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.
Horseradish Road
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes out muffled when they speak
The way we take our diminishing inventories
Month to month and week to week
The Maria Callas record's
On the stereo all the time
You're gonna get yours
'Cause in this car, in this car
Somebody's bound to get burned
I know, I know
'Cause I've been watching the road turn
The enigma variations
On the radio
The things that I could guess at
The things that I already know
And the twelve thousand dollars
That turned up in your purse
You've done something awful
I've done something worse
And in this car, in this car
Somebody's bound to get burned
I know, I know
'Cause I've been watching the road turn
The lyrics in The Mountain Goats's song Horseradish Road paint a picture of two people in a car, traveling down a road with an uncertain destination. The muffled voices of the passengers suggest a lack of clarity or understanding, perhaps reflecting the confusion and uncertainty of their journey. The reference to taking "diminishing inventories" month to month and week to week further emphasizes the sense of instability and precariousness.
The Maria Callas record on the stereo could be interpreted in various ways – perhaps it is a source of comfort, or maybe it is a reminder of a better, more stable time. The line "you're gonna get yours and I'm gonna get mine" seems to suggest a sense of fatalism or inevitability, as if they are resigned to their fate.
The reference to the enigma variations on the radio and the things that the singer could guess at or already knows hint at some sort of mystery or hidden truths. The mention of the twelve thousand dollars turning up in someone's purse and the acknowledgement that both parties have done something wrong adds to this sense of secrecy and deceit.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a journey without a clear destination, with both passengers carrying their own secrets and burdens. The repeated refrain of "somebody's bound to get burned" reinforces the idea that there will be consequences and perhaps even destruction as a result of their journey.
Line by Line Meaning
The way that everybody's voice
Comes out muffled when they speak
Everyone's voice sounds unclear when they talk
The way we take our diminishing inventories
Month to month and week to week
We manage our dwindling supplies on a monthly and weekly basis
The Maria Callas record's
On the stereo all the time
We constantly play Maria Callas' record on the stereo
You're gonna get yours
And I'm gonna get mine
We'll each face our own consequences
'Cause in this car, in this car
Somebody's bound to get burned
Someone is bound to suffer in this situation
I know, I know
'Cause I've been watching the road turn
I have a feeling something bad will happen because of the way things are going
The enigma variations
On the radio
The Enigma Variations are playing on the radio
The things that I could guess at
The things that I already know
I can make educated guesses and already know some things
And the twelve thousand dollars
That turned up in your purse
You have 12,000 dollars in your purse
You've done something awful
I've done something worse
You did something bad, but I did something even worse
And in this car, in this car
Somebody's bound to get burned
Someone is bound to suffer in this situation
I know, I know
'Cause I've been watching the road turn
I have a feeling something bad will happen because of the way things are going
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.