album.
posted by not that girl at 6:15 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Let's Stay Here And Work On Our Relationships
posted by Going To Maine at 6:19 AM on October 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

Orange Ball of Trust
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:26 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

Three Children
Going to the Mall
Mutually-Satisfying Relationship Song #7
posted by dephlogisticated at 6:27 AM on October 29, 2015 [11 favorites]

Come, Come to the Rotary Club Meeting
posted by skookumsaurus rex at 6:28 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

The Best Ever Family Band Out of Orlando
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:28 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

"Never Quite Free" is almost - almost - an entirely happy Mountain Goats song but the way it goes from soaring, almost cheesy happiness to "wait, what was that last line again? Ohhh that's what the title means..." almost gives you whiplash.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:30 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm Happy Here in Decatur, Where We've Built A Good Life; Join The School Board With Me
posted by skookumsaurus rex at 6:30 AM on October 29, 2015 [17 favorites]

"I think someone was very kind to you / when you were little / I'd like to meet them"
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:33 AM on October 29, 2015 [19 favorites]

"Cubs in Five (No really it could happen next year, have you seen Kris Bryant hit?)"
posted by drezdn at 6:39 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Check Out These Peacocks In The Yard Isn't That Neat?
posted by Maaik at 6:41 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

seeds came in the mail today from Holland
and the language on the package was wonderful and strange
all sorts of flowers that grow up from the earth
in goodly colors gloriously arranged
i circled the house and i scattered them around
let the water sink down into the soil
then I just put away my gardening tools and went inside to have a nice lunch with you, it was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday
no blood, physical or metaphorical came up through the floorboards or anything, no sir
posted by jason_steakums at 6:41 AM on October 29, 2015 [37 favorites]

"There Will Be Feasting and Dancing in Jerusalem Next Year, But Also Now Because Everything's Going Pretty Well Here"
posted by Copronymus at 6:42 AM on October 29, 2015 [17 favorites]

I love the Mountain Goats, but I do wonder if when John suggested to the rest of the band, "Let's make an album about child abuse," they heard his follow-up whisper of, "every year, for the rest of our lives."
posted by Parasite Unseen at 6:44 AM on October 29, 2015 [26 favorites]

postcommunism: "I am swimming / not too far from the land / you are swimming here with me / yeah yeah / it's so shallow right here we could stand"

And I made you pie / I made us both pies.
posted by schmod at 6:45 AM on October 29, 2015 [59 favorites]

The Best-Ever Twee-Pop Band out of Athens
posted by schmod at 6:47 AM on October 29, 2015 [15 favorites]

"The Mess Inside (the Fridge in Our Otherwise Beautiful Home Which I Will Clean Because I Enjoy Doing Nice Things for You)"
posted by Copronymus at 6:47 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

I am going to make through this year, with the support of my friends and family!
posted by skookumsaurus rex at 6:48 AM on October 29, 2015 [14 favorites]

"Tianchi Lake (Oh Wait, This Song is Already About a Nice Lake Creature That Everyone Loves)"
posted by Copronymus at 6:50 AM on October 29, 2015

I Had a Drinking Problem When I Was Younger, But Thanks To Friends and Family I've Been Sober For Ten Years
posted by codacorolla at 6:50 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

That's on the same album as I've Never Tried Crystal Methamphetamine
posted by codacorolla at 6:51 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

The Joy of the Star High School Running Back
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 6:56 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I love The Mountain Goats but

“The Chord Structure For This One Sounded A Lot Like Another Song Of Mine, So I Went Ahead And Rewrote It”

made me laugh.
posted by saul wright at 6:57 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

"Nehemiah 8:10"
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 7:02 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

"Biography of a Reggae Singer Who Did Not Die Young in Unusual Circumstances"
posted by Copronymus at 7:06 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

The caption is all messed up. It should be Jon Wurster, John Darnielle, Peter Hughes

Best Mountain Goats song ever? Like most, I'm partial to Running Back and Denton (or My Favorite Things), but there's something about Nothing for Juice that's very sentimental so I'll go with Going to Scotland. Or somewhere.
posted by mrgrimm at 7:08 AM on October 29, 2015

“The Chord Structure For This One Sounded A Lot Like Another Song Of Mine, So I Went Ahead And Rewrote It”

I'm not sure you're allowed to take the piss out of someone for this when they have the lyric

This is a song with the same four chords, I use most of the time when I've got something on my mind, And I don't want to squander the moment, Trying to come up with a more complicated way to say what I want to say.

