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.
Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water Triumph Of
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please don't send me back to where I came from
Let me go
Where the white magnolias grow
They're gonna fit me for that orange jumpsuit
Please don't fit me for that orange jumpsuit
Let me ride
Yeah, but you're going to do what you want to do
No matter what I ask of you
You think you hold the high hand, I've got my doubts
I come from Chino, where the asphalt sprouts
Big bus headed southeast from the courthouse
But I'm not headed southeast from the courthouse
Let some mysterious chunk of space debris
Puncture the roof and set me free
And even if I have to go to Claremont
Well, I guess I'll just have to go to Claremont
Let me go
Let me lie low
Yeah, but you're going to do what you want to do
No matter what I ask of you
And you send your dark messengers to tempt me
I come from Chino, so all your threats are empty
The Mountain Goats' song Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water Triumph Of is an allegorical song about the struggles of life and the desire for freedom from societal constraints. The singer pleads with an external force not to send him back to where he came from and instead, let him go where the white magnolias grow and where the dragonflies glide. These lines signify the singer's longingness for a life that is peaceful and serene, away from the mundane and oppressive realities of everyday life.
The chorus of the song echoes the power dynamics between the singer and the external force, where the singer understands that they have little control over their fate, and the external force will do as they please. The singer comes from Chino, where the asphalt sprouts and the courthouse looms large, signifying the oppressive institutions that shape and restrict their life. Even though the bus is headed southeast from the courthouse, the singer is not headed in that direction. Instead, they want some mysterious chunk of space debris to puncture the roof and set them free.
The song is a commentary on the power dynamics that shape our society and how individuals struggle to find freedom against the oppressive structures that govern their lives. The desire for freedom is reflected through the references to nature and the image of the white magnolias and dragonflies. The song highlights the powerlessness of individuals in the face of institutions and the struggles they have to face to find their own place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
You're gonna send me back to where I came from
The singer is afraid of being sent back to a place they don't want to be.
Please don't send me back to where I came from
The singer is pleading for mercy and not to be sent back.
Let me go
The singer wants freedom.
Where the white magnolias grow
The artist wants to be taken to a peaceful place.
They're gonna fit me for that orange jumpsuit
The artist is afraid of being put in prison.
Please don't fit me for that orange jumpsuit
The singer is asking to not be put in prison.
Let me ride
The singer wants to be able to go where they please.
Where the dragonflies glide
The artist wants to be taken to a calm place with nature.
Yeah, but you're going to do what you want to do
The artist doesn't think their wishes will be respected.
No matter what I ask of you
The artist feels powerless.
You think you hold the high hand, I've got my doubts
The singer thinks the other person is too confident.
I come from Chino, where the asphalt sprouts
The artist comes from an oppressive place.
Big bus headed southeast from the courthouse
There is a bus leaving from the courthouse.
But I'm not headed southeast from the courthouse
The singer is not going where the bus is heading.
Let some mysterious chunk of space debris
The singer is hoping for some random event to save them.
Puncture the roof and set me free
The artist wants to be saved from their current situation.
And even if I have to go to Claremont
The artist is willing to go anywhere.
Well, I guess I'll just have to go to Claremont
The singer is accepting their fate.
Let me go
The singer wants freedom.
Let me lie low
The artist wants to hide and stay safe.
Yeah, but you're going to do what you want to do
The artist thinks their wishes will be disregarded.
No matter what I ask of you
The artist feels powerless.
And you send your dark messengers to tempt me
The singer is being threatened.
I come from Chino, so all your threats are empty
The artist knows how to deal with threats from being from a rough area.
Contributed by Aria O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emma W
Music to keep existing to
How To Meet Women
going to... keep going for now
Smith Henke
I am Loving the absolutely unhinged energy this has when compared to the album version
dwindlebunny
The Mountain Goats have a song for every mood (and I mean EVERY mood), so I have a song for every day. This is today's song.
Curvy
I adore this song's energy
TheObviousCircus
Possibly your best closing track!
Charlotte Way
the way he sings "let me go" at 1:28
Glorious Exceptionalism
Grateful for these voicings
desertroll
The music video in my head is an animation about a bus full of prisoners travelling parallel to a shipping truck with pigs heading to the slaughter.
Aditya Khanna
WHAT. I now need to relisten with this perspective