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.
Have to Explode
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Checkerboard white and gray
Towels from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Kingston, Jamaica
I can still see the rust colored stains today
The stage is set, someone's going to do something someone else will regret
I speak in smoke signals and you answer in code
The fuse will have to run out sometime
You and me lying on the tile floor, trying to keep cool, restless all night
Sweating out the poison as the temperature climbs
Staring up, up at the hundred-watt light that burns above
Name one thing about us two anyone could love
We roll out the red carpet when rotten luck comes down the road
Five, four, three, two, one, watch for the flash
Something here will eventually have to explode
Have to explode
The Mountain Goats' song "Have to Explode" portrays a relationship on the brink of collapsing. The use of vivid details in the first verse, like the clean white and grey tiles, and the Ritz-Carlton towels stained with rust, set the stage for a space that wants to appear polished and put-together but is, in reality, decaying. The second verse features a sense of impending doom, as the singer speaks in smoke signals and the other person responds in code, indicating a lack of communication and understanding between the two. The phrase "the fuse will have to run out sometime" is a metaphor for this breakdown that is bound to happen. The repetition of the line "something here will eventually have to explode" emphasizes the inevitability of the situation.
The third verse describes the physical discomfort the couple is experiencing in their un-airconditioned living quarters, and the accompanying emotional distress they are feeling. The rhetorical question "Name one thing about us two anyone could love" underscores the singer's insecurity about the relationship's sustainability. Finally, the last verse shows their tendency to put up a facade of grandeur when things aren't going well ("we roll out the red carpet when rotten luck comes down the road"), and relays a sense of imminent danger ("watch for the flash").
Line by Line Meaning
Tile floor of the bathroom, scrubbed clean and bright
The setting of the song is a clean bathroom with a bright white and gray tile floor.
Checkerboard white and gray
The tile floor is described as having a checkerboard pattern with alternating white and gray squares.
Towels from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Kingston, Jamaica
The singer remembers using towels from a fancy hotel in Jamaica, but they still couldn't clean the stains in the bathroom.
I can still see the rust colored stains today
The stains on the tile floor still haunt the artist to this day, despite their best efforts to clean them.
The stage is set, someone's going to do something someone else will regret
The artist feels like a conflict is brewing and one person is likely to do something that will make the other person regret it later.
I speak in smoke signals and you answer in code
The communication between the singer and the other person is not straightforward, with the singer using metaphorical language and the other person being more cryptic in their responses.
The fuse will have to run out sometime
The tension between the singer and the other person can only build for so long before something has to give.
Something here will eventually have to explode, have to explode
The conflicts and tension between the artist and the other person will eventually come to a head, with explosive consequences.
You and me lying on the tile floor, trying to keep cool, restless all night
The artist and the other person are lying on the bathroom floor, trying to deal with the heat and their own restlessness.
Sweating out the poison as the temperature climbs
The oppressive heat is making the artist and the other person feel sick and helpless, like they are trying to sweat out the poison from their bodies.
Staring up, up at the hundred-watt light that burns above
The bright light overhead is a constant reminder of the heat and the tension in the room.
Name one thing about us two anyone could love
The artist is feeling hopeless and wonders if there is anything about themselves or their relationship that is lovable to others.
We roll out the red carpet when rotten luck comes down the road
Despite their troubles, the singer and the other person try to put on a good show when things go wrong, pretending like they are rolling out the red carpet for their misfortune.
Five, four, three, two, one, watch for the flash
The countdown to a potential explosion continues, with the singer bracing for impact.
Something here will eventually have to explode
The inevitability of conflict and resolution hangs over the entire song.
Have to explode
The explosive confrontation between the artist and the other person is the only way to resolve the tension and conflicts between them.
Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.