The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. The Mountain Goats are, for all practical purposes, the endlessly clever and prolific John Darnielle and whatever musicians he surrounds himself with, which means that while the soundscape may change from project to project Read Full BioThe Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. The Mountain Goats are, for all practical purposes, the endlessly clever and prolific John Darnielle and whatever musicians he surrounds himself with, which means that while the soundscape may change from project to project, the overall tone and feel of Darnielle's work remains remarkably consistent. At his best, he writes finely observed, slightly surreal, impressionistic vignettes that manage to mix life as we live it with life as we wish we could live it, and as such he has more in common with a novelist than he does with the typical singer/songwriter, which is fitting, as he's also a published author. Darnielle's early Mountain Goats releases were lo-fi, cassette-recorded efforts cut with a rotating lineup of musicians, such as 1995's Nine Black Poppies and 2000's The Coroner's Gambit. By 2005's The Sunset Tree, his recordings had become cleaner and less cluttered, but his characters studies were just as vivid, and as the Mountain Goats finally cohered into a stable lineup (with Darnielle joined by Peter Hughes, Matt Douglas, and Jon Wurster), they recorded tuneful, thematically unified albums such as Beat the Champ (2015) and Goths (2017) that ranked with their finest work.
Darnielle began the new millennium with The Coroner's Gambit for Absolutely Kosher before signing to 4AD for the release of the surprisingly polished Tallahassee in 2002. We Shall All Be Healed followed in 2004, and one year later, Darnielle was back with The Sunset Tree. Remaining as prolific as ever, Darnielle turned away from the intensity of The Sunset Tree for a calmer, more reflective set of songs on 2006's Get Lonely. The accessible and assured Heretic Pride appeared in 2008. Next up was the Bible verse-inspired The Life of the World to Come, the group's sixth album for 4AD, in 2010. Switching to Merge Records in 2011, Darnielle released All Eternals Deck, which was recorded in four different studios in Brooklyn, Boston, North Carolina, and Florida with four different producers -- John Congleton, Scott Solter, Brandon Eggleston, and Morbid Angel guitarist and Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan -- helming various tracks. That year the band was also handpicked by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he was curating in Minehead, England, but they were ultimately unable to appear due to scheduling issues.
Darnielle began the new millennium with The Coroner's Gambit for Absolutely Kosher before signing to 4AD for the release of the surprisingly polished Tallahassee in 2002. We Shall All Be Healed followed in 2004, and one year later, Darnielle was back with The Sunset Tree. Remaining as prolific as ever, Darnielle turned away from the intensity of The Sunset Tree for a calmer, more reflective set of songs on 2006's Get Lonely. The accessible and assured Heretic Pride appeared in 2008. Next up was the Bible verse-inspired The Life of the World to Come, the group's sixth album for 4AD, in 2010. Switching to Merge Records in 2011, Darnielle released All Eternals Deck, which was recorded in four different studios in Brooklyn, Boston, North Carolina, and Florida with four different producers -- John Congleton, Scott Solter, Brandon Eggleston, and Morbid Angel guitarist and Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan -- helming various tracks. That year the band was also handpicked by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he was curating in Minehead, England, but they were ultimately unable to appear due to scheduling issues.
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This Year
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
I broke free on a Saturday morning
I put the pedal to the floor
Headed north on Mills Avenue
And listened to the engine roar
My broken house behind me and good things ahead
A girl named Cathy wants a little of my time
Six cylinders underneath the hood crashing and kicking
Ah, listen to the engine whine
I am going to make it through this year
If it kills me
I am going to make it through this year
If it kills me
I played video games in a drunken haze
I was seventeen years young
Hurt my knuckles punching the machines
The taste of scotch rich on my tongue
And then Cathy showed up and we hung out
Trading swigs from a bottle, all bitter and clean
Locking eyes, holding hands
Twin high maintenance machines
I am going to make it through this year
If it kills me
I am going to make it through this year
If it kills me
I drove home in the California dusk
I could feel the alcohol inside of me hum
Pictured the look on my stepfather's face
Ready for the bad things to come
I down-shifted as I pulled into the driveway
The motor screaming out, stuck in second gear
The scene ends badly, as you might imagine
In a cavalcade of anger and fear
There will be feasting and dancing in Jerusalem next year
I am going to make it through this year
If it kills me
I am going to make it through this year
If it kills me
Lyrics © SCHUBERT MUSIC PUBLISHING INC.
