“Trick Mirror” finds Seneca recording the violence of Nero but offers little hope for a resolution.

Track: “Trick Mirror”
Album: The Coroner’s Gambit (2000)

It is tempting sometimes to just tell stories about these songs. “Trick Mirror” is sometimes called “Seneca’s Trick Mirror” because Mountain Goats historian and super-fan Jon Nall listed it as such on his website. The distinction isn’t really important, as it’s clearly from the perspective of Seneca, tutor to the Roman emperor Nero. The song details Nero’s anger and madness as they consume him and Seneca fails to intervene. Interesting, Seneca seems to view himself as somewhat complicit, at least through inaction, as he mentions that no one stopped him.

Seneca was ordered to kill himself after he was found to be guilty of being part of a plot to kill Nero. History believes that he wasn’t guilty of it. It’s pretty hard to say, and given the time period and the temperament of Nero, maybe it doesn’t even matter. We don’t get much from Seneca here other than a detailing of events, and this one hasn’t been played live or discussed that I can find record of anywhere. John Darnielle has always been fascinated by true stories and it’s easy to see why this one is interesting. What are we to make of how Seneca leaves this story, detailing the violence but with no way out? Seneca just had to hope that someone after him would fix all this, which is truly a difficult way to leave this world.