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.
Going to Kansas
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clouds bounced against the edges of the sky
You had the prettiest hair I'd ever seen
We watched the world passing by
There was an ocean's droning
Though we were nowhere near the shore
We heard each other giggling and moaning
When my head was resting on your breastbone
I could hear your beating heart
And 24 hours later, you had left me completely alone
I watched the whole world come apart
And you were all dressed in green
Rising in the sky was an unfamiliar star
And you know what I mean
I remember who you are
The Mountain Goats "Going to Kansas" is a song that emulates a sense of longing for some moments that have already passed. The song narrates an experience of two people meeting and spending time together. The lines "You were all dressed in green, clouds bounced against the edges of the sky" paint an image of a serene environment where nature takes on a huge part. The song goes on to describe the person with the 'prettiest hair' that the singer has ever seen, showing that they are enamoured with this person. They spend time together, hearing the ocean's droning even though they are nowhere near the shore. But in a moment where they are connecting meaningfully, the world around them slowly fades away as they can't even hear each other anymore.
The second part of the song describes the singer's state after the moment they had shared together. They say, "When my head was resting on your breastbone, I could hear your beating heart, and 24 hours later, you had left me completely alone, I watched the whole world come apart". The singer describes the warm feeling of being close to their partner, but then revealing that the partner had left them after 24 hours, leaving them alone and in despair. The lyrics "Rising in the sky was an unfamiliar star, and you know what I mean, I remember who you are" express a bittersweet nostalgia for that brief moment in time while also accepting that it's now beyond his reach.
Line by Line Meaning
You were all dressed in green
You were wearing green clothes
Clouds bounced against the edges of the sky
The clouds looked lively and active in the sky
You had the prettiest hair I'd ever seen
I found your hair to be the most beautiful I had ever seen
We watched the world passing by
We observed the world moving around us
There was an ocean's droning
We could hear the sound of the ocean waves even though we were far away from the shore
Though we were nowhere near the shore
Despite being far from the shore, we could still hear the sound of the waves
We heard each other giggling and moaning
We shared our laughter and joy together along with our sorrows and sufferings
Then we couldn't hear each other anymore
Eventually we grew apart and were unable to connect like we used to
When my head was resting on your breastbone
When I laid on your chest, I could hear your heart beating
I could hear your beating heart
I could hear the rhythmic sound of your heart
And 24 hours later, you had left me completely alone
Within a day, you had left me all alone
I watched the whole world come apart
I felt as if my world was falling apart
Rising in the sky was an unfamiliar star
There was a new and unfamiliar star in the sky
And you know what I mean
You know what I'm talking about
I remember who you are
I still remember who you are, even if we are no longer close
Contributed by Lucas Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.