| In the Shadow of the Western Hills | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Album |
Steal Smoked Fish |
|
Released |
2012 |
|
Artist |
the Mountain Goats |
|
Length |
2:35 |
|
Previous Track |
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In the Shadow of the Western Hills is the second track from the Steal Smoked Fish single.
Lyrics
Spread out the old maps on the floor Plot the course of the infection Trace from its beginnings to the present Is there no one here who's making this connection Feral cats out by the trash cans To the true believer everything's a sign Scrape the pigments from the baseboards In the shadow of the western hills And paint my vision on my body In the shadow of the western hills Bleak rose-petaled sky in two dimensions Black treeline a blade that cuts across it all Can't seem to sleep or find my appetite Since I got back from the hospital Call up Rebecca, maybe try to explain But she hangs up while I'm still talking, I walk out into the rain Wonder from the alley to the darkness Sink down completely, leave no trace Trapped beneath the surface of the ice again Lie still with the moonlight on my face Wait for the wolves to keep their promise Listen for their footfalls in the cold I can't hear things clearly to be honest In the shadow of the western hills He gets most healed that waits the longest In the shadow of the western hills
Comments by John Darnielle About this Song
- "This was gonna be on the next record. I was really happy with a lot of the imagery in it but I couldn't get a satisfying bridge until about four days ago, so...so that's just how it goes." - 2012-03-24 - Merkin Concert Hall - New York, NY
- "It's a simple song about trying to hold it together because you feel certain that if you can't hold it together, something terrible will happen and you have it on very good authority, namely the voice within you, that that is true." -- 2012-06-28 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA
Things Referenced in this Song
Live Shows this Song Was Played at
- 2012-03-24 - Merkin Concert Hall - New York, NY
- 2012-04-02 - The Barbican - London, England
- 2012-06-22 - Rio Theater - Vancouver, British Columbia
- 2012-06-23 - Columbia City Theater - Seattle, WA
- 2012-06-25 - Mission Theater - Portland, OR
- 2012-06-28 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA
- 2012-06-30 - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, CA
- 2012-07-03 - Folk Music Center - Claremont, CA
- 2012-10-11 - Theater of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA