Elverum explained this change in an 2003 interview with Discorder, asserting that "Mount Eerie is a new project. The Microphones was completed, or at least at a good stopping point. I did it because I am ready for new things. I am new."
As Mount Eerie, Phil typically works with synthesizers, guitars, drums, and the accenting voices of Mirah, The Blow, and fellow K-Records/Anacortes, Washington friends. Mount Eerie's album "Seven New Songs of Mount Eerie" was also the first recording released on Phil's new label, P.W.Elverum & Sun. All songs from that recording are available for free download in the Internet Archive.
Moon I Already Know
Mount Eerie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I roll around.
I feel menacing mountains above me.
Moon, I already know I'm small on the ground.
I roll around.
All towering terrors are mine and I cower below.
I know, I know, I know -
I roll around.
Deep sorrows are mine,
I know, I know, I know.
I have no idea.
I know, I know.
Don't look at me like that
And then duck behind clouds.
I know, I know
I'm small and I have no idea.
I know.
Let me be dumb again.
Let food drip off my chin.
Let me think you're a light.
Let me please, please, please, please
Just sleep through the night unknowing.
Let me please, please close eyes.
The lyrics to Mount Eerie's song Moon I Already Know convey a sense of overwhelming insignificance and powerless-ness. The singer acknowledges that they are small in the grand scheme of things, rolling around on the ground while mountains loom above them. They feel like they are cowering beneath towering terrors and deep sorrows, with no idea how to address or combat them. The moon is mentioned repeatedly as a reminder of the singer's smallness, and of the world's indifference to their struggles.
Despite this, at the end of the song, the singer pleads to be allowed to be "dumb again," to simply focus on mundane things like food and light rather than the overwhelming weight of their own existence. They want to be able to close their eyes and sleep, free from the burden of knowledge and self-awareness. The song gives a sense of the overwhelming weight of the world, and the futility of trying to engage with forces that are beyond an individual's control.
Overall, Moon I Already Know is a haunting meditation on the human experience of powerlessness and insignificance in the face of larger forces. The repeated refrain of "I know, I know, I know" serves to reinforce the idea of the singer's ultimate understanding of their own impotence, while the repeated mention of the moon creates a sense of the vastness of the universe beyond their own existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon, I already know, I'm small on the ground.
The singer is aware of their insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
I roll around.
The singer is restless and uncertain.
I feel menacing mountains above me.
The singer is overwhelmed and intimidated by the challenges they face.
All towering terrors are mine and I cower below.
The artist feels helpless in the face of their fears and anxieties.
Deep sorrows are mine,
The artist is burdened by sadness and despair.
I have no idea.
The singer is lost and confused.
Don't look at me like that
The singer feels judged or misunderstood.
And then duck behind clouds.
The source of the artist's discomfort or anxiety has passed or been obscured.
Let me be dumb again.
The artist wishes to return to a state of blissful ignorance.
Let food drip off my chin.
The artist yearns for a simpler, more carefree existence where they do not have to worry about appearances or social conventions.
Let me think you're a light.
The singer is seeking comfort or guidance from an external source, whether it be a celestial body or a deity.
Let me please, please, please, please
The artist is begging for some respite from their troubles.
Just sleep through the night unknowing.
The singer longs for the blissful oblivion of sleep where they do not have to confront their problems.
Let me please, please close eyes.
The singer is desperate for a break from their struggles and seeks refuge in slumber.
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.