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.
Who?
Mount Eerie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want your ghost gone.
What do I want with this wood now that it's sawn?
I want the stump gone,
And the land that it grew on.
Oh Black Lagoon, you have my shoe
So I go shoeless.
I go muddy crawling through.
I want the shades drawn
And the overgrown lawn.
I would gladly abandon a limb in the trap's jaw,
Just as long as I crawl on
With no trapper to call on.
Thorough and true, by stem and root,
I know no-one now.
Now I say "who?"
Mount Eerie's "Who?" is a haunting and desolate song that reflects on the aftermath of a loss. The lyrics are riddled with metaphors and symbols that express grief and the desire to move on. The song opens with a painful and poignant line, "What do I want with my life now that you're gone?" which is repeated several times throughout the song. This line expresses how lost and directionless the singer feels after experiencing a significant loss.
The chorus of the song, "I want your ghost gone," speaks to the desire to move past the memories and thoughts that haunt them. The singer wants to rid themselves of the pain of the past and move on to a fresh start. The verse, "What do I want with this wood now that it's sawn? I want the stump gone, and the land that it grew on," represents how meaningless and insignificant everything seems after a loss. The singer wants to erase everything that reminds them of the past and start anew.
The rest of the song is filled with metaphors that express the desire to escape the pain of the past, and the loneliness that comes from losing someone. The chorus, "Thorough and true, by stem and root, I know no-one now. Now I say 'who?'," is a bleak representation of how much the singer has changed since their loss. They no longer recognize themselves, and everything they once knew seems unimportant.
Line by Line Meaning
What do I want with my life now that you're gone?
I don't know what to do with my life after you've left me.
I want your ghost gone.
I want to forget about you completely, even your memory.
What do I want with this wood now that it's sawn?
I have no use for this wood now that it's cut.
I want the stump gone, And the land that it grew on.
I don't want to be reminded of what once was here, so I want the stump and land it grew on removed.
Oh Black Lagoon, you have my shoe So I go shoeless.
I lost my shoe in the Black Lagoon, so now I have to go without.
I go muddy crawling through.
I have to crawl through the mud because of my missing shoe.
What do I want with my home now that I'm gone?
Since I'm not there, I don't care what happens to my home.
I want the shades drawn And the overgrown lawn.
I want to keep my home hidden and abandoned looking.
I would gladly abandon a limb in the trap's jaw, Just as long as I crawl on With no trapper to call on.
I'm willing to take risks and suffer consequences as long as I have no one to answer to.
Thorough and true, by stem and root, I know no-one now.
I'm alone and forgotten even by the very things that once surrounded me.
Now I say "who?"
I don't recognize or know anyone anymore, I'm disconnected from the world around me.
Contributed by Isabelle Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.