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.

Blues In Dallas
The Mountain Goats Lyrics

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will I see you there
when the final trumpet blows
will I see you there
when the final trumpet blows
if I don't see you there
I will run a comb through my hair
and I will wait
I will wait

I will wait

will you walk on in
when the angel summons you
will you walk on in
when the angel summons you
if I don't see you go
I will let the minions flow
and I will wait
I will wait
I will wait

down in Dealey Plaza
the tourists mill about
down in Dealey Plaze
the tourists mill about
and I am far from where we live
and I have not learned to forgive
but I will wait

I will wait
I will wait

Overall Meaning

The Mountain Goats' Blues In Dallas is a poignant song that deals with themes of death, forgiveness, and reunion. The singer is contemplating the afterlife while waiting for the final trumpet to sound. The lyrics reflect the uncertainty of the singer's fate, as they wonder whether they will see their loved one again when the final trumpet blows. The mention of running a comb through their hair suggests that they want to look their best for this potential reunion.

The second verse shifts the focus to the loved one, imagining whether they will walk into heaven when the angels summon them. The singer reflects that if they don't see their loved one leave, they will "let the minions flow," suggesting a feeling of resignation and acceptance in the face of death.

The third verse takes place in Dealey Plaza, a site of historical significance in Dallas, Texas, where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The tourists milling about reflect the sense of life going on even in the face of tragedy and death. The singer acknowledges their own lack of forgiveness, which underscores the urgency and importance of the reunion they long for in the afterlife.

Overall, Blues In Dallas is a powerful and introspective song that grapples with difficult themes while offering a glimmer of hope and longing for reunion.

Line by Line Meaning

will I see you there
Will we reunite in the afterlife?

when the final trumpet blows
At the end of the world, the trumpet will sound

will I see you there
Will we reunite in the afterlife?

when the final trumpet blows
At the end of the world, the trumpet will sound

if I don't see you there
If we don't reunite in the afterlife

I will run a comb through my hair
I will go through the motions of getting ready

and I will wait
Hoping and waiting for you to arrive

I will wait
Hoping and waiting for you to arrive

will you walk on in
Will you enter into heaven?

when the angel summons you
When the angel calls your name to enter heaven

will you walk on in
Will you enter into heaven?