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.
Hebrews 11:40
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Witches hiding in the brambles, ground level down where the dry leaves
Blow and burn slowly
No ground is ever going to hold me
Bright candles in the manor
Where the curse takes hold
Bodies reassembling down where the worms crawl
It gets dark and then
I feel certain I am going to rise again
If not by faith, then by the sword
I'm going to be restored
Build fires to keep the beacon flashing where the earth lies flat
Blood calls to blood as the hours draw down, invent my own family if it comes to that
Hold them close, hold them near
Tell them no one's ever going to hurt them here
Steal the treasure and try to leave town
Fight my way back down
Don't want to hurt anyone
Probably going to have to before it's all done
Take to the hills, run away
I'm going to get my perfect body back someday
If not by faith, then by the sword
I'm going to be restored
The opening lines of 'Hebrews 11:40' evoke a sense of mystical occultism, with masks hanging on tomb walls where a coven grieves and witches hiding in the brambles. The imagery is sinister and unsettling, with the ground level down where the dry leaves blow and burn slowly, suggesting a place of decay and death. However, the singer insists that no ground is ever going to hold them, suggesting a determination to escape this place and rise above it.
The song then shifts to a manor where a curse takes hold and bodies are reassembling down where the worms crawl. This creates a sense of instability and resurrection, with the singer trying to make their own friends when the world's gone cold. It gets dark, but they feel certain that they are going to rise again, either by faith or by the sword. The song then enters a more hopeful phase, with the singer building fires to keep the beacon flashing where the earth lies flat. Blood calls to blood as the hours draw down, and they invent their own family if it comes to that. They hold them close and tell them no one's ever going to hurt them here. Despite the need to steal treasure and fight their way back down, the singer is determined to get their perfect body back someday, and they will be restored, by faith or by the sword.
Line by Line Meaning
Masks hanging on the tomb walls where the coven grieves
I see masks hanging on the walls of a tomb where a group of witches is mourning.
Witches hiding in the brambles, ground level down where the dry leaves
The witches are hiding in the bushes and the foliage is wilted and dried out.
Blow and burn slowly
The wind blows and it's a slow burn of people's emotions.
No ground is ever going to hold me
My will is strong and I won't be held back by any obstacle.
Bright candles in the manor
Where the curse takes hold
There are bright candles lit in a mansion where a curse is taking effect.
Bodies reassembling down where the worms crawl
Make your own friends when the world's gone cold
Dead bodies are coming back together where the worms crawl and it's up to us to create new relationships when the world feels cold.
It gets dark and then
I feel certain I am going to rise again
If not by faith, then by the sword
I'm going to be restored
When things get bad, I know I'll come out on top, even if I have to use force to get there.
Build fires to keep the beacon flashing where the earth lies flat
Blood calls to blood as the hours draw down, invent my own family if it comes to that
Hold them close, hold them near
Tell them no one's ever going to hurt them here
We need to build a signal to alert others where things are drier, and I'll create my own support system if necessary, providing protection and comfort.
Steal the treasure and try to leave town
Fight my way back down
Don't want to hurt anyone
Probably going to have to before it's all done
I'll steal something valuable and run away, but I'll still have to fight to get it back; I don't want to hurt anyone, but it's probably inevitable.
Take to the hills, run away
I'm going to get my perfect body back someday
If not by faith, then by the sword
I'm going to be restored
I'll run away and go into hiding, but my end goal is to get my perfect body through any means necessary.
Contributed by William V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jordan Frerichs
i always thought the lyric was "... if not by faith, then by the SOIL, I'm going to be restored...". I guess I was wrong. He clearly says "sword".
why chooose a user name ?
That would have been a beautiful and more scientifically accurate representation of what happens to us after death.
Cherry MX Blue Ochsenknecht
don't give up, skeleton!
TehCakeIzALie1
Dark Spirit ahead...
Casey Cox
man this guy never disappoints. fantastic song writer.
ilse
niv: "...since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."
Ceec
Trans rights
SuzieSloth
deuteronomy 210 is my favourite. i imagine he doesn't play it often- due to it being unbearably depressing haha
why chooose a user name ?
My grandfather is dying of a debilitating disease on another continent. We weren't close, neither was my mother - who will wishes she could visit him again and feels responsible. Even though it's unlikely, the "perfect body" in physical and emotional capacity is something I wish we could get back after death.
keixoun
that siren in the end is the icing of the cake...