August 29 - Cry For Judas
f ever there was a platonic ideal of a Mountain Goats song it's this one. There are others that I go to first, but this has everything you need from a Mountain Goats song in its purest form. Absolutely flawless musicianship, a completely soaring vocal. Astonishingly clever lyrics. An absolute disconnect between song lyrics and musical style in the best way.
This is a song about anger, frustration, knowing the world is broken, knowing this won't help, doing it anyway because that's what living is. It's an anger about the wrongs we do, the wrongs done to us, the innocences that were betrayed, the harm we cause ourselves, and the ways in which we endure for whatever that is or isn't worth. There are too many perfect lines in this to mention them all, but the simple refrain of "I am still here but all is lost" is a feeling I come back to over and over.
And then there's the video. A two hour tense family drama in a 4 minute music video. It's perfect and golden and sad and I love it.
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