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.
Snow Song
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go by like snails
And ice crystals shine
On the staircase's handrails
The quiet air
Is worth some discussion
As the windows crack
They've shut down the roads to the coast.
There's white streets as far as the eye can see
And I'd just as soon
Make you disappear as look at you
But I draw you close to me.
How do you feel about that?
How do you feel about that?
The lyrics to "Snow Song" by The Mountain Goats paint a dreary picture of a cold, desolate landscape. The imagery of cars moving "like snails" and the shine of ice crystals on handrails evoke a sense of slow-moving doom. The quiet air is notable enough to warrant discussion as the windows crack and the cold becomes crushing. There is a sense of foreboding in the singer's mention of the roads being shut down and the white streets stretching as far as the eye can see.
Yet in the midst of this bleakness, there is an intimacy between the two people in the song. The singer admits to feeling equally ambivalent about making the other person disappear or pulling them close. The repeated refrain of "How do you feel about that?" highlights the fraught nature of their relationship. The snow and cold could be interpreted as a metaphor for the distance between them, or perhaps a barrier that they are trying to overcome.
Line by Line Meaning
What cars there are
There are hardly any cars around
Go by like snails
The few cars that are around are moving very slowly
And ice crystals shine
The cold weather has caused ice to form on the staircase's handrails
On the staircase's handrails
The specific location of the ice crystals is on the handrails of the staircase
The quiet air
It is very quiet outside
Is worth some discussion
The quietness outside is notable and worth mentioning
As the windows crack
The cold weather is causing the windows to crack
And the cold is crushing
The cold weather is oppressive and overwhelming
They've shut down the roads to the coast.
The roads leading to the coast have been closed off
There's white streets as far as the eye can see
Everywhere, as far as one can see, is covered in white snow
And I'd just as soon
I would prefer
Make you disappear as look at you
I don't want to see or be around you, and would prefer if you disappeared from sight
But I draw you close to me
Despite my feelings, I pull you in closer to me
How do you feel about that?
I am asking for your thoughts or feelings on the situation
How do you feel about that?
I am asking again for your thoughts or feelings on the situation
Contributed by William N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
OhGoditsJoshua
The two best lines in this song; "The dice were loaded against the two of us ever seeing each other, but one of us had no where else to go." and "In your eyes were all the colors that the rainbow forgot." Chills every time.
Supreme Victory Duck
People probably looked for this song because they heard it in a movie/series.
Probably they already followed the person who made this.
But I found it by just typing my favourite animals song (Snow owl song). And I simply love that I found it by random machinations of chance, I'm cherishing this song forever.
Cryosthesia 77K
Yo, same lol. Looked up Snow Owl Songs, saw it was made 12 years ago, and decided to listen, now cherishing it.
TheQuinnNash
As a lover of John and the Mountain Goats, as well as a bird lover, this song chills me to the bone.....while also making me feel refreshed and content in its aftermath.
OutlawGrrl
I've tried so many times to write a comment describing how this song makes me feel and I can never do it justice. Simply beautiful!
Micheal Valdros
I often find comfort in watching random wild birds when I'm struggling. Not like, actively bird watching or anything, just taking great interest in random sparrows that I happen to notice in parking lots and things like that. This song encapsulates my feelings perfectly
blithium
Oh god. . .that harmonica work near the end. . .simply beautiful.
William May
I was lucky to enough to hear this played live, apparently for the first time ever, at the Harvester in Rocky Mount, VA in December 2017. Amazing song.
Anthony Perez
Its been awhile since i have gotten chills listening to a song, but John made that possible :)
Daisy Wanderlust
one of those songs that just... feel so comfy. this is up there with love love love for me