Do you love "No Children" by The Mountain Goats?

[Evo]

This song by The Mountain Goats cracks me up every time I hear it.

I agree with the review from Amazon.com

No Children: Lyrically, I'm not sure I believe a human being is capable of disliking this song. The guitar and keyboard seem designed mostly as a pretty-sounding drone to augment the lyrics, but they do that quite effectively. The lyrics are so bittersweet and contradictory as to make the song quite funny. "I hope our few remaining friends give up trying to save us / I hope we come up with a failsafe plot to p*** off the dumb few that forgave us" for instance, and such lines as "I hope I lie and tell everyone that you were a good wife / And I hope you die / I hope we both die" sent some of the comically mixed messages the Alpha male sincerely feels. Honestly, the lyrics of the song are great in their entirety. There's not a single line that I don't love. The monotonous music makes the song wear on you after a few listens, but the lyrics make those first few times absolutely golden. Thumbs Up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006YXH6/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Any other Mountain Goat fans?

No Children

I hope that our few remaining friends
give up on trying to save us.
I hope we come out with a fail-safe plot
to p*** off the dumb few that forgave us.

I hope the fences we mended
fall down beneath their own weight.
And I hope we hang on past the last exit,
I hope it's already too late.

And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here
someday burns down.
And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away,
and I never come back to this town again.

In my life, I hope I lie,
and tell everyone you were a good wife.
And I hope you die,
I hope we both die.

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow;
I hope it bleeds all day long.
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises;
we're pretty sure they're all wrong.

I hope it stays dark forever,
I hope the worst isn't over.
And I hope you blink before I do,
and I hope I never get sober.

And I hope when you think of me years down the line,
you can't find one good thing to say.
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out,
you'd stay the hell out of my way.

I am drowning.
There is no sign of land.
You are coming down with me,
hand in unlovable hand.

And I hope you die,
I hope we both die.

 

[Evo]

No Mountain Goat fans?

I am disowning all of you.

 

[Astronuc]

Well, I must admit that the vocals and harmony on "No children" do make the lyrics seem a bit funny, otherwise I find the mood a bit dark.

From the review:

This record conjures paranoid visions of a couple permanently on the cusp of divorce who have remained drunk for so long, they're not sure of much else beyond the mutually destructive urge that holds their house together.

Well, I guess folks are thinking what to make of the lyrics.

Before this, I'd never heard of the Mountain Goats.

 

[Evo]

Well, I must admit that the vocals and harmony on "No children" do make the lyrics seem a bit funny, otherwise I find the mood a bit dark.

It's the discord between the tune and the lyrics that make it so funny. You're just not expecting something that blunt.

 

[Astronuc]

It's the discord between the tune and the lyrics that make it so funny. You're just not expecting something that blunt.

I'll grant you that.

 

[Astronuc]

As for favorite songs, I'd have to go with tunes like (to name a few)

Alive and Kicking - Tighter and Tighter

Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post, Ramblin' Man

Amboy Dukes (Ted Nugent) - Journey to the Center of Your Mind

Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun

Aldo Nova - Fantasy

Bad Company - Burnin' Sky, I am just a simple man

Black Sabbath - Paranoid, Sweet Leaf

Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home

Blue Öyster Cult - Cities On Flame, Last Days of May (live)

Blues Magoos - (We Ain't got) Nothin' Yet

Crawler - Stone Cold Sober

Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Fire

Cream - Crossroads

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Wooden Ship, Four Dead in Ohio

Deep Purple - Hush, Smoke On The Water, Woman From Tokyo

Donnie Iris - Ah Leah

Doors - Riders On The Storm, Light My Fire, Break On Through

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Karn Evil 9, Still _ You Turn Me On, Jerusalem, Trilogy, C'Est la Vie, From the Beginning, Take a Pebble, Lucky Man, Tarkus Medley-Eruption-Stones of Years-Iconoclast-Mass-Manticore-Bat

Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another, Stand or Fall (studio)

Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, Are You Happy

INXS - The one thing

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, My Mirage

Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love

Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower, Voodoo Chile, Red House, Hey Baby (New Rising Sun), Purple Haze, Hey Joe, Manic Depression

Joe Walsh - Turn To Stone

Jon Butcher - Holy War, Life Takes A Life

Journey - Of a Lifetime, Kohoutek [Instrumental], Topaz [Instrumental]

Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks, No Quarter, and pretty much all of LZ

Lighthouse - One Fine Morning

Little River Band - It's A Long Way There (Long Version)

Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man

Matthews Southern Comfort - Woodstock (We are stardust)

Mr. Mister - Take These Broken Wings

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (basically the whole album), Wish you were here
Pink Floyd - Ummagumma- Astronomy Domine

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Fresh Air, What About Me, Gold and Silver, Don't Cry My Lady Love, Doin' Time in the U.S.A.

Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs, About to Begin, Day of the Eagle, Twice Removed from Yesterday, The Fool and Me, For Earth Below, Fine Day, Too Rolling Stone

Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter, Monkey Man, You Can't Always Get What You Want

Santana - Ain't Got Nobody That I Can Depend On, Black Magic Woman, Gypsy Queen, Singing Winds, Crying Beasts

Shocking Blue - Venus

Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me

Spirit - Fresh Garbage, I Got A Line On You, Life Has Just Begun, Mechanical World, Nature's Way, Taurus, Soldier

Stevie Wonder - If You Really Love Me, Uptight (Everything's Alright)

Ted Nugent - Stranglehold

Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change The World

The Grateful Dead - Clementine Jam

The Who - Baba O'Reilly, Love, Reign O'er Me, Overture (Tommy), Bargain, Won't Get Fooled Again (Full Length Version)

Three Dog Night - Liar

Todd Rundgren - Can We Still Be Friends, Hello It's Me, Black Maria

Traffic - The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (whole album), Glad, Dear Mr. Fantasy

Triumph - Hold On

U2 - Desire (1988 - Studio), I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, In The Name Of Love [Pride], Mysterious Ways, With or Without You

Vanity Fare - Hitchin' A Ride

War - Gypsy Man

Wishbone Ash (Live Dates) - The King Will Come, Warrior, Throw Down the Sword

Yardbirds - Heart Full Of Soul, Over Under Sideways Down, Shapes of Things, Smokestack Lightning

Yes - Going For The One, Parallels, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Heart of the Sunrise, Wonderous Stories, Yours is no disgrace, Starship Trooper, You and I, Roundabout

 

[Ivan Seeking]

My favorite stuff is mostly the old stuff. Last night I was listening to the American Pie CD. The title song and Vincent are two of my all time favorites. A few others:

Too old to rock and roll but too young to die - Tull

Dark side of the moon and Time - Floyd

Hotel California - Eagles

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Something in the way she moves - Beatles

Yellow Brick Road, Candle in the Wind, Daniel - EJ

Space Oddity - Bowie

Heart of Gold - Young

One Tin Soldier - Coven

I'm a complete sucker for ballads.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...and all of the planets, by Holtz.

 

[franznietzsche]

No Mountain Goat fans?

I am disowning all of you.

I think Danger is into goats...

 

[Evo]

My favorite Neil Young Song was "Expecting to Fly"

"Expecting To Fly"

There you stood
on the edge of your feather,
Expecting to fly.
While I laughed,
I wondered whether
I could wave goodbye,
Knowin' that you'd gone.
By the summer it was healing,
We had said goodbye.
All the years
we'd spent with feeling
Ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry,
Babe, ended with a cry.

I tried so hard to stand
As I stumbled
and fell to the ground.
So hard to laugh as I fumbled
And reached for the love I found,
Knowin' it was gone.
If I never lived without you,
Now you know I'd die.
If I never said I loved you,
Now you know I'd try,
Babe, now you know I'd try.
Babe, now you know I'd try,
Babe.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.

Feelings, feelings
Like I've never lost you
And feelings like I've never
Have you again in my heart.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, feelings like I've
Never lost you
And feelings like I've never have you
Again in my heart.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.
Feelings...

 

[ZapperZ]

Humm.. I didn't know we're making our "favorite songs" list, but here goes (not in any order):

1. The Fixx "Saved by Zero" (can't believe Astronuc didn't include this. You can no longer be my buddy, astronuc!) :)

2. Change "Paradise" (the best dance tune of all time with the meanest, kickass base rift I've ever heard)

3. Snead O'Connor "Thief of Your Heart". I don't like Snead O'Connor, and that should tell you how terrific this tune is to get on this list.

4. Joni Mitchell "Both Sides Now" (the Big Band version, not the original version, that she recorded in 2000, I think). This tune, when I listened to it after sept. 11, made me cry.

I look at life
From both sides now
From win and lose
But still somehow
It's life's illusion that I recall
I really don't know life
At all...

5. Roxy Music "Nothing Last Forever"

6. Japan "Quiet Life". It was big in the UK but never hit the US.

7. The Knack "My Sharona". I don't care that this is a commercial, bubble-gum, one-hit-wonder tune. It is catchy as hell and I never grow tired of listening to it.

8. Kyle Minnogue "Can't Get You Out of My Head". Same comment as for My Sharona. Play this tune at a dance club and only those in a drunken stupor would not be rushing to the floor.

9. Dollar "Shooting Star". This tune was #1 on the UK charts in the 70's, but never made it across the pond.

10. Gerry Raferty "Baker Street". Cannot deny that sax, I tell ya.

Zz.

[P.S. Note that there isn't a single Disney-related tune on that list] :)

 

[Chi Meson]

Like Astronuc, I have only one or two favorite songs, but the list would be too long for me to write it today.

 

[Evo]

Baker Street is one of my ALLTIME favorites. Great sax.

 

[Astronuc]

1. The Fixx "Saved by Zero" (can't believe Astronuc didn't include this. You can no longer be my buddy, astronuc!) :)

I didn't claim the list was complete. There are quite a few more I could add.

For example Joe Satiani - Searching with its lilting guitar riffs and my theme tune Raspberry Jam Delta-V with it's thumpin' base and percussion lines. If anyone has played bass guitar, they would really appreciate the bass line.

