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.
You or Your Memory
The Mountain Goats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stayed up late and wrecked this place
Woke up on the floor again
Cellphone stuck to the side of my face
Dead space on the other end
Perfect howl of emptiness
Cast my gaze around the room
Tape up the windows
Call in a favor from an old friend
Make some scratches on my floor
Crawl down on my hands and knees
In old movies people scream
Choking on their fists when they see shadows like these
But not one screams cuz it's just me
Locked up in myself
Never gonna get free
Something sacred something blue
Cannons in the harbor dawn
Crawled down here to dig for bones
One more season then I'm gone
Black drapes over the crosses
Call in a favor from an old friend
In "You or Your Memory," John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats is reflecting on the aftermath of a destructive binge. He begins with a visual of a paintbox, which could represent his emotions or his creative outlet. He paints a picture of staying up late and ruining things, eventually passing out on the floor with his cellphone stuck to his face. The phone’s “dead space” mirrors the emptiness he feels inside. As he surveys the damage the next morning, he realizes that he needs help to clean up this mess.
Darnielle then moves into a series of actions that seem to signify his attempt at coping. The song mentions taping windows, making scratches on the floor, and crawling around on all fours, as if looking for something. He references old movies where people scream at shadows, alluding to the idea that he might be afraid of something that isn’t actually dangerous. He seems to feel trapped within himself, not sure if he’ll ever be able to find a way out.
Overall, “You or Your Memory” is a powerful look at addiction and the destruction it can cause. Darnielle’s lyrics are raw and visceral, as he explores the aftermath of a destructive binge. Through his words, we can see the pain and loneliness that often go hand in hand with addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Got my paintbox out last night
I started painting last night
Stayed up late and wrecked this place
I stayed up late and made a mess of this room
Woke up on the floor again
I woke up on the floor after passing out
Cellphone stuck to the side of my face
I fell asleep with my phone glued to my face
Dead space on the other end
The other end of the phone was silent
Perfect howl of emptiness
The silence felt like a painful emptiness
Cast my gaze around the room
I looked around the messy room
Someone needs to clean up this mess
This mess needs to be cleaned up by someone
Tape up the windows
I covered the windows
Call in a favor from an old friend
I asked an old friend for help
Make some scratches on my floor
I made scratches on my floor
Crawl down on my hands and knees
I got down on my hands and knees
In old movies people scream
People in old movies scream
Choking on their fists when they see shadows like these
They scream and choke when they see shadows like the ones I'm seeing
But not one screams cuz it's just me
I'm not screaming, because no one else is here
Locked up in myself
I'm trapped within myself
Never gonna get free
I don't think I'll ever be free
Something sacred something blue
There's something sacred and blue
Cannons in the harbor dawn
I heard cannons in the harbor
Crawled down here to dig for bones
I crawled down here to search for something valuable
One more season then I'm gone
I'll be leaving after one more season
Black drapes over the crosses
There are black drapes over the crosses
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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GRANDIOSE _
this song used to make me snicker. but now it brings a tear to my eye.
Pele Siren
The mountain goats are the perfect soundtrack to my suicide or falling in love. I find my life in their songs so often it rattles my soul. There's a strange loop where by we cross the bridge of compassion to find ourselves dancing on the lips of a singer like angels on a pinhead. The path is littered with the fallen bodies of narcissists and pretenders...
Holly
Wow...very throught-provoking insight. Thanks for giving me something to think about.
Pretty Bad At Everything
I finally got tickets. And if I do make it there, to that room full of those people, knowing these things? I..
Polly
I hear you friend
Roaa Alalwany
awesome. why are they so under-appreciated?
KnarfKcaz
Love this album!
Skates 35
Am I the only one that thinks the tree on the cover of The Sunset Tree kind of looks like a heart?
Jacob Morris
You're not anymore. I can't unsee it now
piemanpie2424
Skates 35 yeah, no, now that you mention it? Totally a heart.