Where this was said
Classics, T.S. Eliot, and the Poetry Behind the Lyrics
At 29:00 · chapter starts 28:50
Jason leads Marcus through what he was studying at Edinburgh: classics, Greek and Latin, the kind of degree that leads to law or parliament in the UK but has no clear vocational path. Marcus defends it warmly: it gives you access to poetry, philosophy, language, storytelling, ancient history, and anthropology — all through the original texts. He describes the moment at 17 when he fell into T.S. Eliot and suddenly words had new depth. He drew direct connections between Homer's classical references and Eliot's allusions. He talks about sitting in coffee shops in Hudson, New York during the Prizefighter recording sessions with Aaron Dessner at Long Pond, doing his morning pages and reading poetry 'like a real twat,' fully leaning into his identity. The hosts are visibly fascinated.
Marcus studied classics at Edinburgh before dropping out for music. Reading Homer led him to T.S. Eliot at 17. That love of language and poetry became the bedrock of how he writes lyrics today.
Marcus Mumford studied classics — Greek and Latin — at Edinburgh University before dropping out to play drums for Laura Marling.
