Mark Claver - PRETENDING I KNOW EVERYTHING lyrics
rate meI was thinking about Calel’s birthday, as we often do around these parts, and I pulled my thunkometer into the not too distant past - to a time when I was making a mix for him. (Yes, as if he was that leggy beauty queen (legit) I was trying to woo in college that I later found out would wash her feet in the bathroom sink. You know, because she was a sexy giraffe and could casually dunk ‘em in there.
Make fun if you must.) I was stuck on a conversation we had where he intimated that lyrics, while not inconsequential, had little bearing on his overall enjoyment of music. In fact, he was pretty certain that he couldn’t be swayed by the words to a song alone, and a tasty hook of some sort was required.I couldn’t argue with the basic premise of what he was getting at. After all, it was his opinion about what he liked. That’s not to say that I didn’t know in my racing, chubby little heart that he was dead wrong either.I set out to make my way up and down my collection of music in search of not just a song that I adore the lyrics to, but something that I am fairly certain I wouldn’t like without them.
My eyes came to a halt on The Mountain Goats “See America Right.” In truth, the entire collection of Mountain Goats records could easily stand in this spot. Dismembered with a swift musical butcher knife, it is plain to see that I am not a huge fan of John Darnielle’s nasal speak/sing delivery. His guitar playing, while more accomplished with every album, is hook less and an odd and unappealing mix of campfire strum and rudimentary picking, mixed with reggae and folk sensibilities. Like protest songs that are protesting that this man owns a guitar. Here, he plays it with more of a breakneck rockabilly strum, muting my usual concerns.
Then the words take hold and grip you by your do-nothing throat and scratch at you and then try to placate you and calmly apologize before they soon dig their nails into the side of your face all over again. It is an intense and personal ride and I love it.
