Mountain Goats, The - Lovecraft In Brooklyn Lyrics






It's going to be too hot to breathe today but everybody's out here on the streets
Somebody's opened up the fire hydrant, cold water rushing out in sheets
Some kid in a Marcus Allen jersey asks me for a cigarette
Companionship is where you find it, so I take what I can get

Hubcaps on the cars like fun house mirrors
Stick to the shadows when I can
Lovecraft in Brooklyn

When the sun goes down, the armies of the voiceless, several hundred thousand strong
Come out without their bandages, their voices raised in song
When the streetlights sputter out, they make this awful sizzling sound
I cast my gaze toward the pavement, too many blood stains on the ground

Rhode Island drops into the ocean
No place to call home anymore
Lovecraft in Brooklyn

Head outside most every day
To try to keep the wolves away
Imagine nice things I might say
If company should come

Woke up afraid of my own shadow, I mean, like genuinely afraid
Headed for the pawnshop to buy myself a switchblade
Someday something's coming from way out beyond the stars
To kill us while we stand here, it'll store our brains in mason jars

And then the girl behind the counter
She asks me how I feel today
I feel like Lovecraft in Brooklyn





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Mountain Goats, The Lovecraft In Brooklyn Comments
  1. B.... A....

    Trump should see if the Mountain Goats will allow him to use this for his 2020 campaign theme song.

  2. J.... J....

    Honestly my favorite band. Not their best song but defiantly has its its own place in history that to me can't be replaced or overshadowed.

  3. r.... s....

    .75 speed, try it

    r.... s....

    RIP to Screw

  4. L.... A....

    Did any of you ever consider the fact that Lovecraft grew up in a time when being racist was as popular as bitching about racism on YouTube is today? F*** you all the man was an excellent writer.

  5. x.... o....

    YT app has the worst vid suggestions . Love the song just not the vids under it

  6. l.... a....

    Thank god hipsters like this don't reproduce very much, hope he goes back to shooting speed.

    l.... a....

    Lol thats funny but fuck u at the same time

  7. R.... ....

    Yeah this isn’t a fucking great song or anything. Jeeeeeeesus. 😳🔥🧠❤️

  8. e.... w....

    l i k e g e n u i n e l y a f r a i d

  9. 9.... ....

    At the end of his life, he was no longer racist and regretted his remarks by the ignorance of the unknown and a puritanical English education, he himself said he wanted to pay people to be able to erase his most racist writings.

    9.... ....

    Source, please, I want this to be true

    9.... ....

    @Fish his correspondace, its in the letters

    9.... ....

    My understanding is there's a line in a letter to C. L. Moore (one of the first female Sci-Fi writers,) where he exclaimed "What an ass I was!" and talks about his racism. I can't find the citation, though - the letters are published but as far as I can tell you have to purchase the book they're in...

  10. A.... P....

    For all the people who are criticizing Lovecraft in the comments because of his racism/xenophobia, you gotta remember, this song is implying that feeling that way about others is bad. Another thing to consider is that Lovecraft was much more "English are superior to everyone" rather than "white people are better than all other races". Not to mention the racism/xenophobia was the driving force behind mainly the Cthulhu mythos, not all of his work. Short stories from his "Dream Cycle" and his "Dark Cycle" were not as racist as his Cthulhu works were. And his racism in his stories starts dropping off closer to the end of his career. For example, "At the Mountains of Madness" has almost no racism in it. He also regretted his own racist attitudes and behaviours later in life. That may not excuse the racism, but it shows that he changed with time and realized he was in the wrong.

  11. f.... ....

    LoL did u kno ph luvcraft was rasist? is true i read on intertent!

  12. S.... ....

    Also all of these people acting as if nobody knows about Lovecraft being racist, and as of we haven't had decades of discussion on this.

    S.... ....

    Yet we still have 1000 comments saying it was mental illness that made him hate black people, that he wasn't actually racist but xenophobic, and/or that his racism improved his work.

    S.... ....

    @Swan Scream Those people don't give a shit, why would they change their argument because of anything you say. They are already committed. They aren't going to be shamed into not liking an author. It's fucking absurd.

