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.
Harlem Roulette
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Steam pushing up in billows through the grates
Frankie Lymon's tracking "Seabreeze" in a studio in Harlem
Its 1968.
Just a pair of tunes to hammer out.
Everybody's off the clock by 10:00.
The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.
Feels so free when I hit the avenue.
Nothing like a New York summer night.
Every dream's a good dream,
Even awful dreams are good dreams,
If you're doing it right.
Remember soaring higher than a cloud.
Get pretty sentimental now and then.
The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.
And four hours north of Portland, a radio flips on.
And some no one from the future remembers that you're gone.
Armies massing in the dusky distance.
Ghosted in the ribbon microphone.
Leave a little mark on something, maybe,
Take the secret circuit home.
Nothing in the shadows but the shadow hands.
Reaching out to sad, young, frightened men.
The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.
Yeah, the loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.
The lyrics of "Harlem Roulette" by The Mountain Goats seem to narrate two stories, seemingly unrelated, yet with an underlying theme of loneliness and the passage of time.
The first verse describes the bustling city of Harlem, with its unknown engines pushing steam through the grates. We are transported to a recording studio in 1968 where Frankie Lymon is tracking "Seabreeze," with a pair of tunes to record before everyone's off the clock by 10:00. The song paints a picture of a time when music was made and stored on physical mediums like tapes and when artists had a set time deadline in the studio.
The second verse shifts the focus to the singer reminiscing about a New York summer night and how every dream seems good when you're doing it right. We are then transported to a memory where the singer once soared higher than a cloud, feeling sentimental for a moment before the lyrics take a hairpin turn and reference the loneliest people in the world being those you'll never see again.
The chorus, repeated twice, brings the theme into perspective. The passage of time allows for a greater sense of isolation, which is exacerbated by the advent of technology that archives people's lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Unknown engines underneath the city
Beneath the city, there are engines that remain unknown
Steam pushing up in billows through the grates
Steam is emerging through the grates, forming billows
Frankie Lymon's tracking "Seabreeze" in a studio in Harlem
Frankie Lymon is recording the song 'Seabreeze' in a Harlem studio
Its 1968. Just a pair of tunes to hammer out. Everybody's off the clock by 10:00.
The year is 1968, and there are only a couple of songs left to record. Everyone is off work by 10 pm.
The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.
The loneliest people are those who you will never see again.
Feels so free when I hit the avenue.
I feel liberated when I step out onto the avenue.
Nothing like a New York summer night.
New York summer nights are incomparable.
Every dream's a good dream, Even awful dreams are good dreams, If you're doing it right.
Every dream is considered good, even the bad ones, if you're living right.
Remember soaring higher than a cloud. Get pretty sentimental now and then.
I recall feeling like I was soaring above the clouds. I get sentimental at times when I remember this.
And four hours north of Portland, a radio flips on. And some no one from the future remembers that you're gone.
In a location four hours north of Portland, a radio turns on, and someone from the future won't recall that you've passed away.
Armies massing in the dusky distance. Ghosted in the ribbon microphone.
There are armies in the far-off, dark distance. They are faintly captured in the ribbon microphone.
Leave a little mark on something, maybe. Take the secret circuit home.
Perhaps leave a small mark on something before departing. Take the secret way home.
Nothing in the shadows but the shadow hands. Reaching out to sad, young, frightened men.
Only shadow hands found in the shadows, extending towards melancholy, young, and scared men.
Yeah, the loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.
The loneliest people are those who you will never see again.
Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.