It's like saying to a friend "Oh dear, I'm having a bit of a bad hair day today", then later on hearing them telling someone "yeah, he's fucking ugly, even he knows it".
posted by Ned G at 7:12 AM on October 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

"A Song for [recent, non-obscure pop culture reference]"
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 7:32 AM on October 29, 2015

and i dreamt
of a house
purchased by bargain-seekers
bringing clean grout...
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:33 AM on October 29, 2015

"This Road Trip Isn't An Ill-Fated Attempt to Save Our Marriage; We Communicate Pretty Good"
posted by Kitteh at 7:33 AM on October 29, 2015

I was driving up from Tampa
And the car was running fine
I had left a little early
So I would be at work on time
And then on NPR
There was a pledge drive to raise money for the station
Our relationship is going really well
It's filled with love and validation
posted by dephlogisticated at 7:34 AM on October 29, 2015 [30 favorites]

And once there was a desk
And now it's in a storage locker somewhere
I should really give it to someone who could use it
Instead of paying these storage locker fees
posted by jason_steakums at 7:34 AM on October 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

The video for The Legend of Chavo Guerrero is pretty uplifting!

...until you listen to the verse about his stepfather but even then - well, watch it.
posted by dismas at 7:35 AM on October 29, 2015

A guy in a skeleton costume
Runs up to the guy in the Superman suit
Greets him warmly
This is a fun Halloween party
posted by jason_steakums at 7:37 AM on October 29, 2015 [9 favorites]

Sure, but once he was young and full of hope and wrote songs about lab rats falling in love with the lab tech.
posted by malphigian at 7:38 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I've got cinnamon from Jakarta
For making french toast
The doctor says that I've got
To cut back on the sugar a little bit
posted by theodolite at 7:38 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Our Relationship Is Less Like a Jackal Gorging on Carrion Than It Is Just Two People Enjoying Each Other's Company
posted by jason_steakums at 7:40 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

When the ghost of your father comes to town
Call a reputable researcher to verify what you're seeing, don't jump the gun and go to the media first
You're gonna be crazy famous if you discovered real ghosts but you should do your due diligence to make sure there isn't a simpler explanation for this phenomenon
posted by jason_steakums at 7:46 AM on October 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

(doing Bill Clinton-esque fist/thumb gesture for emphasis)

I. Love. This. Thread.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:53 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

if you get there before me, will you save me a seat?
if you get there before me, would you save me a seat?
but if i never get there at all,
i'll make sure to text to let you know the PTA meeting ran late.
posted by aka burlap at 7:54 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

Every Monkey In This Jungle
Is Gonna Get A Fish
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 7:57 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Drugs And Satan? Not For Me, Thanks!
posted by Maaik at 7:59 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You just find yourself with a smile
And I'd hope that if I bump into you while walking about
You'll join me for tea for a while
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:02 AM on October 29, 2015 [14 favorites]

This is pretty funny, although of course there are lots of happy Mountain Goats songs. But, you know, real life is kinda fucked up about 80% of the time.

These are my views.
posted by howfar at 8:03 AM on October 29, 2015

My favorite thing about this is that every single one of these could easily be the title of an actual Mountain Goats song, and they would still end in anguish.
posted by Etrigan at 8:08 AM on October 29, 2015 [11 favorites]

Jeff and Cyrus believed in their hearts they were headed
For stage lights and Lear jets, and fortune and fame
And while that didn't quite pan out as death metal didn't have a lot of pop crossover appeal
They had a blast as part of the local and regional scene and they even got to open for a few of their favorite bands who were passing through
posted by jason_steakums at 8:09 AM on October 29, 2015 [31 favorites]

Hugged by Friends Outside San Juan
posted by zchyrs at 8:13 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

I am swimming
Known how since a kid
You are welcome to come with me
I would love it if you did

And I hope you dive
I hope we both dive
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:13 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

This year turned out better than last year and I resolved all of my father issues! Go mediation!
posted by Molesome at 8:14 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

My Experience On That Moon Colony Was Pretty Great (I Count Myself Incredibly Lucky to Have Been a Part of Scientific History Like That)
posted by jason_steakums at 8:15 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

When the villagers come to my door,
I will ask them to come and join me in the dining room.
Snacks and coffee for all.
When the villagers come to my door,
I will ask friendly questions about their kids and their hobbies.
Ah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah
posted by aka burlap at 8:16 AM on October 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

My Handshake Is Firm, Easy

Thanks For Listening (you really put my mind at ease)

Touchdowns!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:18 AM on October 29, 2015

And I hope the fences we mended
Win a prize 'cause they're so great
I hope we go fishing tomorrow
I'll go out at dawn for the bait
posted by brainwane at 8:19 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Let's Not Let Tragedy Overshadow Dinu Lipatti's Accomplishments
posted by jason_steakums at 8:19 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Your husband
My wife
Our marriage
Yay life!
posted by brainwane at 8:20 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

The Toast needs to do more of these. Many more.
posted by tommasz at 8:21 AM on October 29, 2015

This is an art museum, I'm just visiting
and I should not be allowed to touch anything
posted by theodolite at 8:22 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I want to go home / but I am home / silly me / how convenient!
posted by Maaik at 8:22 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Best Day of Jimi Hendrix's Life
posted by zchyrs at 8:24 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

When you came through the door,
I could see it in your eyes.
No more secrets.
No more lies.

You'd gotten me that book,
I'd been wanting for so long.
For my birthday.
So I wrote you this song-
Yeah, I wrote you this song!
posted by codacorolla at 8:25 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I have never heard of this band, but I understand the joke from context.
posted by officer_fred at 8:25 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I am going to make it through this year/ cause I'm emotionally healthy.
posted by The Whelk at 8:26 AM on October 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

Going To Therapy
posted by Maaik at 8:26 AM on October 29, 2015 [16 favorites]

use my key on my own garden gate
when I get home after dark
sit looking up at the stars outside
feel bad, then decide to call Mark

He'll help me process
He'll help me process
He'll help me process
He'll help me process
posted by brainwane at 8:26 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

But the fourth new tree is my favorite
Nothing against the other trees, it's just aesthetically pleasing and shades my favorite spot to relax
It would definitely never poison me - that's crazy! It's just a tree.
It even has a tire swing!
posted by jason_steakums at 8:28 AM on October 29, 2015

> Thanks For Listening (you really put my mind at ease)

This suddenly made me yearn for an album of 70s style easy listening rock by John Darnielle fronting Arcade Fire.
posted by ardgedee at 8:28 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

And then Cathy showed up
And we hung out
Isn't teenage love so
pretty and sweet
Locking eyes
Holding hands
Childhood innocence is neat
posted by Molesome at 8:28 AM on October 29, 2015 [21 favorites]

Thank you for the puppy,
Thank you for the lamp,
Thanks for the books,
Thanks for the filing cabinet;

Seriously, thanks, this stuff is great and you're a super generous friend and our relationship is not at all an exchange-based farce.
posted by zchyrs at 8:29 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

There are plenty of pan-Asian supermarkets here on Earth
So you can buy Goldenboy Peanuts
They're delicious
It's cool that they've become so widely available
posted by Ragged Richard at 8:30 AM on October 29, 2015 [13 favorites]

this is the best thread. I am so happy being reminded of all these great mountain goats songs!
posted by aka burlap at 8:31 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sophomore year
You rushed for an average of eight and a third yards per carry
All eyes were on you
Junior year
You blew your knee out at an out of town game
But that's ok because there's more going on in your life than just football
I mean, let's keep things in perspective, it's just a game
posted by Ragged Richard at 8:34 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

Hand me your hand, let me look in your eyes
The ways I love you are impossible to categorize
Maybe it's the heat in here, maybe it's the spinning
So long as we're together; we're always winning

My heart's a centrifuge
posted by Molesome at 8:37 AM on October 29, 2015 [13 favorites]

I wish I'd listened to a little more Mountain Goats, because every time I hear or think about the band I get a strong urge to dig into a John Darnielle impression and this thread is kind of overloading those circuits but without the strong aesthetic basis for an imitation to really back it up.
posted by cortex at 8:38 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

I dreamt that I was perched atop a throne of human skulls
Then I woke up safe in my bed
Shouldn't have watched that scary movie right before falling asleep, huh?
posted by nonasuch at 8:40 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

Orange Ball of Oh, That's Actually an Orange, Thanks, I Was a Bit Peckish
posted by Etrigan at 8:43 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

[Aesop Rock interlude]

