The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by… Read Full Bio ↴The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. The Mountain Goats are, for all practical purposes, the endlessly clever and prolific John Darnielle and whatever musicians he surrounds himself with, which means that while the soundscape may change from project to project, the overall tone and feel of Darnielle's work remains remarkably consistent. At his best, he writes finely observed, slightly surreal, impressionistic vignettes that manage to mix life as we live it with life as we wish we could live it, and as such he has more in common with a novelist than he does with the typical singer/songwriter, which is fitting, as he's also a published author. Darnielle's early Mountain Goats releases were lo-fi, cassette-recorded efforts cut with a rotating lineup of musicians, such as 1995's Nine Black Poppies and 2000's The Coroner's Gambit. By 2005's The Sunset Tree, his recordings had become cleaner and less cluttered, but his characters studies were just as vivid, and as the Mountain Goats finally cohered into a stable lineup (with Darnielle joined by Peter Hughes, Matt Douglas, and Jon Wurster), they recorded tuneful, thematically unified albums such as Beat the Champ (2015) and Goths (2017) that ranked with their finest work.
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.

Neon Orange Glimmer Song
The Mountain Goats Lyrics

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There's a capsicum pepper plant growing
Out in the backyard
There's a capsicum pepper plant growing
Out in the backyard

And I, I am a monster
I can't believe the thing I've done
I can't believe the thing I've done

There's a friend of mine living in Dallas
About a two days' drive from here
Got a friend of mine living in Dallas
And that's a two days' drive from here

And I, I am a monster
I can't believe the thing I've done
I can't believe the thing I've done

And there's a cold wind blowing
And there's a silver bell hanging
And there's a silver bell ringing

And I, I am a monster

I can't believe the thing I've done
I can't believe the thing I've done

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Mountain Goats' Neon Orange Glimmer Song are open to interpretation, but one way to interpret them is as follows: The song begins with the observation of a capsicum pepper plant growing in the backyard, which symbolizes growth and change. However, the singer confesses to being a monster who has done something terrible and cannot believe what they have done. This creates a sense of guilt and remorse, suggesting that the singer has done something they are not proud of and is struggling to come to terms with it.

The song then switches to the singer's friend who lives in Dallas, which is a two-day drive away, indicating that the two are physically separated. It is unclear what the significance of this is, but it could suggest a sense of distance or isolation. The song then returns to the capsicum pepper plant and the repetition of the phrase "I can't believe the thing I've done," indicating that the singer is still struggling with their guilt and the weight of their actions.

Throughout the song, there is a silver bell ringing and the mention of a cold wind blowing. These elements could be interpreted as symbolic of change and the passing of time, as well as a sense of foreboding.

Overall, The Mountain Goats' Neon Orange Glimmer Song is a poignant and introspective piece that explores themes of guilt, regret, and personal growth. The repeated refrain of "I can't believe the thing I've done" creates a powerful sense of emotional turmoil and highlights the struggles that come with personal growth and self-reflection.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a capsicum pepper plant growing
In the backyard, there is a plant that produces capsicum peppers

Out in the backyard
The plant is located in the backyard

And I, I am a monster
The singer feels like a monster

I can't believe the thing I've done
The artist has done something they regret and cannot believe they did it

There's a friend of mine living in Dallas
The artist's friend resides in Dallas, which is a two-day drive from their location

About a two days' drive from here
Dallas is located approximately two days away by driving

And there's a cold wind blowing
A chilly wind is blowing

And there's a silver bell hanging
A bell made of silver is hanging

And there's a silver bell ringing
The silver bell is making a ringing sound

Contributed by Elliot H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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