Saying this is one of my favourite songs is like saying it’s one of my favourite kick in the balls.

I've been listening to this band for years. I've always loved their music. Today my grandmother passed away. She was my parents. When everyone else turned me away and gave up on me she was the one who raised me as her own. You are a presence of light upon this earth. And I am a witness to your life and to its worth.

Matthew 25:21 - His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

The first time I heard this song, I cried. Now, with my my father more than 1000 kms away from me, dying of multiple cancers, this song is killing me because years ago I didn't know it was gonna be about me. It kills me yet I can't stop listening to it. Darnielle is the closest to an angel or a wise man that humans can get. "As it turns out, I'm not ready"

My boyfriend loves The Mountain Goats, so I wanted to surprise him by singing his favorite song. I asked him what that would be and he sent me this link. I understand why he likes it, this song is amazing. I almost lost my grandmother to cancer before I was even born, so this one hits home for me. :) I hope he likes it.

4:44 That break in his voice, it gets me everytime

Beautiful song. " Try not to hurt to many people when I roll" that line punches me in the stomach every time.

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written

"I wasn't ready." Are we ever ready, John?

My best friend commited suicide this morning, shot his head off. I can not get over it this soon, but you, John Darnielle, honestly are the only reason I am partially sane right now. Thank you so much for you're impact on my life.

I usually listened to this because it's a sad song and for a band like the mountain goats there aren't that many songs that feel like massive gut punches, but after i learned what this song was actually about, it became a song i can only relate to, because i had a similar situation this january when me and my brother were woken up at 4:50 by our mother bawling in sorrow, to go down to the hospital to see our father who had a steep decline in health by the early morning, and by the afternoon my father had passed away, i will always feel a connection to this song now and it's one of the few songs to have that honor. Thank you John for continuing to being one of the best songwriters. and thank you dad, for all the times I didn't care for what you had to say, you were still my dad and i'll always love you for that

If you don't like The Mountain Goats then we can't be friends.

My eyes well up almost every time i listen to this song on the record... But watching him get choked up "...between the cancer and the chemotherapy..." I just about went blind with tears man... Pure emotion.

He is an extraordinary artist and human being. The fact that he wrote this about his mother-in-law really gets to me.

I've listened to this song many times, but not since my mother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer last October. This is the first time I've really heard it. I love this man, so much.

There is never a time that I will be able to hear this song and not cry a little. Simply beautiful song.

Coming up on six years since cancer took my father. This is my go to song. It doesn't get any more real than this. I don't know what I would do without John's music.

I've never cried this much while watching a video. I just got lost in the song and his emotions.

My grandad died of a heart attack when I was 5. Its very hard to lose someone, let alone write a song. I feel very sorry for the singer. I love the mountain goats.

We lost my father to cancer late last year, and I had this played at his funeral. The story of that day played similarly to this. This is the first time I'ver heard it since, and I've gone through it twice already. I'm on the third listen. I owe a lot of credit to this song for helping me be able to grieve, and a lot to John and The Mountain Goats for helping me through a lot of strange patches in life. I know everybody says similar things about every band, but TMG has been a fitting soundtrack for my adult life. Thank you for this, poster Paul Martinez. And thank you John Darnielle.

The last few lines, my God, it aches in places I've wanted to hide for months now.

John played this song last night at a NARAL benefit (after repeated pleas from the audience). Pretty sure I wasn't the only person in tears when it was done.

This is so heartbreaking. I lost my grandmother to cancer last year and this song is always hard for me to hear, but its still an outstanding song..

I think nearly every musical artist has at least one piece that reduces them to shambles. This song, along with perhaps Pale Green Things, are what I am lead to believe are those certain works that represent all the tremendous sadness that can boil inside anyone. John, you represent humanity itself.

I have to PREPARE to listen to this song. I can't listen to it regularly or I will weep. But I suppose you cannot truly prepare for anything, can you?

My oldest brother died in 2001. This song is amazing--the details so vivid, but so different from my experience. But I listen and cry: it captures a true and clear memory (the details do carve out a space) and a good cry. I am still not ready.

