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.
Cobscook Bay
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jill used to come by, but she went away.
And gail used to come around and trash the joint,
But she moved off to dana point.
And you went along, just for the ride,
And you both committed suicide.
And day is breaking over cobscook bay.
And i've never seen anything like it in my life.
Cow gave brith and her calves are snow white
The huddle up close together at night.
And the mamma cow leans down and cleans her young.
Licking their faces with her tongue,
And unmarked airplanes buzz the air.
And you're falling off that cliff somewhere in california --
Which i've never seen.
I put the pieces all together, but i don't know what they mean,
And day is breaking over cobscook bay.
And i've never seen anything like it in my life
The lyrics to The Mountain Goats's song Cobscook Bay tell a story of loneliness, separation and bewilderment. The singer and his companions used to have each other, but now they are alone. Jill, Gail, and the singer's friend, who went along for the ride, all committed suicide. The line "Day is breaking over Cobscook Bay. And I've never seen anything like it in my life" seems to indicate that despite the tragedies that have occurred, life goes on in its own way, and the beauty of the world continues to exist.
The second stanza describes the beauty of nature, the birth of a snow-white calf and the bond between mother and child. The line "And unmarked airplanes buzz the air" can be interpreted as a symbol of the unnoticed danger in the world, something that goes on despite the mundane beauty of life. The singer then references a friend who fell off a cliff in California, again indicating that life is unpredictable and can take sudden turns.
Overall, the lyrics of Cobscook Bay are melancholic, yet full of vivid descriptions and hidden meanings. The song seems to convey a sense of loss and confusion, but also a tentative hopefulness for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
We're alone most of the time these days.
I spend most of my days in solitude.
Jill used to come by, but she went away.
My friend Jill used to visit me but she left.
And gail used to come around and trash the joint,
My other friend Gail used to come over and make a mess of things.
But she moved off to dana point.
Gail moved away to Dana Point.
And you went along, just for the ride,
You accompanied me for no particular reason.
And you both committed suicide.
You and another person took your own lives.
And day is breaking over cobscook bay.
It's morning and the sun is rising over Cobscook Bay.
And i've never seen anything like it in my life.
This sight is unlike anything I've ever witnessed before.
Cow gave birth and her calves are snow white
A cow had offspring and they are white in color.
The huddle up close together at night.
The calves stay close together during the night.
And the mamma cow leans down and cleans her young.
The mother cow bends over and cleans her offspring.
Licking their faces with her tongue,
She uses her tongue to clean their faces.
And unmarked airplanes buzz the air.
Airplanes without distinguishing marks make buzzing sounds overhead.
And you're falling off that cliff somewhere in california --
You are falling off a cliff in California.
Which i've never seen.
I've never been to California or seen this happen.
I put the pieces all together, but i don't know what they mean,
I have all the information, but I don't understand the significance.
And day is breaking over cobscook bay.
It's morning and the sun is rising over Cobscook Bay.
And i've never seen anything like it in my life.
This sight is unlike anything I've ever witnessed before.
Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zombielokii
It's cool, I'm just going to go cry. For the rest of my life.
Conor Kelly
We're alone most of the time these days
Jill used to come by but she went away and
Gail used to come around and trash the joint but
She moved off to Dana Point
And you came along, just for the ride and you
Both committed suicide
And day is breaking over Cobscook Bay
And I've never seen anything like it in my life.
Cow gave birth and her calves are snow white.
They huddle up close together at night.
And the mama cow leans down and
Cleans her young
Licking their faces with her tongue.
And unmarked airplanes buzz the air.
And you're falling off that cliff somewhere in California.
Which I have never seen.
I put the pieces all together but I don't know what they mean and
Day is breaking over Cobscook Bay.
And I've never seen anything like it in my life.
Matthew Patterson
they played this song last night in my hometown and i missed the show, now i am falling off that cliff somewhere
HarpyShellac
Does your name mean apple juice in Polish? I vaguely recognize Sok meaning juice and I think Jabłko is apple
Rin L
I am the 18001 listener of this song