Tribe of the Horned Heart

Tribe of the Horned Heart is an unreleased song by the Mountain Goats. It was written for Transcendental Youth, but it did not make the cut.

Lyrics[]

You knew that they were out there by the signs they'd left behind
On old abandoned buildings, just some X's and some lines
Half-circles in the concrete, crescents in the snow
You could find the little beacons almost everywhere you'd go

Only people who were sick enough 
Knew how to read them right
I got sick when I was seventeen
And I'd hunt down signs all night

You'd listen for the voices in the generator's hum
Hang out behind the power plant and wait for them to come
Hints about their mission in the rustling of the surf
But no secrets can be kept from you if your faith is strong enough 

Only people who've been sick too long 
Can hold on to the hope
That some friendly ghost is listening to the prayers they learned to say 
At the slack end of the rope

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]

"We spent a lot of time in the recording studio last month...and ['Tribe of the Horned Heart'] was sort of on the list to maybe get to but it didn't happen, so it's like that's gonna be one of those songs that I just play live, and it's always special for play it for the first time." -- 2012-03-24 - Merkin Concert Hall - New York, NY
"This is a song about the, uh, brotherhood and sisterhood of the, uh, dispossessed and, uh, and the permanently disoriented." -- 2012-04-02 - The Barbican - London, England
"I don’t generally reblog my own stuff ‘n’ stuff but I consider this one of my better lyrics and I don’t think it’s widely known because I only played it like twice, so I’m doin the thing I don’t generally do" -- Tumblr

Things Referenced in this Song[]

Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]

Videos of this Song[]

2012-04-02 - The Barbican - London, England