Matthew 25:21

Matthew 25:21
	;
Album	The Life of the World to Come
Released	2009
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	5:47
Previous Track	"1 John 4:16"
Next Track	"Deuteronomy 2:10"

Matthew 25:21 is the ninth song on the album The Life of the World to Come.

Bible Verse[]

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!' ^{NIV Translation}

Lyrics[]

They'd hooked you up
To a fentanyl drip
To mitigate the pain a little bit
I flew in
From Pennsylvania
When I heard the hour was coming fast
And I docked in Santa Barbara
Tried to brace myself
But you can't brace yourself
When the time comes
You just have to roll with the blast
And I'm an eighteen-wheeler headed down the interstate
And my brakes are going to give
And I won't know till it's too late
Tires screaming when I lose control
Try not to hurt too many people when I roll

Find the harbor freeway
And head south
Real tired
Head kind of light
I found Telegraph Road
I'd only seen the name on envelopes
Found the parking lot
And turned right
I felt all the details
Carving out space in my head
Tropicanas on the walk way
Neon red
Between the pain
And the pills trying to hold it at bay
Stands a traveler going somewhere far away
And I am an airplane tumbling wing over wing
Tried to listen to my instruments
They don't say anything
People screaming when the engines quit
I hope we're all in crash position when we hit

And then came to your bedside
And as it turns out
I'm not ready
And as though
You were speaking through a thick haze
You said hello to me
We all stood there around you
Happy to hear you speak
The last of something bright burning
Still burning
Beyond the cancer and the chemotherapy
And you were a presence full of light upon this earth
And I am a witness to your life and to its worth
It's three days later when I get the call
And there's nobody around to break my fall

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]

"I had to leave tour and cancel a tour date to go say goodbye to my mother-in-law who was dying and I wrote this song for her later." -- 2012-01-21 - Tipitina's - New Orleans, LA
"I wrote the chorus on an airplane when I was going to California to say goodbye to someone dying too young. I wrote the rest of the song about six months later in a hotel room in Northhampton, when the sting of her death was still fresh. It is my tribute to a mother whose absence is still felt daily by all who knew and loved her. I miss her so much." -- 7/29/2009 - The Life of the World to Come: a film by Rian Johnson, liner notes

Things Referenced in this Song[]

Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]

Videos of this Song[]

The Life of the World to Come

Track list: "1 Samuel 15:23" • "Psalms 40:2" • "Genesis 3:23" • "Philippians 3:20-21" • "Hebrews 11:40" • "Genesis 30:3" • "Romans 10:9 " • "1 John 4:16" • "Matthew 25:21" • "Deuteronomy 2:10" • "Isaiah 45:23" • "Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace"
Bonus tracks: "Enoch 18:14" • "Proverbs 6:27"
The Life of the World in Flux: "Daniel 12:8 (third)" • "Matthew 11:14-19"