White Cedar - the Mountain Goats video free download

Arthur Compton

This song is about John's time as a psychiatric orderly at Met State Hospital near Los Angeles. As he explained it, kind of like the hard drugs, it was just something that he unconsciously gravitated towards after high school because it involved contact with other abused and damaged people, a lot of whom bore similar involuntary childhood baggage to his own.I've never experienced the horror of psychosis in a locked ward, but you can feel his sympathy, his genuine understanding of what it means to fight with visions that "won't ever learn" while simultaneously holding on to the ultimate faith, call it Christianity or simple optimism, that they will eventually be "made a new creature", cured of their delusions and fear.The capstone line about being unable to tell somebody what their spirit says isn't true blurs the line between delusion and faith; when expressed in that context, what's the difference? It's about what the belief does for YOU, not it's externally perceived validity.

Morgan Howard

I love that small challenge you hear when he says "You can't tell me what my spirit tells me isn't true... Can you?"

Ron Carter Dealerships

Another tune from The Mountain Goats for you.

JonDiens

Actually John Darnielle said in an interview that he was a Catholic. A very critical one on religion, and very influenced, but he said he believes in Traditional Catholicism, routine and all.

WARRIORofHARDCORE

My new (don't pull) suicide song

IlaughedIcried

Oh my god, this song. I think it's broken my heart for today.

BoxRadishScissors

I read an interview from 2008ish in which John Darnielle describes his attitude toward religion as something like "I wish I could fully believe a religion, and I like the sense of community religious activities create, but I'm suspicious that there's nothing supernatural/there is no God." Maybe I'm not remembering it correctly...

12abirato

I love how his voice sounds when he says, "old fire." It just... I dunno. It doesn't really crack. It crackles? But what a great song. So beautiful and meaningful.

Deanchester16

this one's not about religion. it's about coping with long-term mental illness.

RandoMcMorrison

two perfectly placed snare hits. best TMG album in years.

Claire Baldwin

well, I'm weeping

KameronID

That is the best comparison probably. The best.

skivit

I've heard a lot of reason for liking a Mountain Goats song, but "It reminds me of MST3K" is by far the best.

cvantuss

So far this is my favorite song of this album. Everyone will probably have their own interpretation of this work of art, but to me it's about enlightenment. Coming to realize who and what you really are. There is no fear upon full realization.

Kari Mehr

Despite being a generally unemotional person, this song moves me to tears because of its simple beauty. It breaks my heart how simply and sincerely it describes my experience with my chronic pain.

coolpapabell22

Before the album came out, I heard a lot about Until I Am Whole as the high point of the album.... It's good, but this just blows it away in my mind. The whole arrangement is beautifully restrained. I'm also never sure what he means by "can you?" Is it defiant? despairing? Is he just realizing that what he's saying is true? It kills me every time....

Stephen FIsh

So far, my favorite song on the album. The horns on the instrumental breaks sort of remind me of the closing credits on MST3K. Very nostalgic.

George McLellan

Very cool song, heard it on National Radio this morning in NZ. Cheers

Until I Am Whole

Until I Am Whole - the Mountain Goats

Transcendental Youth

Transcendental Youth - the Mountain Goats

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Cry for Judas

Cry for Judas - the Mountain Goats