We're having barbecue on the 4th July
So hop on the MTA
Steak's a little pink but its all gravy
Unbeknownst to all there's paprika in the potato salad
Just scrape the leftovers into the garbage and go back for seconds
posted by Molesome at 8:48 AM on October 29, 2015

I wish the west Texas highway was a Moebius strip
I bet that would be a real crazy trip
posted by theodolite at 8:54 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

And high above the water
The eagle spots the fish
That reminds me, what's for dinner?
Pizza? Hey, sounds delish!
posted by majuju at 9:27 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

If you're wondering what's up with the redesign, ask yourself What If Wordpress Was Your Boyfriend? You'd get some MeFites to help you polish his new look.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:30 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

We Are Experts in the Art of Sensible Spending
posted by Maecenas at 9:32 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

And I am coming home to you
With a new upholstered couch
And I am coming home to you
Our living room will look so cool
posted by majuju at 9:33 AM on October 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

900 cubic centimeters of raw whining power and a parking ticket I talked my way out of.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:34 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

i'm not gonna stab you in the eye with a foreign object
i'm not gonna poke you in the eye with a foreign object
i'm a professional optometrist and my hands are very steady
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:37 AM on October 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

The Best-Ever Twee-Pop Band out of Athens

Cars Can Be Blue?
posted by wyndham at 10:16 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

From the FPP title I was so sure this was going to be the Paul Ryan thread & now they're mushed together in my head.

"Let's be frank, the house is broken
but we are not settling scores
the evening frogs are croaking
at the Winnebago shore

Pheidippides ran from Marathon,
you know I'll do the same
but first look into my blue eyes filled with blame
yeah, gaze into my blue eyes that are welling up with blame"
posted by miles per flower at 10:25 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

My heart is an autoclave /
So that throne of human skulls has been fully sterlized and is completely safe to sit on /
We have a throne made out of skulls - how cool it that?
posted by bibliowench at 10:25 AM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I don't have to be afraid
I don't want to be afraid
It's really good that there's nothing in my life that causes me to be afraid
posted by brecc at 10:29 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Like a spent gladiator
Crawling through the coliseum dust
You can get up and win the fight with no major injuries
posted by brecc at 10:32 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I drove up to Harvey Mudd and I played pinball
'Til I got the high score on that game
Smiled with a sense of accomplishment
And entered in POO as my name
posted by knuckle tattoos at 11:07 AM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

This is pretty funny, although of course there are lots of happy Mountain Goats songs. But, you know, real life is kinda fucked up about 80% of the time.

I love the Mountain Goats, but I do wonder if when John suggested to the rest of the band, "Let's make an album about child abuse," they heard his follow-up whisper of, "every year, for the rest of our lives."

You know John Darnielle himself seems to be living a pretty happy married life in... North Carolina or somewhere like that? But he's gotta write at least a few sad songs per album or he's not doing his job.
posted by atoxyl at 11:19 AM on October 29, 2015

I came to get you there in the dentist's chair
The Novocaine made your tongue thick
They asked me if you wanted some Percocets
I said no thanks they make him sick
posted by atoxyl at 11:49 AM on October 29, 2015

So much of the Mountain Goats' body of work made more sense to me after I learned that Darnielle's day job was as a psychiatric nurse.
posted by KathrynT at 11:54 AM on October 29, 2015

Our mother has been absent.
She's on a trip to Rome.
We're gonna have a party,
When our mom gets home.
posted by maryr at 11:54 AM on October 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

You know John Darnielle himself seems to be living a pretty happy married life in... North Carolina or somewhere like that? But he's gotta write at least a few sad songs per album or he's not doing his job.

Darnielle has said that his songs about domestic violence from a child/teen's POV are largely autobiographical (his stepfather was pretty vicious), but the songs about relationships from an adult POV ("No Children" and the rest of Tallahassee in particular) aren't.
posted by Etrigan at 11:58 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

You know John Darnielle himself seems to be living a pretty happy married life in... North Carolina or somewhere like that? But he's gotta write at least a few sad songs per album or he's not doing his job.

Yes he lives in Durham, NC aka the SAME CITY I LIVE IN and sometimes I see him out and about and also my friend's wife is friends with his wife and sometimes they get together to watch Carolina Hurricanes games and maybe someday I can invite myself along and I would be totally chill about it and maybe make some funny jokes and not make him feel weird about his fame or anything I promise!

