The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by… Read Full Bio ↴The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Chapel Hill, 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.

1 Samuel
The Mountain Goats Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I became a crystal healer and my ministry was to the sick
Creeping vines would send out runners and seek me in their numbers
I sold self-help tapes
Go down to the netherworld, plant grapes

And as world spread of my powers they would seek me far and wide
All sad faces at my window I would welcome them inside
I sewed clothes for them: cloaks and capes

Go down to the netherworld, plant grapes

My house will be for all people who have nowhere to go
My supply of shining crystals a shield against the snow

There's more like me where I come from, so mark our shapes
Go down to the netherworld, plant grapes

Overall Meaning

The Mountain Goats’s song “1 Samuel 15:23” is a song that tells the story of an individual who has become a crystal healer and minister to the sick. The song begins by describing how this individual would attract creeping vines with their numbers. The vines would seek him out, and he would begin his healing ministry. As word began to spread about his healing powers, he became sought after by many people. The individual would welcome all sad faces at his window and sew clothes for them, such as capes and cloaks. Throughout the song, the repeated refrain of “Go down to the netherworld, plant grapes” adds to the sense of mystery and imaginative imagery within the song.

As the song progresses, the individuals’ home becomes a sanctuary for those seeking shelter, and his supply of shining crystals acts as a shield against the snow. The song implies that there are more people like him in the world, and he urges listeners to mark their shapes. Overall, the lyrics within “1 Samuel 15:23” speak to themes of healing, refuge, and community.

Line by Line Meaning

I became a crystal healer and my ministry was to the sick
I transformed to a crystal healer and I dedicated myself to healing people who are sick.

Creeping vines would send out runners and seek me in their numbers
The vines would crawl and seek me in groups since they recognized my powers.

I sold self-help tapes
I made and sold self-help tapes to people in pursuit of a better life.

Go down to the netherworld, plant grapes
I suggest you make the most of what you've got since life is brief.

And as world spread of my powers they would seek me far and wide
News of my healing powers spread, and people started looking for me from distant lands.

All sad faces at my window I would welcome them inside
I greeted and welcomed everyone who came to see me at my door with an unhappy face.

I sewed clothes for them: cloaks and capes
I made an extra effort to sew clothes like cloaks and capes for them to keep them protected from the cold weather.

My house will be for all people who have nowhere to go
I built my house for people who had no place to go in times of trouble.

My supply of shining crystals a shield against the snow
The glowing crystals in my possession safeguarded people against the dangers of the snow.

There's more like me where I come from, so mark our shapes
There are others like me where I came from, so remember our shapes and recognize our worth.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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