‘I hope we both die’: The Mountain Goats’ ‘No Children’ goes viral on TikTok

TikTok is home to many revived and remixed songs. But a 2002 Mountain Goats track is an unlikely revival.

The song "No Children," from the group's 2002 album Tallahassee, is a propulsive track about a divorce, infused with singer John Darnielle's pointed lyrics. "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" is one sample lyric.

As Vox details, the song saw popularity on TikTok earlier this year, but this month it went truly viral, as Gen Z took comfort in it and puzzled over it. Even more unlikely: The song has inspired a dance trend.

https://www.tiktok.com/@kelletubbie/video/7022072253026192646?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6891292833719813638

https://www.tiktok.com/@quillkeeper/video/7020457769450867974?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6891292833719813638&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

The Mountain Goats, founded by Darnielle in the early '90s, also has a pretty die-hard fanbase, and you'd think that when your favorite band's song goes viral in another context, there'd be some gatekeeping. Refreshingly, that doesn't seem to be the case.

https://www.tiktok.com/@11trotok/video/7020165609140882693?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6891292833719813638&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

The 54-year-old Darnielle told Vox that he's not one to contemplate virality that deeply: "If I’m sitting here thinking about my own virality too much, then I’m going to wind up stewing in an ocean of self-contempt." That said, he added that he's not going to try to capitalize on the moment by joining TikTok.

"There is a certain joy in sort of feeling like, well, the kids have got a thing going on that I’m not going to fully get," Darnielle told Vox. "But I can just enjoy watching. I think people fear getting older and fear that they’ll feel left out, but there’s a kind of buoyancy in that left-out quality sometimes, if you ride it the right way."

https://www.twitter.com/mountain_goats/status/1452424415371726851

But the Mountain Goats haven't been left out. Streams of "No Children" spiked on Spotify, and surpassed "This Year" as its most popular song. And there's now a movement to get the Mountain Goats to replace COVID-positive Ed Sheeran as this weekend's SNL musical guest, started by Darnielle himself. "TikTok Dancing Massive" has a ring to it.

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