May 1 - Twelve Hands High

Technically this isn't a Mountain Goats song. It's instead a song by The Extra Glenns, a band consisting of John Darnielle and Franklin Bruno. But what it actually is is a lovely bop with some honky tonk piano and delightful guitars.

As for the narrative of this song, it's an age old story we've all experienced. Just the moment in a tense and destructive relationship where a horse unexpectedly bursts through the wall into your house and crushes you. We've heard this story a thousand times of course, but somehow John finds his own way to this narrative without making it feel hackneyed or like he's treading old ground. And that's the genius of songwriting, really.