A Short List of All the Things that John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats Is

• “heading your way all the time”
• “going to move all [his] vital organs to someplace outside [his] body”
• “in a thousand rooms all at the same time”
• “climbing up this mountain”
• “sure that there’s a reason all of this is happening”
• “going to Alaska”
• “so lonesome [he] could cry”
• “not going to apologize”
• “on to you now”
• “the buyer”
• “the tire”
• “[the glass; you’re the water that fills [him(http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mountain_Goats:The_Water_Song)”
• “not going to cry”
• “shaking when [he] sees you there ‘cause [he] don’t know what it means”
• “kissing your eyelids”
• “kissing you and leaving you behind in the sand”
• “holding you a while and then going to Japan”
• “trying to piece together what you’re saying”
• “holding on”
• “all for you”
• “not telling; not telling you anything”
• “not saying who”
• “thirteen, and no one takes [him] seriously”
• “thirteen, and they’re trying to take away control”
• “the model of composure out there”
• “frozen with joy right where [he] stands”
• “gonna miss you when you’re gone”
• “coming right along”
• “in love with you”
• “willing to pay”
• “wearing a white long-sleeve button-down”
• “watching the way the wind seems to pass straight through your body”
• “told [he] will keep away the cold”
• “gonna bake you a nice coconut cream pie”
• “going away”
• “creeping up the staircase one step at a time”
• “a monster”
• “just standing near it”
• “standing tonight”
• “digging graves”
• “not listening; not listening anymore”
• “coming to you”
• “broken”
• “tired”
• “not getting through to you”
• “learning how to read your mind”
• “losing control of the language again”
• “learning what sleep’s good for”
• “gonna drown down here”
• “the king, and [he] should not be allowed to touch anything”
• “dreaming in blood-red color”
• “not afraid of death”
• “going for a walk; [he’ll] be back in half an hour”
• “going to Cleveland”
• “coming in”
• “only getting stronger”
• “[here in [his] car and the rabbit’s here with [him(http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mountain_Goats:Teenage_World)”
• “sick and tired of trying to figure out your gestures”
• “sick and tired of wondering what your presents mean”
• “gonna take this rabbit into Malibu”
• “trying to get out for days and these green vines keep getting in [his] way”
• “so glad”
• “glad [he’s] alive”
• “the dry meat that fills the mouth”
• “the fire that burns without wood”
• “evil forest, kill a man on the day that his life seems sweetest to him”
• “thinking”
• “not to take it real personal-like”
• “not sure how”
• “leaving you, and [he is] sorry”
• “going to see you in San Jose”
• “going to take you out for good”
• “going to take you down”
• “headed up the 101 right now”
• “not that guy”
• “a completely different person”
• “coming to Atlanta again”
• “the killer dressed in pilgrim’s clothing”
• “the hard-to-find stations on the AM band”
• “the white sky high over Tripoli”
• “the land mine hidden in the sand”
• “coming home”
• “starving half to death”
• “sorry [he] couldn’t”
• “[gonna get [his(http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mountain_Goats:Horseradish_Road)”
• “supposed to figure things out”
• “[right here where you want [him(http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mountain_Goats:Family_Happiness)”
• “gonna be real sick again”
• “going down the old road”
• “going to clean house tonight”
• “saved by the blood of the lamb”
• “tired of talking to the wealthy”
• “wearing [his] boots, which always guarantees a good show”
• “all right”
• “a fire-man”
• “not at liberty to say”
• “not afraid”
• “going to make [him] a good sharp axe”
• “gonna drink more whiskey than Brendan Behan”
• “gonna send [his] belongings all to Tripoli”
• “gonna ride home to California with a banjo on his knee”
• “never gonna turn off the television”
• “just gonna let it run all night”
• “gonna plant root vegetables out in the backyard”
• “[going to treat you right [come summer(http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mountain_Goats:Commandante)”
• “never going back to Cincinnati”
• “waiting for you to come around”
• “too slow to catch them all”
• “healthy”
• “whole”
• “home”
• “all of 16 years old”
• “coming back to Midland”
• “far from where we live, and [he has] not learned how to forgive”
• “breaking open”
• “taking tiny steps forward”
• “going to find the exit”
• “not gonna lose you”
• “in the mood”
• “drowning; there is no sign of land”
• “sorry for stuff [he] hasn’t done yet”
• “so persuaded”
• “sure that we’ll both decompose”
• “a mole”
• “going to raise an ice-cold glass of water”
• “going to stop”
• “not headed southeast from the courthouse”
• “a wild creature”
• “a babbling brook”
• “going to make it through this year”
• “on Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo”
• “five years old or six, maybe”
• “in the living room watching the Watergate hearings”
• “17 years old”
• “listening to dance music”
• “going to get [himself] in fighting trim”
• “going to bribe the officials”
• “going to kill all the judges”
• “going to regret the day that [he] was born”
• “dreaming of you”
• “young”
• “good”
• “the last of a lost civilization”
• “in [his] room with the headphones on”
• “awake”
• “guarding [his] face”
• “going to wriggle up on dry land”
• “tuned to an A”
• “gonna look fantastic”
• “gonna cast [his] burden down”
• “gonna be right there”
• “setting up shop”
• “a little too proud to let the matter drop”
• “under no illusion as to what [he] meant to you”
• “[okay [he doesn’t know what to say(http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mountain_Goats:Wild_Sage)”
• “coming home to you”
• “drawing in”
• “this great, unstable mass of blood and foam”
• “going to crack”
• “out of [his] element”
• “scared of all the strangers in this town”
• “ready for [his] close-up today”
• “pretty sure that you were there”
• “on the red steps smoking a cigarette”
• “gonna take a few people down”
• “not beyond repair”
• “going to rise again”
• “going to be restored”
• “going to get [his] perfect body back someday”
• “a sailor standing ready, waiting for the shift list”
• “too scared to look around”
• “the last one left in line”
• “an eighteen wheeler headed down the interstate”
• “an airplane tumbling wing over wing”
• “not ready”
• “a witness to your life and to its worth”
• “dumb and wild and free”
• “a flightless bird”
• “all alone here as [he tries his] tiny song”
• “not this body”
• “never ever gonna get away from this place”
• “happy where the vermin play”
• “just a broken machine”
• “still here, but all is lost”
• “a mandolin”
• “not sure what [he’s] gonna do”
• “gone”
• “lying on the floor”
• “bathed in blue light”
• “gonna jab you in the eye with a foreign object”
• “gonna stab you in the eye with a foreign object”
• “walking out of here in one piece”
• “on a stretcher, here come the cleaners”
• “strong now”
• “up high, trying to say goodbye”
• “alone”
• “old”
• “him”
• “off the juice for seven months”
• “the biggest guy in the bank line”
• “hardcore, but not that hardcore”
• “pretty hardcore, but not that hardcore”
• “gonna bleach [his] hair this weekend”
• “drawn”
• “young and ravishing”
• “as happy as [he’s] ever gonna be”
• “not ready to go”
• “still young”