| Age of Kings | |
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Album |
All Eternals Deck |
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Released |
2011 |
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Artist |
the Mountain Goats |
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Length |
4:13 |
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Next track |
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Track 4 on All Eternals Deck. It also appears as a demo on All Survivors Pack as track 8.
Lyrics[]
Halls of the stone tower in the foothills Why should we hide from anyone? Held you in my arms for the first time that day Felt like God's anointed when you didn't push me away Gold light shining on so many things In the age of kings Gold light shining on so many things In the age of kings Lean on the concrete walls in shadow Why should we wait to throw the switch? Felt your name burn in like a tattoo into my skin Rain on the clay tiles all night Your head nestled beneath my chin Gold light shining on so many things In the age of kings Gold light shining on so many things In the age of kings In the lost age Where the jewels hide And sword sticks in the waiting stone Still warm Small chambers shrinking till they vanish Wolves in the hallway gaining ground Reach down to the moment when I should've said something true Shadows and their sources now stealing away with you Gold light shining on so many things In the age of kings Gold light shining on so many things In the age of kings
Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]
- "Yeah, no, consumption is, it's the, yeah, rich people go recover from it in, in Austria and write interminable novels about it. You can try and finish that novel if you want, if you want to, like, you know, prove you're a bad-ass, but I myself gave up. I had some Continental theory to read. This is a song that took place at a place where we were studying Continental theory." -- 2011-04-11 - Wexner Center - Columbus, OH
- "...It's a song about memories that are extraordinarily precious..." -- 2011-06-20 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
Things Referenced in this Song[]
- The phrase "the lost age" also appears in the last chapter of John Darnielle's 2022 novel Devil House:
The passage goes on to reference the legend of King Arthur, just as the song does.Oh, for sure, he said, the lost age, the more books I write, the more I notice how almost everything takes place in the lost age, the window just shifts, it's sort of disturbing at first but then it's kind of liberating. (p. 377)
Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]
- 2011-03-29 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
- 2011-03-30 - Soundcheck - WNYC Session
- 2011-03-30 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
- 2011-04-01 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
- 2011-04-03 - The Opera House - Toronto, Ontario
- 2011-04-05 - The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
- 2011-04-06 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN
- 2011-04-07 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
- 2011-04-08 - Cat's Cradle - Chapel Hill, NC
- 2011-04-10 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
- 2011-04-11 - Wexner Center - Columbus, OH
- 2011-04-12 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA
- 2011-04-14 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
- 2011-04-15 - Theater of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
- 2011-06-17 - The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, British Columbia
- 2011-06-20 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
- 2011-06-23 - El Rey Theater - Los Angeles, CA
- 2011-06-24 - Soho Restaurant and Music Club - Santa Barbara, CA
Videos of this Song[]
| All Eternals Deck |
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Track list: "Damn These Vampires" • "Birth of Serpents" • "Estate Sale Sign" • "Age of Kings" • "The Autopsy Garland" • "Beautiful Gas Mask" • "High Hawk Season" • "Prowl Great Cain" • "Sourdoire Valley Song" • "Outer Scorpion Squadron" • "For Charles Bronson" • "Never Quite Free" • "Liza Forever Minnelli" |