“Creature Song” relies on a classic for the chorus but a John Darnielle original for the memorable verses.

Track: “Creature Song”
Album: Ghana (1999)

Like “Pure Sound,” “Creature Song” was released both on Goar Magazine #11 in 1995 and on the compilation Ghana in 1999. Goar was a music magazine in Germany in the 1990s and it is difficult to track down much beyond that. People have sold a few of this release in the last few years, so it is not unreasonable to think you could get one. I’ve never been that kind of collector, but I can understand the appeal of wanting to hold in your hand the release from 1995 that brought some small corner of the world two more Mountain Goats songs.

The chorus of “Creature Song” comes from The Tempest: “oh, brave new world // that has such people in it.” This happens in the older songs, though the references are usually a little harder to spot than this. The chorus stiches two verses together and the song is very short, even for an early Mountain Goats song. The first chorus is the sweet spot, I think, with a relatable opener in “I remember the sound of your voice // but none of what you said.” There are dozens of Mountain Goats songs from this era from the perspective of a narrator that can’t really understand another person but really wants to do so, and “Creature Song” could simply be another one. The nearly whispered delivery sets it apart, though, and it sticks with you to wonder what “no harm intended, no harm” means and what the “only choice” the narrator feels they have just might be exactly.