Written by: John Darnielle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
megasupersharkattack
Happy New year!
This year has been an incredibly difficult one for all of us. I’m so happy that you’ve all found this song and that it’s helped you make it through the past 12 months. I’m proud of every single one of you for making it through.
This year I met an incredible person that I love wholeheartedly, lost my job, played way too much Animal Crossing, got my job back, and moved half way across the state with a promotion. I am extremely lucky.
I was 17 and depressed when I uploaded this video. I just wanted a way to put a song on my blog that wasn’t a music video. I never thought this song would bring so much love into my life. I’m 28 now. This has been an incredibly challenging year but it’s also the first year I can remember really wanting to live and being willing to do what I can to hold on despite everything.
Please take care of yourselves, the people you love, and your communities. Please don’t forget to show yourself kindness, especially when things are hard and feel impossible.
I hope good things are coming your way.
I’ll see you all next year.
megasupersharkattack
Happy New year!
This year has been an incredibly difficult one for all of us. I’m so happy that you’ve all found this song and that it’s helped you make it through the past 12 months. I’m proud of every single one of you for making it through.
This year I met an incredible person that I love wholeheartedly, lost my job, played way too much Animal Crossing, got my job back, and moved half way across the state with a promotion. I am extremely lucky.
I was 17 and depressed when I uploaded this video. I just wanted a way to put a song on my blog that wasn’t a music video. I never thought this song would bring so much love into my life. I’m 28 now. This has been an incredibly challenging year but it’s also the first year I can remember really wanting to live and being willing to do what I can to hold on despite everything.
Please take care of yourselves, the people you love, and your communities. Please don’t forget to show yourself kindness, especially when things are hard and feel impossible.
I hope good things are coming your way.
I’ll see you all next year.
Anon archist
2021, the year of No Children.
Tik H.
Fuck bro im so happy for you that straight up made me cry reading you go dude
Thom Dilling
Great to hear things are going well with you! It sounds like we are about the same age and have been through a lot of the similar difficulties. I've been listening to this song since you posted it. I'm also happy to say that we share the same optimistic view of the future. Here's to many more good years!
Bishop Bling
Cheers, here's to many more years! 🍻 🎉
Bioluminescent Banana Slug
@Judah Katzenberger Fuck, hope you're holding up! My youngest cousin got it. He's a (good!) Doctor, specializing in ER medicine. I was genuinely scared for him and his family- his wife and toddler looked like they might have had it, but tested negative. He's not a stranger to pain, but his wife was face timing with him and teaching him breathing exercises to get him through the headaches. Fortunately, he's just had his booster vaccine! Along with my oldest cousin and her awesome husband (both Hospital RNs).
Sorry, I turned this into a "me" thing, but I'm genuinely hoping you're ok. Obviously, I miss my cousins, as they're the ones I usually spend holidays with but they're safe and sane. Instead I spent Christmas with a QAnon Covid Denier (my partner's brother, who flew in from Seattle..). That didn't end well... I left voluntarily, and then was asked to stay away till they flew out.
I really hate that there are people like him. I guess it's easier to live in denial... ❤️❤️❤️
Sarah Z
That line about feasting and dancing really hits different now huh
Leah H
Hi Sarah!
Anon archist
L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim, every Pesach, for 38 years...
Longer for those older than me, but still.
Anon archist
You're $600 short, Joe. Where's my $15/hr?