Poisons and cures are both possible paths in “An Antidote for Strychnine.”

Track: “An Antidote for Strychnine”
Album: In League with Dragons (2019)

It is not a new observation to say that In League with Dragons is full of self reference. One of the songs is a sequel and most of the songs reference other songs either directly or indirectly. The entire Mountain Goats experience builds upon itself, with characters like Jenny or the Alpha Couple showing up all over the place. John Darnielle playfully put a line on the front cover of All Hail West Texas that seemingly says the exact number of people contained in the songs, as if he wants you to try to do the math if that’s your thing. It’s fun to find the Easter eggs and it’s rewarding to figure something out, even if it only is a meaning you can find yourself.

“An Antidote for Strychnine” is the longest song on In League with Dragons, but I think it may only have one direct reference to a previous song. “I may not ever get free,” plays with the findings of “Never Quite Free,” especially as the next line starts with a quieter, almost hushed, “but I may.” There’s also a mention of lab rats that people think is a call to “Lab Rat Blues,” so maybe there are two.

Six minutes is a very long time to spend in a Mountain Goats song. It’s long enough that the character makes us wonder what they’re doing. It’s insular, lonely work to deal with poison and cures. It’s what you do when you feel like the world has abandoned you. It’s what you do when you’re not sure if you want to get better or not and you need to prepare for both paths.