The best part of a funny song like this is when a really beautiful line comes out of the blue. "I've got to carry you to heaven, and despite what you'd imagine, I have trouble bearing heavy things aloft."

Josh is just this big silly nerd who tells these delightful little stories in collaboration with some friends and some musical instruments. His obvious enjoyment for playing music is infectious and creates this one of a kind atmosphere in which you simply can't help but to be a huge fan!

this is legit one of my favorite songs of all time. and with so many amazing Josh Ritter songs out there, that is high praise indeed.

As a young boy I read as many stories of Camelot as I could find at my school's library. I wonder in my first listening to this song, was the Angel actually the fallen angel? If so, Gallahad was a, ahem... Sir Gallahad, was a fool to take off his armour. Story aside, that finger-picking is great to hear! You're a heck of a guitarist, Mr. Ritter.

Whats better than a song thats easy on the ears and makes you laugh. what some say is trivial I say is terrific. good job again Josh

I was there! It was incredible, and became very, very evident why it couldn't be on the radio. I could only make it to one Wits this year, and I'm glad it was this one.

Quite possibly my favorite usage of a plot twist, gets me everytime.

@aarondavenport3143

6 жыл бұрын

ok so I think this song is amazing, but can somebody give me their take on the last verse because I'm curious to know if I'm on the right track with my interpretation - is the narrator the angel and the angel thus a man conning sir Galahad out of his armor?

@punchsideiron8502

6 жыл бұрын

My guess is that the angel's warning about how much Heaven sucks was from personal experience, so he killed Galahad and took his identity, that he could finally enjoy earthly pleasures instead of being stuck guarding a grail.

@izzydds

2 жыл бұрын

Agree with both. We have to accept that the Angel is an Angel, as this is what we are told... though the narrator goes to 1st person in the last line. But my take is that the Angel wants to delight in earthly pleasures, thus the identity theft

If Neil Gaiman hadn't mentioned the live stream of WITS on twitter then I would have missed this wonderful night of entertainment. This song was a fitting end to a wonderful evening.

This song is magnificently catholic and medieval and worldly and funny. It has a moral of the story as well, things are not always as they seem.

It has been ages since I have heard this type of music. Thank you, great job,

What an odd way to fingerpick. Wow, it works for him. Sounds great.

pharyngulated! thanks to PZ for sharing this link.

"When women call me hansome, when the stable boys look lonesome, I'll hold my virtue very firmly by myself"... "I guarantee you'll hold it often, said the angel" HAHAH :)

@TheBlackstealth

7 жыл бұрын

SaigonVlog Explain please? reference? euphemism? innuendo?

@aarondavenport3143

6 жыл бұрын

"Virtue" up until Victorian age, in French lit. we spent an entire day on the meanings of this word, but among other things it often has to do with ones libido and how they act upon it. Usually it's in the context of female characters and referring to their innocence, like not sleeping around lol it's a very clever lyric in this way at least I think so. So on one level Galahad is saying "being homosexual or not, I will not indulge in passions of the flesh" and the angel is like "well if you're not going to sin with your body you'll still be sinning with your mind." Now there are all kinds of Christian references/analogies/innuendos that are all going way over my head (like 'stable boys' I recognize but I'm Jewish so don't really know the story well enough so there is a lot I'm missing. That said, a more direct level of understanding the verse is Galahad simply trying to say: "I want to be an angel/angelic so I'll not be sleeping around, I'll keep my phallus well guarded and close 'at hand' - note pun'" and the angel twists Galahad's intended meaning into: "I guarantee you'll hold it often," meaning instead of guarding his penis Galahad will be masturbating/playing with it" and also implying that Galahad will be "doing a lot of self-pleasuring as one of the lonely few who are worthy to make it through the pearly gates." I'd love to hear anybody else's opinion on the meanings too I'm sure I'm missing a whole bunch of layers this song is so incredible

@TheBlackstealth

6 жыл бұрын

Ah thank you very much for that explanation, I was thinking along those lines, but wasn't quite sure exactly how that all came together. I'm clearly not very well cultured, and can't exactly google this for a quick explanation. Thanks!

@spinningreelsofrhyme

5 жыл бұрын

Excellent songwriting!

this was awesome :D I saw the webcast last night and had a blast. will you be uploading the rest of the songs? there's nothing better than Josh Ritter in HD :) thanks!

I have trouble bearing heavy things aloft.

@J0hnnyH3mps33d It looks like he's holding back laughter

He's trying not to laugh.

He does weird things with his mouth between verses

@eliassosa9530

5 жыл бұрын

Just a tic to keep rhythm and cadence. You'll see it a lot during live performances - random facial queues or twitching - if they don't have an earpiece in.

I don't understand why it can't be on radio when there's dirty crap spewed out by "musicians" such as Lil Wayne on the radio all the time.