swing low sweet jewel encrusted chariot

mountain goats II
Originally uploaded by third uncle.

the mountain goats
from the album
the coroner's gambit
LISTEN/jaipur
from a live performance
LISTEN/trash(suede cover)

with pj away in kentucky, its been just me and eliot here to celebrate the fourth of july. well, this is not entirely true. i had to leave sweet eliot home tonite to meet up with friends downtown for a special independence day event put together by rooftop films featuring a set by john darnielle, otherwise known as the mountain goats. the large open outdoor space seemed an awkward match when set against darnielle's rousing, often burning, confessionals. and while it's true that a smaller venue would've proved a more fitting showcase, it was actually really cool to see him perform on a rooftop in downtowm brooklyn on such a nice nite. he also mentioned how it was the first time he's played solo in three years, which probably accounted for number of old songs he decided to play. one of my favorites was 'jaipur', the first song from the album the coroner's gambit. my scalp buzzed and my heart skipped in favor when he sang out the opening verse...
i was having visions of sugar pastry
cooked up in clarified butter
i tried to turn my visions into prayers
but i built my castle way high up in the air
yeah i came to the gates of the fabled pink city
hungry, and tired, and cold
swing low sweet chariot
chrome tail pipe shining bright as spun gold