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.
Heights
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sand shifting underneath your feet
Softened for you, and incredibly, the sun went through from the sky
I was certain I was going to cry
Then you reached up and you reached out
We'd been staring at the water all day
And then you touched me, you were golden
When the sand crabs ran across your face, you didn't even twitch
And a soft scent came across the water, impossibly rich
Impossibly cold
We were just nineteen years old
And then you reached up, you reached out
We'd been staring at the water all day
And then you touched me, you were golden
You were giving the game away
The lyrics to "Heights" by The Mountain Goats describe a moment of transcendence and intimacy between two people, set against a backdrop of the ocean and the natural world. The singer describes being with a loved one on the beach, watching the sea and feeling overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment. As the sun shines down and the sand shifts beneath their feet, something shifts within the singer as well. They feel the urge to cry, moved to tears by the sheer magnitude of the experience.
Then, the loved one reaches out and touches them, and the moment becomes even more profound. The sudden physical connection between them feels like a revelation, as if everything they had been feeling beneath the surface was suddenly made tangible. The song hints at the complexities of the relationship between the two people, suggesting that they may be playing a game of some sort. But in this moment, that all falls away and they are simply two people in love, connected on a deep and meaningful level.
Overall, "Heights" is a song about the power of nature to bring people together and reveal deeper truths about themselves and their relationships. It's a beautiful and intimate portrayal of a fleeting moment in time that carries immense emotional weight.
Line by Line Meaning
When the seashells crumbled in your hand, you looked up at me
You were holding something fragile when you caught my gaze as it shattered.
And the sand shifting underneath your feet
The earth beneath us was moving, adapting to the ebb and flow of the tide.
Softened for you, and incredibly, the sun went through from the sky
The sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the beach in a surreal light to set a once in a lifetime atmosphere.
I was certain I was going to cry
My emotions overcame me and I nearly burst out in tears at the beauty of the moment.
Then you reached up and you reached out
You made an effort to show me the connection that we have in this moment.
We'd been staring at the water all day
Our eyes were fixated on the hypnotizing waves for the entirety of the day.
And then you touched me, you were golden
You touched me and your brilliance radiated a sense of purity, at this I realized you were truly special.
You were giving the game away
You were signaling to me that there was more to be discovered between us than what we already had.
When the sand crabs ran across your face, you didn't even twitch
Despite the abrasive and invasive contact of sand crabs, you remained completely at ease in our paradise.
And a soft scent came across the water, impossibly rich
The ocean was filled with a diverse mix of lively scents, so mild but nevertheless potent in its own right.
Impossibly cold
The water, while refreshing, still had a sting of frigidness that reminded us of our separation from this utopian land.
We were just nineteen years old
At this point in our lives we were still young adults with much of our time and experiences ahead to explore.
And then you reached up, you reached out
Your actions echoed with the same weight and significance as before, drawing myself closer to you.
We'd been staring at the water all day
Our fixation on the sea remained unbroken and we continued to lose ourselves in the exhilaration of the moment.
And then you touched me, you were golden
In spite of everything else going on around us, you and your touch was the only thing that held profound meaning in that moment.
You were giving the game away
You'd done it again, revealing to me a hint of what could be achieved between us.
Contributed by Asher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.