Horseradish Road

Horseradish Road
Album	The Coroner's Gambit
Released	2000
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:28
Previous Track	"Scotch Grove"
Next Track	"Family Happiness"

Horseradish Road is the eighth song on the album The Coroner's Gambit.

Lyrics

The way that everybody's voice
Comes out muffled when they speak
The way we take our diminishing inventories
Month to month and
Week to week
The Maria Callas records 
On the stereo all the time
you're gonna get yours 
And I'm gonna get mine

'Cause in this car, in this car
Somebody's bound to get burned
I know, I know
Because I've been watching the road turn

The Enigma Variations on the radio
The things that I could guess at
The things that I already know
And the twelve thousand dollars 
That turned up in your purse
You've done something awful
I've done something worse

And in this car, in this car
Somebody's bound to get burned
I know, I know
'Cause I've been watching the road turn

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "It's another one of these songs I've been working on lately where people's love for one another degenerates into a horrible poisonous hatred. And when they think about how much — how good it was at one point, it just — you want to say it breaks their hearts, but at the same time you know it doesn't, because they just keep plugging along, and you keep saying, 'Oh boy, wouldn't it be great if somebody could just kill you because, you know, you can't kill yourself, you know that's wrong, and you know it would be fucked up and all your friends would be mad at you and so would your family, but if some kind, well-meaning guy would just come along and end it for you, you know, blame's off you.' That's what this song is about." -- 1998-04-17 - Custer Avenue Stages - San Francisco, CA
• "It's about people who are evil to one another." -- 2000-10-15 - Go! Rehearsal Studios, Room 4 - Carrboro, NC

Things Referenced in this Song

• Maria Callas was a Greek-American opera singer.
• Enigma Variations is a piece of music by Edward Elgar.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1998-04-12 - Brownie's - New York City, NY
• 1998-04-17 - Custer Avenue Stages - San Francisco, CA
• 1998-04-23 - Black Watch Pub - Claremont, CA
• 1998-05-15 - The Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
• 2000-10-15 - Go! Rehearsal Studios, Room 4 - Carrboro, NC
• 2000-10-16 - Gate City Noise - Greensboro, NC
• 2001-06-23 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA (partial)
• 2001-10-19 - Mission Space - Baltimore, MD
• 2002-07-24 - Sound & Fury In-Store - New York, NY
• 2002-10-08 - McGarrigle's - Sligo, Ireland
• 2002-10-09 - Radio Na Life Session - Dublin, Ireland
• 2004-04-20 - Go! Rehearsal Studios, Room 4 - Carrboro, NC
• 2005-03-04 - Gate City Noise - Greensboro, NC
• 2005-07-04 - Fulton Mall Parking Garage - Brooklyn, NY
• 2008-10-14 - Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI
• 2008-10-20 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
• 2008-12-14 - The Zoo - Brisbane, Australia
• 2008-12-18 - San Francisco Bath House - Wellington, New Zealand
• 2016-04-17 - City Winery - New York, NY
• 2016-09-23 - Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL
• 2017-04-12 - The Corner Hotel - Melbourne, Australia
• 2018-04-21 - Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton Park, NY
• 2021-09-17 - Tower Theatre - Oklahoma City, OK
• 2022-12-05 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
• 2024-04-12 - Palace Theatre - Saint Paul, MN
• 2024-10-17 - Cahn Auditorium - Evanston, IL
• 2025-08-05 - Nevermore Hall - Baltimore, MD

Videos of this Song

• 2008-12-14 - The Zoo - Brisbane, Australia
• 2016-09-23 - Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL