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.
Game Shows Touch Our Lives
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That stuff tastes like medicine
But I'll take it
It'll do
On the couch in the living room all day long
Music on the television playing our song
And I'm in the mood
Turn the volume up real high
All of that money, look at it fly
And you smoking
Like a chimney
Shadows crawled across the living room's length
I held onto you with a desperate strength
With everything
With everything in me
And I handed you a drink of the lovely little thing
On which our survival depends
People say friends don't destroy one another
What do they know about friends?
Thunderclouds forming, cream white moon
Everything's going to be okay soon
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe the next day
Carried you up the stairs that night
All of this could be yours if the price is right
I heard cars headed down to oblivion
Up on the expressway
Your drunken kisses, as light as the air
Maybe everything that falls down eventually rises
Our house sinking into disrepair
Ah, but look at this showroom filled with fabulous prizes
The lyrics of The Mountain Goats’ song Game Shows Touch Our Lives are infused with a sense of despair and desperation. The singer of the song spends the day locked up in the living room, drinking Hood River gin, smoking, and watching game shows on TV. The song touches on the theme of materialism, as the contestant on the game show seems to care only about the fabulous prizes she could win. The singer is lost in his thoughts, thinking about the fragility of human relationships, as he hands the drink of the “lovely little thing on which our survival depends” to his partner. The shadow across the living room’s length reflects the darkness and anxiety that the singer is experiencing. He holds onto his partner with a desperate strength, aware that their relationship could end any moment.
The lyrics of the song are open to interpretation, allowing for multiple meanings. It can be seen as a commentary on the superficiality of game shows, or on the struggles of living a mundane life. Alternatively, it could be a reflection on the fragility of human relationships, and the fear of losing the ones we love. Overall, the song is a poignant reflection of the human condition, and the desperate measures people take to keep their hopes alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Dug up a fifth of Hood River gin
I found some gin and it tastes really bad like medicine but I'll take it anyway.
On the couch in the living room all day long
We're sitting on the couch in the living room all day long.
Music on the television playing our song
There is music playing on the television and it's our favorite song.
And I'm in the mood
I feel like doing something.
The mood for you
I want to do something with you.
Turn the volume up real high
Let's turn up the volume really high.
All of that money, look at it fly
There is money on the game show that is flying around.
And you smoking
You are smoking a cigarette.
Like a chimney
You are smoking a lot like a chimney.
Shadows crawled across the living room's length
The shadows are moving across the living room.
I held onto you with a desperate strength
I'm holding onto you with all my strength.
With everything
I am giving it my all.
With everything in me
I am giving it my all and using everything I have.
And I handed you a drink of the lovely little thing
I gave you a drink of something that is good for us and helps us survive.
On which our survival depends
We need this drink to survive.
People say friends don't destroy one another
People say that friends don't hurt each other.
What do they know about friends?
They don't know anything about friends.
Thunderclouds forming, cream white moon
It is a stormy night with clouds forming and a white moon in the sky.
Everything's going to be okay soon
Everything will be okay soon.
Maybe tomorrow
Maybe tomorrow things will be better.
Maybe the next day
Maybe the day after tomorrow things will be better.
Carried you up the stairs that night
I carried you up the stairs that night.
All of this could be yours if the price is right
We could win all of this on the game show if we guess the right price.
I heard cars headed down to oblivion
I can hear cars on the expressway heading towards something terrible and unknown.
Up on the expressway
The cars are on the highway.
Your drunken kisses, as light as the air
Your kisses are light and airy, and you're drunk when you're giving them to me.
Maybe everything that falls down eventually rises
Maybe everything that falls down eventually comes back up.
Our house sinking into disrepair
Our house is becoming old and worn out.
Ah, but look at this showroom filled with fabulous prizes
But look at this game show where we can win fabulous prizes.
Contributed by Brooklyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.