The band's name derives from banjoist Leonard Podolak's earlier band Scruj MacDuhk (pronounced Scrugg MachDuke). MacDuhk was a warrior chieftain who fought with William Wallace, resisting English occupation of Scotland, during the reign of King Edward I. The entire name is a wordplay on the Disney character Scrooge McDuck created by Carl Barks.
In March of 2007 lead singer and budding songwriter Jessee Havey left the band to pursue other interests. Singer Sarah Dugas joined the band in July of 2007 and is on the road with The Duhks.
In late 2007, percussionist Scott Senior left the band to spend more time with his family, as his partner, Tara Beckta, was expecting their second child. Christian Dugas, Sarah's brother and a former bandmate of Leonard Podolak, has since joined The Duhks. Other members are fiddler Tania Elizabeth and guitarist Jordan McConnell.
In October 2007 The Duhks Sustainability Project http://www.greenduhks.com was launched to raise awareness about ways to live a more economically-viable and ecologically-sustainable lifestyle. In April 2008, The Duhks performed a post Earth Day benefit in Nederland, Colorado.
In spring 2016, the band announced that they would no longer be touring. They have not released any new music since 2014.
http://www.duhks.com
Mountains O
The Duhks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess I'll never have
I'll be working for somebody else
Until I'm in my grave
I'll be dreaming of a live of ease
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
To have a big expensive car
And have a maid that I can tell
To bring me anything
Everyone will look at me with envy and with greed
I'll revel in their attention
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
Sweet lazy life
Champagne and caviar
I hope you'll come and find me
Cause you know who we are
Those who deserve the best in life
And know what money's worth
And those whose sole misfortune
Was having mountains o' nothing at birth
Oh they tell me
There's still time to save my soul
They tell me
Renounce all
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Exploiting other human beings
Consume more than you need
This is the dream
Make you pauper
Or make you queen
I won't die lonely
I'll have it all prearranged
A grave that's deep and wide enough
For me and all my mountains o' things
Mostly I feel lonely
Good good people are
Good people are only
My stepping stones
It's gonna take all my mountains o' things
To surround me
Keep all my enemies away
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay
I'll be dreaming, dreaming... Dreaming...
The opening lines of The Duhks' Mountains O speak of an unattainable life - a life of ease, luxury, and extravagance. The singer laments their fate of being stuck in a life working for someone else until they die. They long for the life of the wealthy and imagine themselves driving expensive cars, wearing furs and being waited on by servants. The singer revels in the envy and attention of others that comes with such a lifestyle.
But amidst these musings, there is a realization that this life of material wealth must come at the cost of exploiting others. The singer contemplates the idea of renouncing material wealth and the notion that it is possible to save their soul. However, they ultimately seem to decide against it. The song ends with a acknowledgment of loneliness and the need for material possessions to ward off the sadness and enemies in life. The repetition of the word "dreaming" at the end of the song suggests that all of this remains a fantastical, unattainable dream.
Overall, Mountains O is a song about the human desire for material wealth and what it takes to achieve it. The lyrics critique the idea that we must consume more than we need and exploit others to live this dream. The song exposes the loneliness and emptiness that come with such a life, as well as the alluring power it holds.
Line by Line Meaning
The life I've always wanted
The ideal life I have always desired
I guess I'll never have
It seems that it won't be possible for me to achieve it
I'll be working for somebody else
I will be a servant or an employee of others
Until I'm in my grave
Until my death
I'll be dreaming of a live of ease
I will have an idyllic life filled with comfort and ease in my imagination
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
I aspire to accumulate a vast amount of material possessions
To have a big expensive car
To obtain a luxurious car
Drag my furs on the ground
To display excessive wealth by extravagantly dragging fur garments
And have a maid that I can tell
To have a servant who would obey my every command
To bring me anything
To fetch anything according to my order
Everyone will look at me with envy and with greed
People will become jealous and greedy upon seeing my wealth
I'll revel in their attention
I will immensely enjoy the attention I would receive
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
I wish to amass an enormous amount of material things.
Sweet lazy life
Life of leisure and luxury
Champagne and caviar
Foods known for their great expense and luxury
I hope you'll come and find me
I am hoping for someone's companionship
Cause you know who we are
So we can enjoy the luxury of our status
Those who deserve the best in life
People who are entitled to live extravagantly
And know what money's worth
Who have the knowledge and appreciation of the worth of money
And those whose sole misfortune
And those who had only one misfortune in their lives
Was having mountains o' nothing at birth
All they ever lacked from birth are heaps of material things
Oh they tell me
Oh, I am instructed
There's still time to save my soul
There is still time to salvage my soul from perishing
Renounce all
Abandon everything material
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Abandon all material possessions acquired by
Exploiting other human beings
Exploiting and taking advantage of other people for financial gain.
Consume more than you need
Endeavoring to consume more than necessary
This is the dream
This is the ideal, well-coveted life
Make you pauper
Could lead you to the state of being poor
Or make you queen
Could elevate you as a ruling queen
I won't die lonely
I will not leave this world alone
I'll have it all prearranged
I will have everything planned ahead
A grave that's deep and wide enough
I shall lie in an extensive deep grave
For me and all my mountains o' things
In which I would rest with all my possessions and treasure by my side
Mostly I feel lonely
Most of the time, loneliness lingers within me
Good good people are
Credible and authentic humans do exist
Good people are only
Yet, they are only available to fulfill my wants and needs
My stepping stones
They serve as stairs to reach my extravagance
It's gonna take all my mountains o' things
It would only be possible with all my possessions
To surround me
Completely envelop me
Keep all my enemies away
Safeguarding from possible harm or theft from adversaries
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay
Overpowering the melancholy and despair within me.
I'll be dreaming, dreaming... Dreaming...
I will always cherish my dreams regardless of my reality.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRACY L CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind