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.
Prana Ferox
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To check up on the sour mash
I looked down to the nonreactive ceramic tub
It was bubbling
I had stirred up the dust on the stairs coming down
I saw the dust devils swarming around
Incoming sunbeams cut them apart
You were upstairs in the kitchen
With your head against the sink
Trying to cool down
Trying to cool down
I know you don't believe me but I could hear you breathing
I looked into the tub and there the mixture was seething
With new life, new life all around
I had stirred up the dust on the stairs coming down
You were upstairs in the kitchen
With your head against the sink
Trying to cool down
Trying to cool down
The lyrics of The Mountain Goats’s song Prana Ferox paint a vivid picture of a scene in a house where the singer is checking on his sour mash brew in the basement. The ceramic tub is bubbling, and he observes the dust devils as incoming sunbeams cut them apart. Although the scene may initially appear mundane, the lyrics display the ability of the singer to find meaning in the small details. The shadow passing across the singer’s heart emphasizes the feeling of loneliness and possibly even existential dread that he may be experiencing. Meanwhile, the second stanza shifts focus to the subject of the singer’s affection, who is upstairs in the kitchen, trying to cool down by placing their head against the sink. The singer observes sounds that others may have overlooked, hearing the breathing of their companion. The lyrics of the song suggest that the singer is someone who is deeply thoughtful, someone who is able to find profound meaning in the little details of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I went down to the basement
The singer went to the basement
To check up on the sour mash
He went there to inspect the sour mash he had prepared previously
I looked down to the nonreactive ceramic tub
He saw a ceramic tub placed on the ground
It was bubbling
The contents of the tub were boiling or fermenting
I had stirred up the dust on the stairs coming down
The singer had stirred up the dust while coming down the stairs
I saw the dust devils swarming around
He saw dust devils occurring around him
Incoming sunbeams cut them apart
The sunbeams separating the dust devils
And I watched a shadow pass across my heart
He witnessed a shadow passing over his heart
You were upstairs in the kitchen
Someone was in the kitchen upstairs
With your head against the sink
The person had their head against the sink
Trying to cool down
They were attempting to reduce their body temperature
Trying to cool down
Reiterating their attempt to cool down
I know you don't believe me but I could hear you breathing
He claims to have heard the person breathing
I looked into the tub and there the mixture was seething
He looked at the tub again and saw the mixture boiling furiously
With new life, new life all around
There was fresh activity in the mixture
I had stirred up the dust on the stairs coming down
Reiterating his actions while coming down the stairs
You were upstairs in the kitchen
Someone was still upstairs in the kitchen
With your head against the sink
The same person had their head against the sink
Trying to cool down
Reiterating their intention to cool down
Trying to cool down
Reiterating their intention to cool down
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.