  13. S.... O....

    Absolutely love Lovecraft, so it's surprising to see all the hate for him in the comments here. Yes, he was xenophobic. I don't think he necessarily hated certain races in particular, he wasn't subjected to much diversity at the starting of his life. All the same, that element is what adds to his work so beautifully. Whether you would consider him racist or not, he was an amazing author and I couldn't care less about that detail. Just my two cents

    S.... O....

    Lovecraft had a 'healthy' dose of paranoia regarding all of humankind.

    S.... O....

    Didn't he write a story about in-bred backwoods white people in the deep South who became subterranean monsters? Definitely afraid of all humanity

  14. T.... ....

    Mmmmm
    tastes like BÖC

  15. J.... D....

    Muh wacizums

  16. A.... S....

    I like lovecraft, racism and all. Adds character

  17. S.... ....

    1:38 reminds me heavily of weird al.

  18. S.... D....

    It's gonna be too hot to breathe today
    But everybody is out here on the streets
    Somebody's opened up the fire hydrant
    Cold water rushing out in sheets

    Some kid in a Marcus Allen jersey
    Asks me for a cigarette
    Companionship is where you find it
    So I take what I can get

    Hubcaps on the car like fun house mirrors
    Stick to the shadows when I can
    Lovecraft in Brooklyn

    When the sun goes down the armies of the voiceless
    Several hundred-thousand strong
    Come out without their bandages
    Their voices raised in song

    When the street lights sputter out
    They make this awful sizzling sound
    I cast my gaze towards the pavement
    Too many blood stains on the ground

    Rhode Island drops into the ocean
    No place to call home anymore
    Lovecraft in Brooklyn

    Head outside most everyday to try to keep the wolves away
    Imagine nice things I might say
    If company should come

    Woke up afraid of my own shadow
    Like, genuinely afraid
    Headed for the pawnshop
    To buy myself a switchblade

    Someday something's coming
    From way out beyond the stars
    To kill us while we stand here
    It'll store our brains in mason jars

    And then the girl behind the counter
    She asks me how I feel today
    I feel like Lovecraft in Brooklyn

    Yeah!

  19. t.... ....

    Like genuinely afraid

  20. L.... ....

    How can the armies of the voiceless raise their voices in song?

    L.... ....

    LordofTimeandSpaaace the armies are not voiceless
    They serve the voiceless one
    They _are_ his voice

    L.... ....

    Hail Azathoth

  21. o.... f....

    When you walk outside and you see someone that you know and they ask you how you are and you say "I FEEL LIKE LOVECRAFT IN BROOKLYN"

  22. K.... P....

    lovecraft was a huge racist, yeah, but the whole point of this song is fear, and fear of the unknown, which was the entire drive behind lovecraft's obsessive xenophobia.

    K.... P....

    its said he took that back in later years, dont know if you knew that but

  23. W.... M....

    "Woke up afraid of my own shadow--like, genuinely afraid" are two of my favorite lines of all time.

  24. M.... B....

    Regarding Lovecraft's Racism - John Darnielle recognized it and made it clear it wasn't part of his intent with the song.

    "American horror icon H. P. Lovecraft moved to Red Hook, Brooklyn to be with the woman he loved. He had never really seen any people who were not white folks from Massachusetts. Immigrants were spilling into Brooklyn from the four corners of the globe. Lovecraft’s xenophobia during his time in Brooklyn resulted in some of the weirdest, darkest images in all American literature; one must condemn Lovecraft’s ugly racism, of course, but his not-unrelated inclination toward a general suspicion of anything that’s alive is pretty fertile ground."

    M.... B....

    *Groans audibly*

    M.... B....

    You're the kind of person that see's racism around every corner aren't you?

    M.... B....

    @Tom Vain google 'lovecraft's cat's name' and see if Lovecraft being racist is such a stretch... The dude was so racist that even people at the time thought it was A Bit Much

    M.... B....

    Bubby no. The dude was fucked in the head

  25. J.... E....

    Am I the only one who doesn't give a shit whether Lovecraft was or was not a racist?

    J.... E....

    Josh Earhart i was about to say that.

  26. D.... ....

    without Lovecraft xenophobia we would not have as great literature from him, i just love this song

  27. S.... B....

    I really dislike Lovecraft, but I think that this song uses that simile well, and conveys the idea of hating everyone beautifully.