I paste here the full lyrics to this song. (Keep reading this comment to see them) "Matthew 25:21" They'd hooked you up to a fentanyl drip To mitigate the pain a little bit I flew in from Pennsylvania When I heard the hour was coming fast And I docked in Santa Barbara Tried to brace myself But you can't brace yourself When the time comes you just have to roll with the blast And I'm an eighteen wheeler headed down the interstate And my brakes are going to give and I won't know until it's too late Tires screaming when I lose control Try not to hurt too many people when I roll Find the harbor freeway and head south Real tired, head kind of light I found Telegraph Road, I'd only seen the name on envelopes Found the parking lot and turned right I felt all the details carving out space in my head Tropicana's on the walkway, neon red Between the pain and the pills trying to hold it at bay Stands a traveler going somewhere far away And I am an airplane tumbling wing over wing Tried to listen to my instruments, they don't say anything People screaming when the engines quit I hope we're all in crash position when we hit And then came to your bedside And as it turns out, I'm not ready And as though you were speaking through a thick haze You said hello to me We all stood there around you Happy to hear you speak The last of something bright burning, still burning Beyond the cancer and the chemotherapy And you were a presence full of light upon this earth And I am a witness to your life and to its worth It's three days later when I get the call And there's nobody around to break my fall

Definately one of my all-time favorite Darnielle compositions. The lyrics convey so much...

This gets me every time. I miss you, Mom. #FCancer

a few chords and a little story can really knock the wind out of me

It's okay to hurt, and to be prepared for what's coming yet it doesn't hurt any less Beautiful song

I had no idea this was gonna mess my day up.

Discovered this song the night my dad died.

Heard him sing this live last night in Seaside, FL, and the tears welled up. Its truth is devastating.

perfect wording...

this is the only song i have ever heard that actually made me shed a few tears

Five and a half years ago my father, aged 64. Two years ago my mother, aged 64. Now my uncle, aged 64, diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer. Then I died inside to be able to handle the loss. Now I chain smoke and wait for 64, because I know what's coming....

at 27 I've lost too many friends form drugs. Fortunately(or unfortunately) im stilll here. but this song hits home everytime. its' a tough shitty society that promotes shit music, movies, and shit everything. great great song, with actual emotion, not ooo ooo ooo baby baby baby. ughhhh

it gets me every time

Tears. Everywhere.

I haven't actually Listen to the lyrics and I am in tears thank you for bring this joy into my life

... so pure.

Wish I'd requested this song live in Atlanta a few days ago. One of my most cherished. Damn. Great show though. Thanks for the upload.

Oh my god! Thank you so much for uploading this! This is one of my favorite songs of of The Life of the World to Come! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Heartbreaking.

GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!!!!

My sincere thanks to John Darnielle for this song in particular.

To the poster who wished they'd requested this song at a concert in Atlanta, wouldn't it be better if we just listened to this beautiful version?

great fuckn tone man! the couple of times I've seen TMGs live I've also been really enamoured with JD's guitar sound.

every time!

@MelleB90 I see what you're saying. My thoughts were on the subject matter and the emotion of the performance.

@MelleB90 If you watch him perform the song live he say demerol.

It would be great if @edstipe uploaded the right lyrics to correct the faulty auto transcription. Songs like this deserve to be understood completely.

If your eyes are dry at the end of this, you have no pulse.

@MelleB90 this is a song about feelings he genuinely felt at the time. maybe one day when he's dying he'll write a song about that. why shouldn't he be able to grieve just because someone else has it worse?

@TheKingofQwerty I love you too

Ugh, how did someone blow the levels on this recording? Painful as the performance is very good.

@MightyMo2901 I really do. I really like it, and I love you so much.

We maketh so

this reminds me of my gram

I think this might even beat the In Flux version for how gutting it is. God.

@slowdives Yeah I know, of course he has the right to do so. It just feels like I'm invading his personal life by listening to this song... Does that make sense?

try not to hurt too many people when I roll

matthew is my actual name.

My name's Matthew.

Do you enjoy making grown men weep John? >:(

@TheEffinity I don't think I get it, then. TWO lines of the song are about the person actually suffering, the rest is "You died and this is how it made ME, myself and I feel" Doesn't really focus on the appropriate in my mind. Also, fentanyl became demerol ;]

trying to start a pointless argument when under such a serious song... get a life

What's this Bible I keep hearing about? Must be one of them comic books...