Seriously though, he's reputedly a very stable & nice guy.
posted by aka burlap at 12:10 PM on October 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

I am coming home to you
With my own blood in your mouth
I am coming home to you
I should floss more often, too
posted by mappings at 12:18 PM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I went down to the gas station
For no particular reason
Cuz I drive a sweet Tesla
That I am leasing
posted by mappings at 12:22 PM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

and not make him feel weird about his fame or anything

If you're interested in his sometimes discomfort with his fame and relationship with the fans, that's more or less what his book Wolf in the White Van is about.

That said he is at the very least a nice guy; when my friend wanted a photo with him, he stated that he didn't particularly like being photographed and promised that it would end up looking awkward. But graciously posed with my friend and had a nice little conversation with us.
posted by Candleman at 12:23 PM on October 29, 2015

'Cause in this car, in this car
You're a geology nut
I know, I know
From how you looked at that roadcut
posted by mappings at 12:26 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Darnielle has said that his songs about domestic violence from a child/teen's POV are largely autobiographical (his stepfather was pretty vicious

The drug addiction ones too (which happen to be the ones that hit closest for me). But contrary to the joke made earlier in the thread I don't think he writes about these experiences directly very much anymore - there was a full album for each really and that's it - though he touches on many things indirectly through characters and occasionally you get e.g. the posthumous dig at his stepfather in the Chavo Guerrero song.
posted by atoxyl at 12:31 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

that's more or less what his book Wolf in the White Van is about.

Oh, huh, that wasn't my interpretation of that book at all... interesting.
posted by aka burlap at 12:34 PM on October 29, 2015

OH GOD WHY ISN'T WOLF IN WHITE VAN ON FANFARE YET.
posted by Etrigan at 12:41 PM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

that wasn't my interpretation of that book at all

I could be misremembering but that's what I remember hearing about when it was released, that sometimes you create something and it ends up meaning something powerful to people in ways you didn't necessarily expect and can't control.
posted by Candleman at 12:43 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh, good point - the concept of your creation being out there in the world causing all kinds of reactions that you didn't necessarily mean... that's definitely a theme. I guess I wasn't thinking about that as being connected to fame as in personal-celebrity-fame but it's definitely relevant to being a creative person whose work is famous.
posted by aka burlap at 12:50 PM on October 29, 2015

Wake and rise and face the day and don't imagine that it's staring back at me
Busy hours for joyful hearts and later maybe head out to the pharmacy
I'll take the medication, it will mitigate my pain
A kind and loving God won't fix the problem with my brain
posted by mappings at 12:54 PM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

This song is for the bunnies
Who frollicked in the meadow tossing daisies
And sang a song about unicorns
With ungarish rainbow smiles
posted by Flippervault at 1:02 PM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

There's bound to be a coat at the back of your closet
No matter where you live
There's bound to be a few things, maybe several things,
That look great on you and you ought to wear more often.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:06 PM on October 29, 2015 [10 favorites]

When you were nineteen I first laid eyes on you
The small stream that ran through the center of town carried your name to me
Your hair was dark and your eyes were frosty blue
We dated 'til you were twenty-three then broke up but it was amicable and I still remember you fondly
posted by Pink Frost at 1:06 PM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I was riffing on these with a couple friends yesterday and we came up with
"This reggae legend is enjoying his second career as a life coach"
"Going to Twinsburg, a largely white, middle-class exurb of Cleveland"
"Franzen in Brooklyn"
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:08 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

then I had a nap
and you napped

they were good naps
posted by Shepherd at 1:40 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

The clouds explode and then the desert blooms
I better mop this floor myself
Before I find my car
Because even though I torture people to death, I'm tidy
posted by mappings at 1:54 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

mappings you're not playing right!!
posted by aka burlap at 1:55 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

aka burlap: Who says the disturbing thing in the song isn't the narrator's shirking of responsibility for their own housekeeping?
posted by mappings at 1:57 PM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Darnielle has said that his songs about domestic violence from a child/teen's POV are largely autobiographical (his stepfather was pretty vicious), but the songs about relationships from an adult POV ("No Children" and the rest of Tallahassee in particular) aren't.

