In “Teenage World,” the narrator is baffled by a present from someone they’re clearly fed up with in other ways.

Track: “Teenage World”
Album: Transmissions to Horace (1993) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

At a show in 2014, John Darnielle played every song from Transmissions to Horace and repeatedly referenced it with some self-deprecating commentary. Darnielle mostly walks a line between “the old songs aren’t as good” and “there are people who love these old songs” and the result is that everything gets played, but some of it gets played with a bit of a smile.

During “Teenage World” at that old-school set, Darnielle got one line into the song before he had to ask the crowd for a line. When you have hundreds and hundreds of songs in your catalog, you can be forgiven for not remembering every detail about all of them. I’ve always found it endearing that Darnielle is willing to play songs that he still loves but might not really know anymore. There are stories of fans having to pull up lyrics on their phone to help the band get through particularly obscure moments, but my favorite is a live performance of “Riches and Wonders” where Darnielle forgot a line, only to hear one lone female voice help out with “we are strong!” from the crowd. A Goats show is a unique experience, but a Goats show with older songs is something else entirely.

“Teenage World” is fairly straightforward: the narrator gets a gift of a rabbit and doesn’t know what it’s supposed to signify. They decide to make the best of it and drive the rabbit into the rich part of town while they roll on down the highway pumped up full of recreational ADHD drugs. It’s specific, but that feeling of not understanding your significant other is very relatable. “I’m sick and tired of trying to figure out your gestures?” We’ve all been there.