Also Renaissance Ashes Are Burning from the Live at Carnegie Hall album. Camp does a really nice bass solo. Again, if one has played base, one would appreciate his playing the bass as one would play regular electric guitar - that requires both dexterity and strength.

 

[Evo]

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.

You frighten me.

Oh dear god, now I'm singing it.

 

[BobG]

One of my favorites from the days when I lived in Northeastern Ohio (obviously a long time ago as some the references allude to):

Alex Bevan's "Skinny Little Boy"

 

[arildno]

Lots of Pink Floyd, 70's Bowie, and I have to admit:
Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".

 

[Astronuc]

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.

Makes me think of Bill Murray's version.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".

That's actually a great song. Not the lyrics themselves, but the way she sings them.

 

[arildno]

That's actually a great song. Not the lyrics themselves, but the way she sings them.

Agreed. A quintessentially "haunting" voice, in my opinion.
I'm bewitched by it.

 

[zoobyshoe]

My favorite Kate Bush lyrics:



The Dreaming 'Bang!' goes another kanga
On the bonnet of the van.

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

Many an Aborigine's mistaken for a tree
'Til you near him on the motorway
And the tree begin to breathe.

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

Coming in with the golden light
In the morning.
Coming in with the golden light
Is the New Man.
Coming in with the golden light
Is my dented van.

Woomera.

"Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
Me-me-me-me-me,"

Woomera.

"Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
Me-me-me-me-me."

The civilised keep alive
The territorial war.

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

Erase the race that claim the place
And say we dig for ore,
Or dangle devils in a bottle
And push them from the Pull of the Bush.

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

You find them in the road.

"See the light bounce off the rocks to the sand."

In the road.

Coming in with the golden light
In the morning.
Coming in with the golden light
With no warning.
Coming in with the golden light
We bring in the rigging.

(Dig, dig, dig away)

Woomera.

"Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
Me-me-me-me-me,"

Woomera.

"Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
Me-me-me-"

Woomera.

"Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
Me-me-me-"

Ma-ma-many an Aborigine's mistaken for a tree

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

You near him on the motorway
And the tree begin to breathe.
Erase the race that claim the place
And say we dig for ore

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

Dangle devils in a bottle
And push them from the Pull of the Bush.

"See the sun set in the hand of the man."

"Bang!" goes another kanga
On the bonnet of the van.

"See the light bounce off the rocks to the sand."

You find them in the road.

"See the light ram through the gaps in the land."

In the road.

"See the light."
(Push them from the)

Pull of the Bush.

"See the light bounce off the rocks to the sand."
(Push them from the)

Pull of the Bush.

"See the sun set in the hand of the man."

"Duremikaina"

 

[zoobyshoe]

Agreed. A quintessentially "haunting" voice, in my opinion.
I'm bewitched by it.

The schizophrenic guy who lives in my building loves Kate Bush but he lost all his tapes somewhere. I lent him mine and a tape player couple years ago and he sat in his apt for like three days straight playing them over and over weeping openly the whole time.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Makes me think of Bill Murray's version.

I haven't heard his version, but that is a song that, by it's nature, begs to be thrown to the wolves of Saturday Night live.

 

[SpaceTiger]

Strawberry Fields Forever - Beatles
Like A Rolling Stone - Dylan
Black - Pearl Jam/Staind
A Day in the Life - Beatles
Dream On - Aerosmith
Like A Stone - Audioslave
Coffee and TV - Blur
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Wicked Little Town - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
Pleasant Valley Sunday - Monkees
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
High and Dry - Radiohead
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkle
Plush - Stone Temple Pilots
Buddy Holly - Weezer
Trigger Happy - Weird Al Yankovic
Offend in Every Way - White Stripes

If I wanted to be honest about it, there'd be a lot more Beatles songs on here, but I thought I'd mix it up a little.

 

[dduardo]

Artist: Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
Album: Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Song: Masterfade



Note: In general this singer-songwriter likes to incorporate science in his lyrics. Perhaps that's why I like the album.

 

[jimmy p]

Stone Temple Pilots - Army Ants, Interstate Love Song

Alice in Chains - Nutshell

Queen - I want it all, Don't stop me now, The show must go on

Breed77 - La Ultima Hora

Gipsy Kings - Volare

WASP - Loco-motive man, What I'll never find

Marillion - The great escape, Between you and me

Hanoi Rocks - Obscured

Machinehead - The Burning Red

 

[grafica]

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.

Feelings, feelings
Like I've never lost you
And feelings like I've never
Have you again in my heart.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, feelings like I've
Never lost you
And feelings like I've never have you
Again in my heart.

Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll never come again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.
Feelings...

hi zoobyshoe
can you please say me as where i could download this song

 

[Evo]

Ok, I've been singing "no children" by the Mountain Goats all day, time for a thread bump.

It's a funny song!

And it's how I discovered my all time favorite band "the magnetic fields" and 69 love songs. I played the Mountain Goats for one of the chairmen of the Smithsonian Institute and he played Magnetic Fields for me. He won.

Just shows serious people can surprise you.