The title & themes in this track borrow from the novel “The Magic Mountain” by Thomas Mann. The song tells the story of man, perhaps near death, who reflects on his youth and the Dionysian aspects of life (dancing, booze, sex, etc.). The novel tells the story of a WWI soldier, Hans Castrop, who visits his cousin at a sanatorium high up in the Swiss Alps, becomes ill, and then decides to stay till he recovers. During his stay, he meets various characters who all have an influence on Hans. Each character represents different ideologies & worldviews (humanism, radicalism, love, lust, & decadence).

Castrop spends 7 years at the sanatorium; however, most of the plot occurs during the first year. A key theme in this song & the novel is the passage of time. One character in the book even states:

Interest and novelty dispel or shorten the content of time, while monotony and emptiness hinder its passage.

Similarly in the song, FJM reflects on what seems meaningful to him (dancing, booze, sex) and sings “the longer, the better.” It seems he refuses to let go of these memories & move on.

In the novel, Castrop finally leaves the mountain when he has recovered from his illness, presumably to go back to the war and die. Death is another key theme in both the song & novel. Thomas Mann commented about this topic in the book that,

What Castorp learns to fathom is that all higher health must have passed through illness and death. […].This concept of illness and death, as a necessary passage to knowledge, health, and life, makes The Magic Mountain into a novel of initiation.

Death and rebirth symbolize growth in life. You let old parts of yourself die to allow new parts of yourself to emerge. Castrop’s recovery from his illness symbolizes his rebirth. The unfortunate thing about life is that it ends. We are mortal and we must accept this limitation. Leaving “Magic Mountain” symbolically represents a departure from youth and an acceptance of one’s own mortality. So, “Growing old on Magic Mountain,” metaphorically, is a refusal to move on with one’s life and grow as a person. FJM’s album is a commentary on the comedy of our existence, and this song is an observation of mankind’s Oedipal obsession with youth and our apprehension to let go of our silly, all-encompassing, ideologies.