    S.... B....

    Lovecraft rules \m/

    S.... B....

    it can be more understandable if it was talking about terrorists and not black people

    S.... B....

    who's it? what? sure, real easy to dehumanize the enemy, pal. lovecraft always assumed a character's perspective in his stories, many people of that time were racist. when he penned under Harry Houdini's pen name about the magician's trip to egypt, houdini looked suspiciously at the foreigners, but I don't expect any of you to know any of it. just 'ehh this is not approved' piss off

    S.... B....

    Lovecraft was a bit more racist than his compatriots at the time. I think he was just generally an anxious, terrified person, and that terror applied to **everything** "foreign" or "different", not just people. That doesn't excuse it, but it does make it a little easier to sympathize with.

    S.... B....

    Darnielle's thoughts on the matter from before the release of the song:

    "American horror icon H. P. Lovecraft moved to Red Hook, Brooklyn to be with the woman he loved. He had never really seen any people who were not white folks from Massachusetts. Immigrants were spilling into Brooklyn from the four corners of the globe. Lovecraft’s xenophobia during his time in Brooklyn resulted in some of the weirdest, darkest images in all American literature; one must condemn Lovecraft’s ugly racism, of course, but his not-unrelated inclination toward a general suspicion of anything that’s alive is pretty fertile ground."

  28. B.... ....

    The comments are pretty much covering that Lovecraft /was/ racist and that a big part of his racism was his own mental illness, and I could talk more about those particulars myself, but it's like people aren't really listening to the song.

    I'm sure John Darnielle's been asked about this song's intent a thousand times, but the narrator's voice he's using here /doesn't like/ that he distrusts people so much. He's terrified of other people but he's gone so far with that that he's terrified of himself. He doesn't have to agree with or defend Lovecraft ideologically to identify with him, and that's the very ugly but very real thing he's become. He hates that he feels like "Lovecraft in Brooklyn", but nevertheless it's the thing that's most true to him, and that's why this is such a heavy and stirring song. :)

    B.... ....

    >Lovecraft /was/ racist and that a big part of his racism was his own mental illness
    Absolute bull: nobody has provided any evidence that there is a link between HPL's racism and mental illness and likely won't be able to, as Lovecraft never suffered from mental illness, though his parents did. Many people at the time believed in the superiority of the white race, and of "Nordic" or "Anglo-Saxon" types in particular -- there is no reason to suspect that though all of those people were racist because they believed in white superiority, but in Lovecraft's case it was really because he was mentally ill. He makes it clear in his letters (and to a lesser extent in his fiction) that it is hatred, more than fear, that is the cause of his racism, and even if it was fear at the heart of it, that is still not mental illness. The fear he left was the fear of what would become of his country with the continued mass immigration, not a personal fear

    B.... ....

    @Jessie le Fey Exactly! Thanks for this. We love character arcs in our narratives, but we resist acknowledging them in real life. Why?

    B.... ....

    I did not expect to find the most reasonable and balanced discussion of Lovecraft's fucked up problems in.. The Youtube comments.

    I've been shot down and burned countless times trying to discuss this with literature students face-to-face and in 'friendly, inclusive' online communities for years.

    First time I've ever felt my faith in our depraved species *boosted* by the Youtube comments :P

    B.... ....

    BlankPageEmperor1334 I find this song actually positive, bc, as Montaigne said, there's two ways to Greatness, one discover something new, two, cast out your old prejudices. Recognition is a good first step for the latter, certainly.

    B.... ....

    +Harry Wilson Thank you. People's eagerness to use insanity as a garbage-bin for humanity is so despicable. Sane people are capable of evil; that should not be controversial.

  29. T.... G....

    What are you talking about, cthulu just being black people is a detriment? That shit is hilarious.

    T.... G....

    OOOOOHHH

    T.... G....

    @***** Holds about as much weight as calling me alt-right and that making me wrong on virtue of that alone

    T.... G....

    @***** >Sargon
    >Alt-Right

  30. T.... ....

    I know that it isn't the first time it's been done, but rhyming "afraid" with "blade" is just so good. This song is really effective at making me feel anxious.

  31. W.... H....

    This original is good, but the ASAPremix is ace

  32. I.... T....

    Meanwhile, if you're completely ignorant of Lovecraft's background, this is a wonderful song...

