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.
Don't Take the Dogs Away
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't take that dog away from me.
Don't take the dogs away.
Don't take the dogs away from me.
You do this every time.
You do this every time i swear.
You do this every time.
Just look around.
Just look around the house we're in.
What should i say to you?
Where do you want me to begin?
Don't take the dogs away.
Don't take the dogs away from me.
Don't take the dogs away.
Don't take the dogs away from me.
The lyrics in The Mountain Goats' Don't Take the Dogs Away seem to be a plea to someone not to take the singer's dogs away from them. The repetition of the phrase "Don't take the dogs away from me" makes it clear that this is a root fear for the singer. The line "You do this every time I swear" suggests that this is not the first instance of the threat of losing the dogs. The final lines of the song, "Just look around the house we're in. What should I say to you? Where do you want me to begin?" create a sense of frustration and desperation for the singer. It seems like they have no argument left that will convince the other person to let them keep the dogs.
The song's repetition of "Don't take the dogs away" is both a plea and an accusation. The singer is begging the other person not to take the dogs, but also suggesting that this person has a history of threatening to take things away from them. The ambiguity of the situation is haunting; we are left unsure of why the dogs might be taken away, and who has the power to make it happen. The final lines, which contain nothing but questions, create a sense of confusion and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't take the dogs away.
Please don't separate me from my dogs.
Don't take that dog away from me.
I am attached to that specific dog, please don't take it away.
You do this every time.
Taking the dogs away from me is becoming a frequent occurrence.
You do this every time i swear.
I promise, you take the dogs away from me all the time.
You do this every time.
Taking the dogs away from me is becoming a frequent occurrence.
You do this every time i learned.
I finally learned that you take the dogs away from me often.
Just look around.
Take a look at our home and the dogs that live with us.
Just look around the house we're in.
Observe the environment we share with our dogs.
What should i say to you?
I'm not sure what words I can use to make you understand how important the dogs are to me.
Where do you want me to begin?
There are too many reasons to list why the dogs are important to me, where should I start explaining?
Don't take the dogs away.
Please don't separate me from my dogs.
Don't take the dogs away from me.
Taking the dogs away from me would cause significant distress.
Don't take the dogs away.
Please don't separate me from my dogs.
Don't take the dogs away from me.
Taking the dogs away from me would be detrimental to my well-being.
Contributed by Jason M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@NecroGuy360
I still miss you, Xach.
@zopilote_4000
:')