Lyrically, it seems to be another of Jeff Tweedy's experiments with the "cut-up" technique (which he used extensively on previous albums), where one pulls random words out of a hat and then reassembles them to create a verse. More or less, you allow the words to unveil their own meaning as you construct phrases.
It would explain why each verse seems randomly assembled and why, from verse to verse, there's little cohesion. Take the first bridge, for example:
Hide in the weeds
The orchestra
Is proving death again
If nothing else, the lyrics evoke a feeling of instability and brewing unrest: a panther getting ready to pounce; nerves worn thin to the point of breaking.
Musically, it also reflects a sense of brooding calm. The track is built on a melancholy, vaguely Far Eastern-sounding pattern, played on marimba, along with understated percussion, acoustic guitar, electric bass, and droplets of plaintive piano. Oh, and a bass harmonica drops in on each bridge for good measure, too (it actually fits beautifully into the quirky puzzle).
But the literal crowning touch is Glenn Kotche's bucket drumming at the close of the track; it comes out of nowhere and marches boldly, hand-in-hand, with the piano to the end.
It's as quirky and gorgeous a track as Wilco has ever produced.
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