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.
Coco-Yam Song
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And stole all the giant coco-yams from the barn out back
I will make them pay for taking my yams away
I carved out little figurines of thieves
Burned a palmful of red dust from the medicine bag
Broke a kola nut in half, i hate half of it myself
Sat back and watched the evening drag
The lyrics to The Mountain Goats' "Coco-Yam Song" tell a story of revenge and vengeful energy. The first stanza speaks of a neighboring clan that has attacked and taken the "giant coco-yams" from the barn out back. The singer, who presumably owned the yams, is angry and frustrated at the theft and promises to make the thieves "pay for taking [their] yams away." This sets the stage for the rest of the song which follows the singer's journey toward revenge.
In the second stanza, the singer describes a series of actions they take in order to enact revenge. They carve little figurines of the thieves, burn the red dust from a medicine bag, and break a kola nut in half. These actions are ritualistic and symbolic, hinting at the singer's connection to their cultural and spiritual roots. They then sit back and "watch the evening drag" while waiting for their plan to unfold. The final line, "I will make them regret that they haven't brought my yams back yet" reveals the singer's unyielding determination to get their yams back and make the thieves pay for their actions.
In summary, "Coco-Yam Song" is a lyrically rich song that uses a narrative structure to tell a story of theft and revenge. It highlights the cultural and spiritual connections of the singer and hints at their commitment to enacting justice as they see fit.
Line by Line Meaning
A neighboring clan went on the attack
A nearby group succeeded in raiding my home
And stole all the giant coco-yams from the barn out back
The thieves took all my valuable yams from the nearby storage
I will make them pay for taking my yams away
I shall take revenge for the losses incurred by theft
I carved out little figurines of thieves
I created small models of the culprits who stole my yams
Burned a palmful of red dust from the medicine bag
I used some medicinally significant red powder to harness its negative power onto the thieves
Broke a kola nut in half, i hate half of it myself
I broke a naturally splitting kola nut and ate only one half, resonating with the hostile half to make the spell more potent
Sat back and watched the evening drag
I relaxed and waited for the spell to take effect with a shrewd eye
I will make them regret that they haven't brought my yams back yet
They will regret not returning my yams for their grave mistake of stealing from me
Contributed by Allison C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.