The funny thing is I'm pretty sure he was already married - to the same woman he's still married to, that's the notable part I guess! - by the time he wrote Tallahassee. He definitely had been for a while when he wrote Get Lonely which makes it one of the most intensely breakup-themed albums by a person who was, like, years out from actually breaking up with anybody.
posted by atoxyl at 2:13 PM on October 29, 2015

atoxyl: John has said that Get Lonely isn't a breakup record, that it's more about losing yourself, or part of yourself.
posted by mappings at 2:22 PM on October 29, 2015

I handed you a drink of the lovely little thing on which our survival depends
People say water's essential to living
They're right, my friends
posted by mappings at 2:25 PM on October 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I hadn't heard that, though I mean obviously I know it's more conceptually about loss than actually about losing a specific person.
posted by atoxyl at 2:26 PM on October 29, 2015

On the morning when I woke up without you for the first time

I was confused, but then I remembered, you're on a business trip to Toledo
posted by kyleg at 2:27 PM on October 29, 2015 [11 favorites]

and sometimes they get together to watch Carolina Hurricanes games

so that's why the lyrics are such downers
posted by Hoopo at 2:51 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Holt Boulevard, between Gary and White
Met up with some friends at the Travelodge
Set ourselves up for the night
Carpenter ants in the dresser
Flies in the screen
Talked to the desk clerk and got a new room
With the beds upgraded from twins to queens
posted by jason_steakums at 3:00 PM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

A traditional Christmas Carol with no aside about death
Song for Dennis Hastert
Sudden Oak Growth
posted by Candleman at 3:08 PM on October 29, 2015

siamese fish flashing like sparklers
it started to rain
and the telephone rang a couple of times
it was a friend I hadn't heard from in a while and we had a great time catching up
posted by jason_steakums at 3:21 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Sophomore year
You rushed for an average of eight and a third yards per carry
All eyes were on you
Junior year
You blew out the records and went all-state
Nowhere to go
but big 10 scholarship, pro
or dad's car dealership and chasing jailbait.

just as disturbing...
posted by ennui.bz at 3:27 PM on October 29, 2015

And you tell me that Hercules
Is streaming on Netflix if I want to come watch with you
And I'm like, Disney or Sorbo? Either way I'm in
posted by jason_steakums at 3:27 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

atoxyl: Found the quotes I was looking for:
"People keep saying that the new album is a breakup album. I don't really know where they got that idea. But at the same time, you don't want to argue with people, in case they're fixing to say good stuff about your record. 'Oh yeah, you like it, and it's a breakup - oh yeah, breakup! Absolutely.' The fellow in this song is more, uh, breaking up with, uh, the basic units of what constitutes him as a person. Uh, he hasn't lost anybody except himself, and that's sort of what makes it a much more solitary place to be than your standard lose-someone-you-love 'cause there will be somebody else but you only have one brain." -- from https://archive.org/details/tmg2006-09-29 , end of track 2

and

"The new record, uh, people have been calling it a breakup album, which is kind of weird 'cause it's not, uh, but at the same time, uh, I mean, it's about solitude, and, uh, which is something I have the luxury of going through while I'm on tour. It's a great job, but you spend a lot of time by yourself in rooms and if you are a person who, uh, you know, is given to depressed states, you can really carve out some little holes for yourself, uh, in hotel rooms." -- from http://kexp.org/live/liveperformance.aspx?rId=15501

Mostly, though, this comment is to let people know that lots of live tMG shows exist on archive.org and they're a good source of song/album explanations, as well as being great to listen to :)
posted by mappings at 3:38 PM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]

And I will get groceries
I want some pears
And pudding cups, and some tortillas
And Quaker Oatmeal Squares
posted by jason_steakums at 3:46 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I went down to the basement
To check up on the pipe and things
I looked down into the nonreactive ceramic tub
I'll call the plumber in the morning
posted by junco at 3:56 PM on October 29, 2015

Our love is like the border
Between Greece and Albania
Our love is like the border
Between Greece and Albania
Fertile well-planned fields on the one side
A national park and the Albanian Riveria on the other
Seriously, have you even looked at it on Google Maps?
Water so azure blue
It looks absolutely beautiful
BRB, checking flight prices
posted by Pink Frost at 5:03 PM on October 29, 2015 [10 favorites]

Lecture hall goes dark and there I am
Learning 'bout the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
I draw
In the margins of the page
Draw
Dudes with laser swords
posted by jason_steakums at 6:31 PM on October 29, 2015

