Preparations are made for an event of high importance in “Water Song II.”

Track: “Water Song II”
Album: Hot Garden Stomp (1993)

“Whoever wrote these lyrics, he really does seem to say a lot of words.” – John Darnielle

The above quote comes from this City Winery show. In April of 2016, the Mountain Goats played three shows at City Winery in Chicago and three in New York. Most were taped and I suggest you listen to them, especially if you’ve never been able to see the band play live. The ensemble works well in this setting and it’s a great way to hear some of the earlier songs played in a new way.

That said, the only live performance I can find of “Water Song II” is from the solo set at one of those shows. John Darnielle plays it straight and while it would be great to hear with drums and horns, it’s just as interesting to hear the “original” version.

“Water Song II” really is wordy, even for a Mountain Goats song. Our narrator tells someone to expect water and lots of it, over and over. “When my friend gets here he will set things right,” they tell us, and this friend continues to be “splashing and gurgling for you.” You get the sense that exactly what’s happening here doesn’t really matter so much as the feeling of impending action. Much like flowing water, something inevitable is coming.

“The Water Song” that forces this one to have a “two” designation is from just the year before in 1992. The connection seems to be around water as a force. In the former song, one person uses water as a metaphor to tell another how they feel. In “Water Song II,” it’s less about feeling and more about doing, but it’s still about something that’s been coming on strong and is just about to happen, whether you’re ready or not.