This song is named after a Southern Californian wrestler that as a child, singer-songwriter John Darnielle saw give an interview. Ox Baker threatened to make Chavo Guerrero’s eyes bleed, and John came to associate him with an evil so primal that it couldn’t be expressed.
The idea of a wrestler leav...
[Verse 1]
I will rise from the swamp
Where they dumped my private plane
I'll be clutching the life preserver in my teeth
And I will find the highway
And I will flag down a truck
Worry lines on my forehead
Blank stare underneath
[Chorus 1]
And when I come back to town
I'm gonna cast my burden down
A little worse for wear
Practically walking on air
[Verse 2]
I will thank my ride
And crawl my way back inside
To the guts of the building
Where my enemies hide in the dark like roaches
And I will signal the camera crew
And everyone will do what he's been trained how to do
Sweat dripping from my face
As my moment approaches
[Chorus 2]
Click your heels, count to three
I bet you never expected me
A little worse for wear
Practically walking on air
Ox Baker Triumphant was written by John Darnielle.
Ox Baker Triumphant was produced by Tony Doogan.
The Mountain Goats released Ox Baker Triumphant on Mon Apr 03 2006.
When introducing this song, John Darnielle usually mentions a particular interview with Ox Baker before a match against Chavo Guerrero. At Swedish American Hall in 2016, John commented on “Ox Baker Triumphant”:
He gave this interview, and I won’t repeat the long sentences, but it was –I ramble, rig...