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.
Against Pollution
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guy with a shotgun came raging through the place
Muscled his way behind the counter
I shot him in the face
This morning I went down to the Catholic Church
'Cause something just came over me
Forty-five minutes in the pews
When the last days come we shall see visions
More vivid than sunsets, brighter than stars
We will recognize each other
And see ourselves, for the first time, the way we really are
Decorative grating on my window
Gets a little rustier every year
I don't know how the metal gets rusty
When it never rains here
A year or so ago I worked at a liquor store
And a guy came in
Tried to kill me, so I shot him in the face
I would do it again, I would do it again
When the last days come we shall see visions
More vivid than sunsets, brighter than stars
We will recognize each other
And see ourselves, for the first time, the way we really are
The lyrics to Against Pollution by The Mountain Goats are rich with diverse imagery and can be interpreted in many different ways. The first verse describes a violent encounter at a liquor store where the singer defends themselves with a gun. The second verse finds the singer seeking solace in the Catholic Church, spending time in prayer to clear their head. The third verse describes the singer's rusting, decorative window grating, and laments the fact that it shouldn't be rusting because it never rains.
The chorus ties all of these disparate elements together by referencing "the last days" and the vivid visions that we will see in that time. It suggests that perhaps the violence, the seeking of solace, and the slow decay are all part of a greater narrative, and that in the end we will see ourselves and each other in a new light.
One interpretation of this song is that it's a commentary on the violent, chaotic nature of the world in which we live. The imagery of the shotgun and the violence at the liquor store suggests a world in which we must always be on guard, and the singer's seeking of solace in the Church is a way of finding order and peace amidst this chaos. The rusting grating on the window similarly suggests that even in the midst of a dry climate, things still decay and fall apart. The chorus, then, suggests that the end of the world may bring clarity and understanding about the chaos that we experience in our daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When I worked down at the liquor store
Back when I was working at the liquor store
Guy with a shotgun came raging through the place
An angry man with a shotgun stormed into the store
Muscled his way behind the counter
He forced his way behind the counter
I shot him in the face
I had to use my firearm to protect myself and shot him in the face
This morning I went down to the Catholic Church
Earlier today I visited the Catholic Church
'Cause something just came over me
I felt compelled to go for some reason
Forty-five minutes in the pews
I spent almost an hour sitting in the seats for worshippers
Praying the rosary
I recited the Rosary, a series of prayers in the Catholic tradition
When the last days come we shall see visions
In the end times, we will have visions
More vivid than sunsets, brighter than stars
These visions will be incredibly clear and bright
We will recognize each other
We will be able to identify each other
And see ourselves, for the first time, the way we really are
We will have a true understanding of ourselves and our true nature
Decorative grating on my window
The ornamental metalwork on my window
Gets a little rustier every year
It becomes more rusty with every passing year
I don't know how the metal gets rusty
I don't understand why the metal is rusting
When it never rains here
Since it hardly ever rains in this area
A year or so ago I worked at a liquor store
About a year ago, I was employed at a liquor store
And a guy came in
Another man entered the store
Tried to kill me, so I shot him in the face
He attempted to murder me, and again I had to use force to defend myself, resulting in me shooting him in the face
I would do it again, I would do it again
I would not hesitate to use force if necessary to protect myself
Contributed by Sadie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.