    I.... T....

    +Ionlyjoined Toremovethatsign It's a better song if you are aware, because then you understand exactly the mood it is trying to convey. It's the feeling of being somewhere you don't belong, surrounded by people who are not like you. It's when a xenophobe is thrust into a situation where he has to deal with different cultures and types of people. To me, that is what makes the song so spine-tinglingly good.

    I.... T....

    +EyeOfEld He wrote The Horror at Redhook for a reason. Also He.

    I.... T....

    It's entirely possible to address paranoia and fear of other people without it necessarily being through the lens of race. Furthermore, the song in no way glorifies or justifies the feeling, the whole point is feeling like "lovecraft in brooklyn" is BAD.

  33. t.... v....

    He was racist, like most people in his time. Like the fouding fathers, like nearly everybody until recent times. He was a good friend, and a great writter.

    t.... v....

    +tout venant that's a reason, not an excuse.

    t.... v....

    catguru10 That doesn't mean we can't enjoy his works and stories. Say what you will, the man inarguably revolutionized horror.

    t.... v....

    He was hardcore racist, even for his era. He wrote an entire story inspired by the horror about when he found out he was partly Welsh.

  34. l.... ....

    This music is boring and so unLovecraftlike. Good Lovecraft music: Supersilent 7 (album)

    l.... ....

    Probably because it's not about anything Lovecraft ever wrote or really in anyway that relevant to him at all besides how much he fucking hated Brooklyn.

    l.... ....

    @Audio I would strongly disagree with that. It's about the mentality of paranoia, misanthropy and severe alienation that Lovecraft felt living in New York during the 1920s, and about sympathising with that crushing, barely sane yet perfectly clear state of mind—feeling like all of reality is just going to split open at any second. It's about the mental place that fiction like "The Horror at Red Hook" comes out of, and I think that's brilliant.

    That said, the music is way more tense and hysterical than it is atmospheric. If you want a sense of the hellish cosmic in music, there are plenty of more suitable groups and artists—Univers Zéro, Lustmord, Shub-Niggurath, Minóy, Dead Machines, even Sun Ra or Richard Youngs at their most abstract and noisy—but that's not really what this song is going for.

    l.... ....

    @ConvincingPeople Yeah, it's a song about Lovecraft, or a song that relates to lovecraft in some way, not a Lovecraftian piece of music. it succeeds at what it's trying to do.

    l.... ....

    I know you wrote this three years ago but I feel like I have to communicate to you that you have failed, failed, failed, and should feel shame.

  35. J.... ....

    I need to buy this album...

  36. L.... B....

    sometimes I think about how Lovecraft lived in his mother's attic all his life, except for the one time when he married a girl, moved to Brooklyn, hated it really bad because he was a racist loser, divorced the girl, and moved back to his mother's apartment.

    I derive great pleasure from remembering this.

    L.... B....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOTq-DPf2sI

    L.... B....

    this isn't really My Style of music but thank you for the recommendations. i've got their bandcamp open and might listen to them later.

    L.... B....

    His life was substantially more complicated than that though that's the thing. Like, the guy was an absolute cock, but by the end he had at least started to change and been attempting to see friends and be less racist, which can be seen in much of his later work. Like again, not defending him, he was an awful racist individual for a good portion of his life, but he had a super fucked childhood and was basically just bad at being a human.

    L.... B....

    Coraline Kozun relatable tbh

    L.... B....

    do you ever think about how you haven't published a single story and he had written volumes ?

  37. F.... C....

    This song makes me want to kick ass and take names. 

    F.... C....

    kick names and take ass

  38. F.... A....

    The best song about hate ever.

  39. T.... ....

    Kinda cause he was a little Racist

  40. M.... H....

    I can't believe I've never heard this song before, it's fantastic.

  41. I.... ....

    Related video: Racist women on tram.

    Youtube knows what's up.

  42. 1.... ....

    This is the only song of theirs that I truly love. Very compelling stuff.

  43. C.... B....

    The song that got me into the mountain goats, and still by far the best thing Darnielle's ever written, in my opinion.

  44. b.... ....

    This song makes me want to weep and gnash and scream and tear and flip tables over and shit. In all the best ways.