No Children - The Mountain Goats // Sang By Audience (READ DESC)

Something about a whole crowd of people happily, joyfully singing a song about wanting to die— maybe even holding each other's hands during the chorus— makes me want to cry in a good way

I think this classifies as a modern day folk song now.

The crowd is singing in harmony, they sound so good actually. It both gives you chills and makes you feel comforted that so many people feel these lyrics

I have yet to find another song as angry and vindictive as No Children. It's real anger and resentment that's built up, everyone can find a piece of themselves in it because we've all been there, I think that's why this version of the song is so beautiful, a song about resentment bringing people together. Because in the end, tragedy really does bring us together

god now that ive heard it... these lyrics are beautifully haunting and about discord and hate between two people and now they've been turned into something with joy and laughter and clapping and harmony behind them somehow....... so good

There's so much to love in this audio clip. The way people start to clap on beat. John lost his voice, which is why you can only really hear the crowd, but you can still hear him weakly bleat out a couple of lines. The rising volume on everyone's favorite part (you'd stay the hell out of my way-hand in unlovable hand). In a lot of live versions, John changes the last line to "I hope we all die" and you can hear some people in the crowd anticipate that and incorporate it into their own singing. I've seen the Mountain Goats live a few times. No Children and This Year always bring the house down.

idk i think the song hits for people who have been in toxic relationships or grew up in an unstable household like. with divorce or domestic abuse or whatever. so i think hearing everyone sing this together and why it gives me chills is because it's a gathering of people who survived. people who are angry and grieving, but alive. the ppl at this concert are surrounded by ppl with the same grief and anger and they are safe together ykwim. this sounds like healing to me. this is everyone seeing themselves in strangers and doing the most human thing there is to do about it: make music. the same reason there are war songs and sea shanties and nursery rhymes about the plague. does this make sense

While everybody singing together is already wholesome, I love that you can just barely make out the person recording the audio quietly singing to themself at certain parts as well, especially around 1:50 and 2:14

ough this is beautiful. the clapping during the silence just to fill the air. everyone singing such a dark song with such jubilation. the way all of the united clapping stops at the end just to give way to uproarious cheering. this is what life is for

People are so beautiful. Look, we all know this bitter, bitter song about stagnation and isolation. Look, let's all sing it and smile and cheer because everyone here knows the feeling and love the song. Let's scream in joy. Look at the hurt we have felt and overcome.

Over 20 year old song. And it's still amazing. These things make humanity worth living for.

This is sublime. It’s literally the reason to be alive. Fuck yes.

Man this gave me goosebumps. In a way it reminds me of a sea shanty like Wellerman or Santiana. Songs that can have dark or sad lyrics but we sing our hearts out to in joy. The entire time I listened to this i could hear the smiles in these voices, it's really magical.

i would be dead if nobody recorded this btw

I'm sorry for anyone feeling this song a little too much right now. Have some lyrics to sing along with that crowd: I hope that our few remaining friends Give up on trying to save us I hope we come up with a fail-safe plot To piss off the dumb few that forgave us I hope the fences we mended Fall down beneath their own weight And I hope we hang on past the last exit I hope it's already too late And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here Someday burns down And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away And I never come back to this town again In my life, I hope I lie And tell everyone you were a good wife And I hope you die I hope we both die I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow I hope it bleeds all day long Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises We're pretty sure they're all wrong I hope it stays dark forever I hope the worst isn't over And I hope you blink before I do I hope I never get sober And I hope when you think of me years down the line You can't find one good thing to say And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out You'd stay the hell out of my way I am drowning There is no sign of land You are coming down with me Hand in unlovable hand And I hope you die I hope we both die

this literally made me sob. maybe we are worth saving

This song hits so different after what happened and also after consuming enough Moral Orel content to make me have all of Clay's rants memorized

saw them in concert for the first time last night and getting to experience this was incredible

thanks for making it just the song :) the others have all the talking but i just wanted a nice loop

ugh thank you for this, i saw the post last week and had a bit of a cry to it ! i love it so much !