“Going to Lebanon 2” recalls a song from decades earlier, but it recalls a time much older than that.

Track: “Going to Lebanon 2”
Album: Songs for Pierre Chuvin (2020)

There are about a dozen “sequel” Mountain Goats songs. You can generally tell because they explicitly have numbers in the title, usually “2.” It’s probably not something you need me to call out that “Going to Lebanon 2” is the sequel to “Going to Lebanon,” but I do think it’s interesting that both versions have been officially released. In the case of “Insurance Fraud #2” there is no #1, it’s just the second take and the one that the band kept. For “Heel Turn 2,” there is a “Heel Turn 1,” but it’s in many ways an opposite song and a live-only track. We could go on.

The point is, it’s deliberate. The band wants you to associate these two songs. The original suggests a sweetness, with the Bright Mountain Choir singing behind John Darnielle and a more romantic, possibly, interpretation. It’s easy to see that in a lot of those songs with the call-and-response dynamic, but even if that reading isn’t correct, it’s inarguably got a different tone than the second version. “Going to Lebanon 2” seems to follow people who are on the brink of an ending, similar to other narrators across the album. The difference is in what is suggested. The way I read it, the narrators are judging their conquerors for not understanding the value of what they have. “Remember our grandfathers // whenever we need a reason,” suggests holding on to traditions, not looking for gold and silver. Perhaps this is an oversimplification, but I read it as a form of inner rebellion. They may take what they think you value, but they can’t take what actually matters as long as you’re willing to keep it.