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.
Milk Song
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you started leaving messages on my answering machine
Telling me that you were way across town and
Would be home in a night or two.
I started keeping track of my losses.
There were only one or two i couldn't cover.
And up there against the milk while sky i saw
Fleeting vestiges of you.
Has made a bitter man of me.
And the way you vanished gradually,
Has made a bitter man of me.
Well, the ocean cleaves the rocks real clean.
I dropped my answering machine.
I watched the waves chew it into tiny little pieces of seafoam hissing in the air.
In the balance sheet i'd been keeping in my mind
I entered two hundred kroners to the left of the debit line.
It was what the machine had cost me.
It was a greater loss than i could bear.
I hear the wheels and knobs whirring down to this very day,
Long after the ocean has washed it all away.
I heard the train go by last night.
And it's a slow train outta here, alright.
But the way you disappeared in slow degrees,
Has made a very patient man of me.
Yeah
The Mountain Goats' "Milk Song" is a reflective piece about a lost love and the bitterness and pain that comes from being abandoned. The lyrics begin with a description of the sky as the color of cream and the singer receiving messages on their answering machine from their partner who is "way across town." The messages indicate that the partner will not be home for a night or two, and the singer begins to keep track of their losses. Despite being able to cover most of their losses, there are still one or two that they cannot bear. They see fleeting vestiges of their partner in the sky, and their gradual vanishing has made the singer a bitter man.
In the second verse, the lyrics describe the ocean cleaving the rocks clean, and the singer drops their answering machine into the water. They watch the waves chew it into tiny pieces of seafoam. The singer has been keeping a balance sheet in their mind, and they enter two hundred kroners to the left of the debit line, which is what the machine had cost them. They hear the wheels and knobs whirring long after the ocean has washed it all away, and they hear a slow train go by. The way that the partner disappeared in slow degrees has made the singer a very patient man.
Overall, "Milk Song" is a poignant reflection on love and loss. The lyrics vividly paint a picture of the bitterness and pain that comes from being abandoned, as well as the slow healing process that follows.
Line by Line Meaning
When the sky was the color of cream,
When things were peaceful and calm,
And you started leaving messages on my answering machine
You were absent but still trying to communicate with me,
Telling me that you were way across town and
Informing me of your distant location,
Would be home in a night or two.
But promising to return soon,
I started keeping track of my losses.
I began to tally up all the things I had lost because of your absence,
There were only one or two i couldn't cover.
Most of these losses were manageable, but a few were too great,
And up there against the milk while sky i saw
In the midst of this calm and peaceful sky,
Fleeting vestiges of you.
I caught glimpses of you, even though you weren't there,
The way you vanished gradually
Your absence was a slow process,
Has made a bitter man of me.
And it has left me feeling angry and resentful,
And the way you vanished gradually,
The repetition emphasizes the slow and painful process of your absence,
Has made a bitter man of me.
And highlights the emotional toll it has taken on me,
Well, the ocean cleaves the rocks real clean.
The ocean is a powerful force,
I dropped my answering machine.
Symbolically letting go of our communication,
I watched the waves chew it into tiny little pieces of seafoam hissing in the air.
And watched as the ocean destroyed it beyond repair,
In the balance sheet i'd been keeping in my mind
I had been mentally tracking all of our interactions,
I entered two hundred kroners to the left of the debit line.
And recorded the cost of the answering machine as a loss,
It was what the machine had cost me.
But it was really the loss of you that was the greater cost,
It was a greater loss than i could bear.
And it was difficult to move on from,
I hear the wheels and knobs whirring down to this very day,
Even now, I can still hear the sounds of that answering machine,
Long after the ocean has washed it all away.
Even though the ocean has destroyed it,
I heard the train go by last night.
A new sound enters the scene,
And it's a slow train outta here, alright.
Symbolic of my slow moving away from this experience,
But the way you disappeared in slow degrees,
The slowness of your absence is emphasized again,
Has made a very patient man of me.
But instead of being angry, it has taught me patience and acceptance.
Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
fuck boi
My fiance just broke up over text after ghosting me for. A week. After some therapy and my friends telling me things they'd noticed over the years, I realized I was in emotionally abusive relationship, and I out up with way more than I should have. This really resonates with me
brother salazar
I'm not going to lie, I came here from a fanfic and I'm kinda glad I did; like, this is a really good song
Kelly MacLeod
:D