The… Read Full Bio ↴Mountain Goat are the ballers and shot-callers of Doom 'N Roll..
The band consists of Monte Ray Ross Davis Jr. (Guitar), Derek Kasperlik (Bass), and Keith Ortiz (Drums).
All the music is digitally free, but hard copies are here, support is always cool:
mountaingoat.bigcartel.com
mountaingoat.bandcamp.com
Contact: Mountaingoatband@gmail.com
Swamp
Mountain Goat Lyrics
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Where the highway starts to crack and nobody fixes it
I was wandering through an undeveloped tract
Out near the ocean
One-hundred acres, we will build to suit
See what there is to see before it's gone
Somebody's always just about
To put some kind of awful plan in motion
Eastern red cedars, and the pines
And suddenly an elevated stone slab
In what must have been a clearing once
Try to recognize the signals and the signposts
My curiosity
Will likely always get the best of me
It's like that one thing
My Dad kept trying to tell me
As the twilight
Inched its way on up his body
Get out, get out, get out, get out
Well of course I climbed atop the slab and I lay down on it
I am a child
I had my face toward the sky
Lying there in the sun with both my eyes closed
Woke up in near darkness
What the hell is wrong with me
Volunteer pines in their hundreds in the dusk like military tentpoles
Let my eyes adjust
Try to read the markings on the slab
Weird alphabets I felt sure I hadn't seen, just before I passed out
Stars growing brighter
Me looking up
Like a lobster in a cage down in the depths
Beneath the bottom of a glass boat
And I heard a voice
From somewhere out beyond the free fall
Like a captive soldier
He's just trying to warn his brothers
Get out, get out, get out, get out
The lyrics of this song by Mountain Goats are rich in imagery and metaphor. It speaks of the impending end of an age, or an era, where decay and neglect are evident in the crumbling highway left unrepaired. The singer is wandering through an undeveloped tract of land, likely one of the few spaces left untouched by human intervention. The land is marked for development, but for now, it is a place of quiet reflection where the singer tries to recognize the signals and signposts that surround him. He stumbles upon an elevated stone slab, marking a long-forgotten area where a clearing once stood.
In this moment of curiosity, the singer climbs atop the slab and lays down with his face towards the sky, feeling like a child. He falls asleep and wakes up to near darkness and hundreds of volunteer pines, standing like military tent poles. The obscure strange markings on the slab indicate that the location was once a sacred site. As he tries to read these markings, he recognizes that some mysterious force is issuing a warning through the voice he hears from somewhere beyond the free fall. The captor is trying to warn his brothers, possibly of impending danger. The singer is warned to get out, and we are left to wonder whether the warning was heeded, or if a disaster befell the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Toward the tail-end of the age that's almost finished
As we approach the end of an era
Where the highway starts to crack and nobody fixes it
The signs of decay and neglect are starting to show
I was wandering through an undeveloped tract
Exploring a wild, untouched area
Out near the ocean
Near the vast expanse of the sea
One-hundred acres, we will build to suit
There are plans to develop this land
See what there is to see before it's gone
Take in the beauty before it's destroyed
Somebody's always just about
There's always someone with an awful plan
To put some kind of awful plan in motion
To carry out destructive plans for the land
Eastern red cedars, and the pines
Native flora in the area
And suddenly an elevated stone slab
A mysterious structure appears
In what must have been a clearing once
The reason for the structure is unclear
Try to recognize the signals and the signposts
Look for clues to understand the structure
My curiosity
My natural desire to explore and discover
Will likely always get the best of me
I can't resist the urge to investigate
It's like that one thing
This experience is similar to something else
My Dad kept trying to tell me
My father tried to warn me about something
As the twilight
As the day transitions into night
Inched its way on up his body
As the sun set and darkness approached
Get out, get out, get out, get out
A warning to leave before it's too late
Well of course I climbed atop the slab and I lay down on it
Despite the warning, I continue exploring
I am a child
I am naive and inexperienced
I had my face toward the sky
I was looking up at the heavens
Lying there in the sun with both my eyes closed
Relaxing in the warmth of the day
Woke up in near darkness
I fell asleep and it's now night
What the hell is wrong with me
I am confused and disoriented
Volunteer pines in their hundreds in the dusk like military tentpoles
A striking image of the surrounding trees at nightfall
Let my eyes adjust
Wait for my vision to adapt to the darkness
Try to read the markings on the slab
Attempt to decipher the mysterious symbols
Weird alphabets I felt sure I hadn't seen, just before I passed out
The symbols are unfamiliar and unsettling
Stars growing brighter
The night sky is becoming more vivid
Me looking up
I gaze upward in wonder
Like a lobster in a cage down in the depths
Feeling trapped and helpless
Beneath the bottom of a glass boat
Unable to escape my predicament
And I heard a voice
I am no longer alone
From somewhere out beyond the free fall
The voice seems to come from a distant place
Like a captive soldier
The voice has a sense of desperation
He's just trying to warn his brothers
The voice is issuing a warning to others
Get out, get out, get out, get out
A final, urgent warning to leave immediately
Lyrics © PACIFIC ELECTRIC MUSIC
Written by: John Darnielle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind