“Depending on whether you believe or not, this is a true story, sort of: there's a lake monster in China. People see it all the time. The Mountain Goats consider themselves friends to all lake and river monsters everywhere, whether they exist or not.”
-John Darnielle, Heretic Pride press release
Today's post is mostly an apology. When I said yesterday that Prince Far I and the San Bernadino kids were the purest characters in Heretic Pride, I didn't mention the poor Tianchi Lake Monster. I hadn't listened to the lyrics very carefully, but the melody and arrangement were so soothing that I assumed the monster just had to be eating children or something. This is, of course, the kind of anti-monster bias that probably keeps Nessie hidden and afraid for her life. But it seems like the Tianchi Monster just wants to swim around and daydream, which seems pure enough to me.
The song itself is a lovely little ode to mysteries and imagination. And let's leave it at that.
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1 comment:
This song has grown on me since I bought this album. I'm considering spending spring break swimming with the Tianchi Lake Monster.
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