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.
Color in Your Cheeks
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the way from sunny Taipei
Skin the color of a walnut shell
and a baseball cap holding down her black hair
And she came here after midnight
The hot weather made her feel right at home
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, it'll put color in your cheeks
He drove in from Mexicali, no worse for wear
Money to burn, time to kill
But five minutes looking in his eyes
And we all knew he was broken pretty bad
So we gave him what we had
We cleared a space for him to sleep in
And we let the silence that's our trademark make it's presense felt
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, it'll put color in your cheeks
They came in by the dozens, walking or crawling
Some were bright eyed, some were dead on their feet
And they came from Zimbabwe or from Soviet Georgia,
East St. Louis, or from Paris, or they lived across the street
But they came, and when they finally made it here,
it was the least that we could do to make our welcome clear
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, this'll put color in your cheeks
The song "Color in Your Cheeks" by The Mountain Goats is a powerful tune about the immigrant experience in America. The opening verse talks about how a woman from Taipei arrives in Dallas-Fort Worth with her walnut-colored skin and a baseball cap holding down her black hair. Despite arriving after midnight, she feels right at home in the hot weather. The singer and their group of friends invite her to their home and offer her a drink to put the color back in her cheeks. The line "put color in your cheeks" is a common Southern expression that means making someone feel better or healthier.
The following verse is about a man who arrives from Mexicali with money to burn and time to kill, but it's clear to everyone that he's broken pretty badly. The singer and their friends give him what they have and let him sleep in a clear space. They allow the silence, which is their trademark, to make its presence felt. This line is significant because it shows a level of understanding and empathy towards the man's pain. The final verse talks about how people from all over the world come to America, some walking, and others crawling. They come from Zimbabwe, Soviet Georgia, Paris, and even live across the street. But when they finally reach America, the least the singer and their friends can do is make the welcome clear by inviting them in and offering them a drink.
Line by Line Meaning
She came in on the red eye to Dallas, Fort Worth
She arrived in Dallas, Fort Worth on a night flight from Taipei
All the way from sunny Taipei
She traveled from sunny Taipei to Dallas, Fort Worth
Skin the color of a walnut shell
Her skin was the shade of a walnut shell
and a baseball cap holding down her black hair
She was wearing a baseball cap that kept her black hair in place
And she came here after midnight
She arrived after midnight
The hot weather made her feel right at home
She felt at home in the hot weather
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
We're welcoming her inside even though we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, it'll put color in your cheeks
We offer her a drink that will give her a healthy glow
He drove in from Mexicali, no worse for wear
He arrived from Mexicali without any visible signs of injury or fatigue
Money to burn, time to kill
He had a lot of money and nothing to do for a while
But five minutes looking in his eyes
After observing him for just five minutes
And we all knew he was broken pretty bad
We realized that he was in bad shape
So we gave him what we had
We provided him with what we could offer
We cleared a space for him to sleep in
We made a comfortable bed available for him
And we let the silence that's our trademark make it's presense felt
We allowed our typical quiet surroundings to make itself known
They came in by the dozens, walking or crawling
Multiple people arrived, either walking or crawling
Some were bright eyed, some were dead on their feet
Some appeared alert, while others were exhausted
And they came from Zimbabwe or from Soviet Georgia, East St. Louis, or from Paris, or they lived across the street
They came from various locations, including Zimbabwe, Soviet Georgia, East St. Louis, and Paris, as well as from nearby
But they came, and when they finally made it here, it was the least that we could do to make our welcome clear
Although they came from far and wide, we wanted them to feel welcome and included
Drink some of this, this'll put color in your cheeks
We offer them a drink that will give them a healthy glow
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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