This Year 365 songs: January 24th
Jan. 24th, 2026 12:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
js_thrill Today we are Going to Kirby Sigston
First off, I like this song a lot. Darnielle describes it as "one of the last few John-and-Rachel recordings", which suggests that (following the previous couple of annotations), we are hitting a somewhat significant turning point for the band.
Secondly, the lyrics for this song are nice, they paint a scene, and a relationship, without dwelling on it, too much. It's a good amount of specificity and enigma.
Finally, the other thing that comes out of the annotations is that Darnielle acquired a superfan on the British tour he went on, named Rik Albatross (which sounds entirely made up), and that superfan would send him postcards, cassettes, and so on, all about his thoughts and journeys and sometimes with his own songs on them. The song's name is taken directly from a postcard from Albatross, which informed Darnielle that he was "Going to Kirby Sigston."
And of course, from the annotated Mountain Goats site, which I came across trying to learn more about Rik Albatross, I have learned this fun fact:
Given the small size of the town, the song ultimately resulted in a local news article, in which locals expressed their confusion about the song:
First off, I like this song a lot. Darnielle describes it as "one of the last few John-and-Rachel recordings", which suggests that (following the previous couple of annotations), we are hitting a somewhat significant turning point for the band.
Secondly, the lyrics for this song are nice, they paint a scene, and a relationship, without dwelling on it, too much. It's a good amount of specificity and enigma.
Finally, the other thing that comes out of the annotations is that Darnielle acquired a superfan on the British tour he went on, named Rik Albatross (which sounds entirely made up), and that superfan would send him postcards, cassettes, and so on, all about his thoughts and journeys and sometimes with his own songs on them. The song's name is taken directly from a postcard from Albatross, which informed Darnielle that he was "Going to Kirby Sigston."
And of course, from the annotated Mountain Goats site, which I came across trying to learn more about Rik Albatross, I have learned this fun fact:
Given the small size of the town, the song ultimately resulted in a local news article, in which locals expressed their confusion about the song:
Few people have heard of the tiny North Yorkshire hamlet of Kirby Sigston. Located four miles east of Northallerton and near the busy A19, the scattered nature of the houses and farms often leave visitors confused about where the place begins and ends.
Strange then, that it has been chosen as a song title by a US indie rock band.
The Mountain Goats have named one of their tracks Going to Kirby Sigston.
The song has been played in locations including Amsterdam, Frankfurt and New York and is one of 42 numbers in the band's "Going to..." series.
It is safe to say that Kirby Sigston is the smallest place in the sequence, and lies between Kansas and Lebanon in the alphabetical list.
Lead singer and guitarist John Darnielle explained how the title came about.
He said: "The way it happened was a fan from Northallerton sent me a postcard from Kirby Sigston.
"I was really taken with the name, so I wrote the song."
The Mountain Goats formed in 1995 and are made up of John Darnielle, Peter Hughes and guest musicians.
Mr Darnielle made his first recordings in 1991 while working as a nurse in a hospital in California.
A forthcoming tour will take in dates across the US and Canada.
However, Going to Kirby Sigston is not an ode to the village's 12th Century church, former castle, village hall, cricket team or women's institute.
Instead, songs in the "Going to..." series are generally about needing to get out of a place and improve life by going somewhere new.
Kirby Sigston residents were slightly baffled at being told of the song, and even more puzzled at the existence of postcards bearing the village's name.
Linda Chapman, who has lived there for almost 25 years, said: "I cannot say I have heard of the Mountain Goats, but I think it is really quirky that they have put Kirby Sigston into one of their songs.
"There might not be a lot of people here in terms of population, but it is a thriving agricultural community with plenty going on.
"The countryside and the church are stunning."
Sadly, Kirby Sigston residents cannot buy copies of the song, as it has not been released and is only played live.
Chapman, Hannah (August 27, 2007). US band helps put North Yorkshire village on the map. The Northern Echo. Retrieved October 31, 2014