Several years ago, my spouse and I were walking on the Mall in Washington, D.C., on our way to one of the Smithsonian museums on a sunny day. We saw a nun (in habit) eating ice cream. To this day, that is one of our benchmarks for stock photography-level "this is what wholesome innocent happiness looks like". A nun eating ice cream. I don't know how to fit that into a Mountain Goats filk but if one of you can, I would be much obliged.
posted by brainwane at 6:47 PM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

And the heat rose up
And the heat rose up
I saw the nun's dark habit on the Washington Mall
With her ice cream cone she had charmed us all
posted by jason_steakums at 6:58 PM on October 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

When the ghost of your father comes to town
Call a reputable researcher to verify what you're seeing, don't jump the gun and go to the media first
You're gonna be crazy famous if you discovered real ghosts but you should do your due diligence to make sure there isn't a simpler explanation for this phenomenon
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
posted by Going To Maine at 7:26 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Sun rising high as a phoenix, then opting for quiescence
On the day when you come to the door with your lovely bag of presents
And I know you've come to bring me back my toys
And I know you've come to bring me back my toys
posted by mappings at 8:22 PM on October 29, 2015

There's a monkey in the basement
His name is Curious George
He and The Man In The Yellow Hat have stopped by for a visit
posted by Going To Maine at 8:33 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

And the heat rising in the room
I am making tea
I am making tea
And the water boiling on the stove
I am making tea
I am making tea
posted by mappings at 8:42 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Let's have a little music
On this hazy afternoon
Let's hope the tension in here
Finds its resolution soon
Radio on the window sill
Old white moon above
God watches over children
And he cares for fools in love

I'm gonna kiss everybody in this room
I'm gonna kiss everybody in this room
posted by jason_steakums at 8:48 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Our Relationship in No Way Resembles International Conflict.

There's no shortage in the blood supply, because I donated last night.
I'm Type O, universal donor
You can have some if you like.
posted by sonika at 8:53 PM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Sun sets on the broad square and lights come up
Feel like this town's got some nice things in store for me
But if I came here to grow
I'm gonna let a few grudges go
This is the church
Where I go every Sabbath day
posted by mappings at 8:59 PM on October 29, 2015

You lucidly advocate gun control
And I know it's the truth, down in my soul
posted by mappings at 9:16 PM on October 29, 2015

This church is not long for this world
This church is not long for this world
And if you're wondering who to blame
It's not anyone in particular we've just lost a lot of members to that more accessible church out by the highway and this old building really costs a lot to maintain
posted by jason_steakums at 9:25 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Eating strawberries one by one
Sharing the bag with you
Two and a half pounds for just four dollars
I love farmers' markets, don't you?
posted by mappings at 9:26 PM on October 29, 2015

I'm going to see you in San Jose
I'm going to see you in San Jose
And I'm going to love and care for you
I'm going to nurture you

I'm on the northbound train right now
I'm on the northbound train right now
And I'm so glad public opinion finally shifted
In favor of high-speed rail
posted by mappings at 12:06 AM on October 30, 2015 [2 favorites]

The gentlecore in these remixed lyrics is such a balm to my heart.
posted by brainwane at 3:33 AM on October 30, 2015

On a related note, we have Jay Ryan's homage poster "Nine Black Puppies"
posted by Going To Maine at 5:01 AM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

The rain didn't come for one calendar year
Isn't it so nice; we've saved so much money on umbrellas
posted by yomimono at 6:04 AM on October 30, 2015

"We moved to Tallahassee because of the warm weather and affordable housing prices not because the suffocating heat and oppressive lack of culture is a metaphor for our failing marriage."
posted by litera scripta manet at 12:41 PM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

And I dreamt
of a camera
pointing out
from inside the television
and it knew
when we left the room
and the screen turned off
how convenient
posted by contraption at 4:05 PM on October 30, 2015 [3 favorites]

I'm gonna take this rabbit into Malibu
and he'll chew on sourgrass while I hang out on the deck and maybe work on my screenplay a little
posted by contraption at 4:17 PM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

I wish
Our love would go the way of all flesh
Cuz it's not right, and it's not nice
To not take DTMFA advice
Would you pack your things
And move out so that we can lead fulfilling lives free from codependency
posted by knuckle tattoos at 4:27 PM on October 30, 2015 [2 favorites]

Fog is lifting off the harbor
Bells are sounding on the boats
Our love is a kayak, plain and simple
When you put a wetsuit on and climb inside it
It floats, it floats!
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:34 PM on November 1, 2015 [4 favorites]