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.
Raja Vocative
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but it was useless to see it without you around.
and in the unstoppable camera of my mind's eye,
i saw you and some foreign guy.
and i could hear you voice ringing.
and i could hear you singing.
from all the way across the country in palm springs,
your laughter tore through the new jersey night,
and i can't stand it, but i'm alright.
stood out on the balcony and i took a look around
and a bird you would've loved the sight of
brought the sky down.
and i can hear you voice ringing.
and i can hear you singing.
from all the way across the country in palm springs,
i can hear you now.
The lyrics of "Raja Vocative" by The Mountain Goats explore the ideas of distance and heartbreak. The singer is clearly missing someone, and while they attempt to reconstruct memories and make sense of them, there is a constant longing for this absent person. The lyrics in the first verse describe a bird that was able to bring the sky down, but without the person they miss around to witness it, it becomes futile. This leads to memories in the singer's mind's eye, where they picture this person with another man in a foreign land, highlighting the pain of separation.
The chorus is an attempt to hold on to the memories of the person they miss. The ringing voice and singing that they hear represent the strength of the connection that still exists despite the physical distance between them. The second verse takes place in a new setting – New Jersey. It describes how the singer can't stand the sound of their loved one's laughter, yet they are still okay. The mention of a bird is symbolic of the natural world and its ability to bring beauty and awe, even in midst of heartbreak.
Overall, "Raja Vocative" is a melancholic song that explores the complex emotions that come with separation and heartbreak. It touches upon how memories can become distorted by distance and how the hopelessness can be all consuming.
Line by Line Meaning
a bird you would've liked brought the sky down,
Something impressive happened, but it's not the same without you here to share it with me.
but it was useless to see it without you around.
Experiencing something great without you is pointless.
and in the unstoppable camera of my mind's eye,
In my memory, I saw something that wouldn't go away.
i saw you and some foreign guy.
In my memory, you were with someone else.
and i could hear you voice ringing.
I could remember the sound of your voice clearly.
and i could hear you singing.
I could remember the sound of you singing clearly.
from all the way across the country in palm springs,
Even though you were far away in Palm Springs,
i can hear you now.
I can still hear your voice and remember your presence.
your laughter tore through the new jersey night,
I could hear your laughter clearly, even though you were far away in New Jersey.
and i can't stand it, but i'm alright.
Hearing your laughter hurts, but I'm okay.
stood out on the balcony and i took a look around
I went outside to try to distract myself.
and a bird you would've loved the sight of
I saw a bird that I knew you would have enjoyed seeing.
brought the sky down.
It was a spectacular sight that impressed me, but it's not the same without you here to share it with me.
Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.