September 17 - The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement

This song, in a delightful lounge jazz way, combines two of my favourite things in Mountain Goats songs: A feral gang, and a guy encountering a scene. And honestly we've all had that moment where we're enough part of something to be able to recognise people who are much much further into it than we are. it's like looking down a few levels and seeing where you might have ended up had your life been different in every fundamentally important way.

I've lived enough of my life in the centre of the lane to be familiar with the points where I was closer to the edge. Living catty corner to a crack dealer's house and having to deal with occasional two AM door knocks from people who wanted a cigarette lighter because "our pilot light went out" or spoons because "we were going to make milkshakes". Working at a Harley dealership and thinking that one of the guys who worked in the bike wash looked familiar then realising you'd seen him on a local news retrospective about a bike gang massacre a decade before. Having an interview with the owner of the house you were hoping to rent a mile down a country road and realising that you are at that moment talking to actual royalty and that actual royalty have the weirdest stare of any humans who have ever lived.

You brush against the scenes and move away, wondering what was there and sort of glad you won't find out.