Grendel is honored in death and a feud declared in “Grendel’s Mother.”

Track: “Grendel’s Mother”
Album: Zopilote Machine (1994)

Excluding “Going to Georgia,” which we will talk about another time, “Grendel’s Mother” may be the most memorable song from Zopilote Machine. It’s interesting that John Darnielle chose such a direct title, first off, though there’s not enough here that you’d know for certain it was about Grendel’s mother if you didn’t have that. That’s never stopped him before, but in this instance it tells us that this is the story of one of the monsters in the epic poem Beowulf. The hero killed Grendel and then had to deal with his mother, who was, unsurprisingly, angry.

“Grendel’s Mother” is sung as a love song and John Darnielle sometimes calls it one at live shows. It isn’t, it’s the story of a woman directly addressing someone who has killed her son and will soon kill her. She doesn’t know that, but what’s much more interesting is what she chooses to say. She tells us about the flaming boat she laid her son on and she tells us that she’s coming after the hero, whether he runs or not. Interestingly, she references Singapore, which is a delightful anachronism. She says “you and I both know what you’ve done,” but the delivery is not furious. “Grendel’s Mother” does not sound like a song where someone declares a fight to the death, but that’s what it is. It’s this dissonance that makes it so fascinating and it may take you a few listens at first to even realize what is happening.