Estate Sale Sign[1]
This song has an official music video.
Lyrics
Crude little wooden idols
And aviator shades
The trinkets and the treasures we
brought back from the Crusades
Some guy in an Impala[2] shakes his
head when he rides by
But I remember when we shared
a vision, you and I
Worked hard to build this altar
We made it earn its keep
The cracks across its surface
spiderweb while we're asleep
The sacrificial stains all
spreading out and soaking through
But I remember when
we kept it pretty, me and you
And high above the water
The eagle spots the fish
Every martyr in this jungle
Is gonna get his wish
Stock shots stupid stock shots
From the Pomona mall[3]
Set up like unloved icons
gathering dust up on the wall
From films no one remembers
They call down silently
But I remember when their names
were dear to you and me
Yeah
Pennies on the dollar
Everything's gotta go
The things that we
can't even give away
I don't wanna know
Try to see if secrets burn when
you hold them up into the light[4]
I remember when we loved
each other day and night
And high above the water
The eagle spots the fish
Every martyr in this jungle
Is gonna get his wish
Banter
- This is a song about some people. [Audience cheers.] Well, I’m glad that y'all are pro-people. I’d say that these two stand on the fence in the pro-people vs. anti-people great debate that we all live with everyday of our lives. (2011-03-28)
- This is a song about, um, you may find it necessary to get rid of all your stuff, at some point. Because all of the stuff seems toxic. This song is about the toxicity. That seems like not much of a theme for a song, but we did the best we could with our theme that we were assigned, by the crew of evil monks in robes with glass eyes who tell us what to write about. This is called 'Estate Sale Sign'. (2011-04-03)
- This is a song for when you get your divorce. I want you to think of it like that way, like, you know, like some people think, you know, 'I finally got my ankh tattoo, you know, I've been looking forward to that. And then I got it. I'd been talking about it for years and I finally got my ankh tattoo, so I got that in, covered, you know.' ... If you run into these people on the street, they might say to you, 'Finally got my divorce!' (2011-04-08)
Live Performances
Footnotes
1. A demo version of Estate Sale Sign was released on All Survivors Pack. Accordingly, Estate Sale Sign is part of the informal series of demos. (Credit: Annotated TMG)↩
2. The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to present. (Credit: Annotated TMG)↩
3. Pomona is a small southern California town east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire. John started the Mountain Goats while attending Pitzer College there. (Credit: Annotated TMG)↩
4. On the demo, John sings, "When you drag them out into the light". (Credit: Annotated TMG)↩