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.
Balance
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the love we once nurtured, you and me
Disintegrating violently
Stick your tongue out
Catch the pieces as they drift down the air
I am too slow to catch them all
Not too far gone to care
Figuring the interest on delinquent loans
Speaking in sad and mournful tones
Trying to squeeze tears out of mute stones
Wet your finger, place it toward the wind
Feel disaster in the air
We are far too slow to outrun it now
Not too far gone to care
In "Balance," The Mountain Goats sings about the disintegration of a love that was once nurtured by two people, metaphorically represented by two tall glasses of sweet iced tea beneath a sweet gum tree. The love between the two people is now falling apart, or "disintegrating violently," and the singer is left to catch the pieces. However, he is too slow to catch them all, but still cares enough to pay attention to what he is able to capture.
The second verse shifts to the passage of time, as two people spend the slow summer hours picking at the bones of their past love. The use of financial language, such as "figuring the interest on delinquent loans," implies that the love was built on transactional or business-like terms. Despite their efforts to revive the love, they are unable to do so and they speak in "sad and mournful tones," in an attempt to "squeeze tears out of mute stones."
The final verse brings a sense of doom and inevitability, as the singer urges the other person to wet their finger and feel the disaster that's coming. Although they are unable to outrun it, they are not too far gone to care. The song ends on a somber note, with the sense that the love between the two people has reached its end, but the singer still cares about what once was.
Line by Line Meaning
Two tall glasses of sweet iced tea
Reminiscing about a time of happiness and purity
Underneath the sweet gum tree
Setting the scene of a nostalgic memory
And the love we once nurtured, you and me
Remembering a past relationship
Disintegrating violently
The relationship falling apart in a painful way
Stick your tongue out
Metaphor for trying to grab onto fleeting memories
Catch the pieces as they drift down the air
Holding onto what remains of a past love
I am too slow to catch them all
Feeling unsuccessful in holding onto memories
Not too far gone to care
Despite difficulty, still being emotionally invested
Two slow summer hours spent picking at the bones
Reflecting on the details of past struggles with a partner
Figuring the interest on delinquent loans
Using a metaphor for lost opportunities and wasted effort
Speaking in sad and mournful tones
Discussing past hardships with a heavy heart
Trying to squeeze tears out of mute stones
Struggling to express emotion towards a relationship that is over
Wet your finger, place it toward the wind
Presenting a metaphor for sensing change and uncertainty
Feel disaster in the air
Sensing impending doom or failure
We are far too slow to outrun it now
Realizing that it may be too late to avoid negative outcomes
But not too far gone to care
Despite inability to change the past, still feeling invested and concerned
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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