Genesis 30:3 — The Mountain Goats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hajocz5c59w

When a song is written with a background; when it samples a context, it gains and loses meaning. Casual listeners will find it less open, but it can also be more rewarding with a bit of effort. Done tastefully, it shouldn't matter.

So: John Darnielle wrote an album of biblically-influenced songs. Genesis 30:3 is based off the stories of Jacob, Rachel, and Bilhah; it is at once immediately accessible through its basis as well as emotionally uncertain — almost cryptic. The song, as the verse, is gorgeous and sublime and graceful, if you will.

I'm not sure how much analysis I can perform without burying Caesar, rather than praising him. I want you to read the verse for yourself and perform your own interpretation. There's not much left to be said about the Old Testament, I think.