The Mountain Goats

[fox69]

"Hebrews 11:40"

"Hebrews 11:40"



Masks hanging on the tomb walls where the coven grieves
Witches hiding in the brambles, ground level down where the dry leaves
Blow and burn slowly
No ground is ever going to hold me

Bright candles in the manor
Where the curse takes hold
Bodies reassembling down where the worms crawl
Make your own friends when the world's gone cold

It gets dark and then
I feel certain I am going to rise again
If not by faith, then by the sword
I'm going to be restored

Build fires to keep the beacon flashing where the earth lies flat
Blood calls to blood as the hours draw down, invent my own family if it comes to that
Hold them close, hold them near
Tell them no one's ever going to hurt them here

Steal the treasure and try to leave town
Fight my way back down
Don't want to hurt anyone
Probably going to have to before it's all done

Take to the hills, run away
I'm going to get my perfect body back someday
If not by faith, then by the sword
I'm going to be restored

 

[fox69]

"Heel Turn 2"

"Heel Turn 2"



Get stomped like a snake
Lie down in the dirt
Cling to my convictions
Even when I get hurt

Be an upstanding, well-loved man
About town
In your child’s mind that’s
How it goes down
But I try the losing side

I don’t want to die in here
I don’t want to die in here

Drift down into the new dark light
Without any reservations
You found my breaking point
Congratulations

Spend too much of my life
Now trying to play fair
Throw my better self overboard
Shoot at him when he comes up for air
Come unhinged
Get revenge

I don’t want to die in here
I don’t want to die in here

Stay good under pressure
For years and years and years
President of the fan club
Up there choking on his tears

Let all the trash rain down
From way up in the rafters
I’m walking out of here in one piece
Don’t care what comes after
Drive the wedge
Torch the bridge

I don’t want to die in here
I don’t want to die in here

 

[fox69]

"Heights"

"Heights"



When the seashells crumbled in your hand, you looked up at me
And the sand shifting underneath your feet
Softened for you, and incredibly, the sun went through from the sky
I was certain I was going to cry

Then you reached up and you reached out
We'd been staring at the water all day
And then you touched me, you were golden
You were giving the game away

When the sand crabs ran across your face, you didn't even twitch
And a soft scent came across the water, impossibly rich
Impossibly cold
We were just nineteen years old

And then you reached up, you reached out
We'd been staring at the water all day
And then you touched me, you were golden
You were giving the game away

 

[fox69]

"Hellhound On My Trail"
(originally by Robert Johnson)

"Hellhound On My Trail"
(originally by Robert Johnson)



Gotta keep moving, gotta keep moving
Blues falling down like hail
Gotta keep moving
Blues falling down like hail

And the daylight keeps moving
There's a hellhound on my trail

If today were Christmas eve
And tomorrow Christmas day
And if today were Christmas eve
And tomorrow were Christmas day

All I would need is my little rider
And the world would fade away

Gotta keep moving, gotta keep moving
Blues falling down like hail
Gotta keep moving
Blues falling down like hail

And the daylight keeps ta worryin' me
There's a hellhound on my trail

 

[fox69]

"Hello There Howard"

"Hello There Howard"



the guy on my right is new
and he says he feels kinda sad and his hands are cold
and he refuses the dice
so I pick 'em up myself.
I let 'em roll.

and the little white spots gleam like stars
and the guy on my right gets a look at the stickman
and he begins to sense where it is that we are
and the table's hot
but so am I
and I grab the bones and I let 'em fly.
so come 2 come 3 come 4 come 5 come 6 come 7 come 9
it doesn't matter to me now
'cause I've got all kinds of time.

 

[fox69]

"Hello, Old Rabbit"

"Hello, Old Rabbit"



I saw the long row of blue bells.
I saw the fox glove and the night shade.
I saw the cool garden and i though a while about
How i'd been waiting for you since the second grade.
The flowers made the air boil.
The boiling air made me think of you a while.
I did not come here to suffer.
I did not come here to suffer.

I heard the ducks all quacking.
I saw the sunshine on the lake.
I saw you standing near the water
And wondered how long i'd be paying for one dumb mistake.
The sight of you was really something else.
But i don't know what that something else was.
I did not come here to suffer.
I did not come here to suffer

 

[fox69]

"Heretic Pride"

"Heretic Pride"



Well, they come and pull me from my house
And they drag my body through the streets
And the sun's so hot I think I'll catch fire and burn up
In the summer air so moist and sweet

And the people all come out to cheer
Rocks in the pathway break my skin
And there's honeysuckle on the faint breeze today
With every breath I'm drawing in

I want to cry out
But I don't scream and I don't shout
And I feel so proud to be alive
And I feel so proud when the reckoning arrives

The crowds grow denser by the second
As we near the center of the town
And they dig a trench right in the main square right there
And they pick me up and throw me down

And I start laughing like a child
And I mark their faces one by one
Transfiguration's going to come for me at last
And I will burn hotter than the sun

I waited so long
And now I taste jasmine on my tongue
And I feel so proud to be alive
And I feel so proud when the reckoning arrives

 

[fox69]

"High Hawk Season"

"High Hawk Season"



I heard the wings beat on the wind tonight
As the heat stole power from the darkening light
I saw the streets fill up with people that I knew
People who look like you

Rise if you're sleeping, stay awake
We are young supernovas and the heat's about to break

Drift through the streets, walk between the cars
Newborn sons and daughters spat forth from distant stars
The summer will reveal itself to those whose hearts are true
And to the faithless few

Rise if you're sleeping, stay awake
We are young supernovas and the heat's about to break
Who will rise and who will sink?
Who's going to stand his ground and who's going to blink?

Surge forward from Van Cortlandt Park like frightened sheep
Spirit throngs that hoist us high, three-thousand warriors deep
Spray our dreams on any surface where the paint will stick
Try to time the rhythm, listen for the click

Rise if you're sleeping, stay awake
We are young supernovas and the heat's about to break

 

[fox69]

"Historiography"

"Historiography"



There was rain, there was wind
There was spring coming in
There was a feeling of approaching doom
I was happy to see you

It was cold in your room and you were warm
And that's all I remember
And your arms were warm
And that's all I remember

Later on, near morning
We were talking about nothing
A little rain, a little wind
Quiet cold, cold air coming in

And you were warm
And that's all I remember
And your arms were warm
And that's all I remember

And your eyes were pretty
And that's all I remember
And your hands were soft
And that's all I remember

And the hall was well-lit as I walked down it
And that's all I remember
And the rain was light and it felt soft on my face
And that's all I remember

And the car was quiet inside
And that's all I remember
And it was dark but the sunlight was coming
And that's all I remember

 

[fox69]

"Home Again Garden Grove"

"Home Again Garden Grove"



Wipe down the windshields and roll down the windows
Let's go where the jackals are breeding
Wrap this bandanna around your head
Don't let anyone see that you're bleeding

Fire up the scanner and keep your eyes on it
Don't speak unless someone speaks to you
Hands in your pockets and sun on your face
The warm love of God coursing through you

Home again
Home again
Garden Grove
Garden Grove

I can remember when we were in high school
Our dreams were like fugitive warlords
Plotting triumphant returns to the city
Keeping Tec-9's tucked under the floorboards

Now we are practical men of the world
We tether our dreams to the turf
And cruise down these alleys for honey to feed them
Jellyfish riding the surf

Shoving our heads straight into the guts of the stove
Home again
Garden Grove
Garden Grove