The Mountain Goats

[fox69]

"Noctifer Birmingham"

"Noctifer Birmingham"



i had to stop and catch my breath
when the telephone rang out as loud as death
it was three in the morning
there was a low drone of katydids behind your voice
when i came down from harrisburg pennsylvania
and i saw you by the highway

you asked me if the north was alright
and i said it got kind of cold at night
i could feel your bones shivering way down there in birmingham
and when i came down from harrisburg pennsylvania
and i saw you by the highway

you reminded me of all the things you'd given up forever
and you asked about the children
and you asked about the weather
and then i came down from harrisburg pennsylvania
and i saw you by the highway

 

[fox69]

"Oceanographer's Choice"

"Oceanographer's Choice"



Well, guy in a skeleton costume comes up to the guy in the Superman suit
Runs through him with a broadsword
I flip the television off, bring all the bright lights up
Turn the radio up loud

I don't know why I'm so persuaded
That if I think things through
Long enough and hard enough
I'll somehow get to you

But then you came in and we locked eyes
You kicked the ashtray over as we came toward each other
Stubbed my cigarette out against the west wall
Quickly lit another

Look at that, would you look at that?
We're throwing off sparks
What will I do when I don't have you
To hold onto in the dark?

Yes, everybody's going to need a witness
Everybody's going to need a little backup in case the scene gets nasty
You throw the attic window open and I throw myself all around you
And night comes to Tallahassee

I don't know why it's gotten harder to keep myself away
Thought I'd finally beat the feeling back, it all came back today
And then we fell down and we locked arms, we knocked the dresser over as we rolled across the floor
I don't mean it when I tell you that I don't love you anymore

Look at that, would you look at that?
The way the ceiling starts to swerve
What will I do when I don't have you?
When I finally get what I deserve

 

[fox69]

"Old College Try"

"Old College Try"



From the housetops to the gutters
From the ocean to the shore
The warning signs have all been bright and garish
Far too great in number to ignore

From the cities to the swamplands
From the highways to the hills
Our love has never had a leg to stand on
From the aspirins to the cross-tops to the Elavils

But I will walk
Down to the end with you
If you will come
All the way down with me

From the entrance to the exit
Is longer than it looks from where we stand
I want to say I'm sorry for stuff I haven't done yet
Things will shortly get completely out of hand

I can feel it in the rotten air tonight
In the tips of my fingers, in the skin on my face
In the weak last gasp of the evening's dying light
In the way those eyes I've always loved illuminate this place

Like a trashcan fire in a prison cell
Like the searchlights in the parking lots of hell
I will walk down to the end with you
If you will come all the way down with me

 

[fox69]

"Omega Blaster"

"Omega Blaster"



You've come back from yosemite
You brought an aromatic cedar bookmark for me
And a brand new stuffed bear
It's summertime, you've cut your hair
And i am leaving you, and i am sorry

You come in through the back door
Why're you coming in like that, smiling for?
I've got something i need to tell you
I can feel your smile burning through
And i am leaving you, and i am sorry

 

[fox69]

"One Frozen River"

"One Frozen River"



When my old friend came crawling up the hill,
Broken and bloody,
Carrying her hair in clumps in her hands,
I let her right on in,
Let her right in.

When she stood at the kitchen window,
Staring out at the countryside,
And then she looked my way.
I let her right on in,
Let her right in.

And when she was stronger than she'd been before,
I opened the front door.
And then i opened the back door.
And the sunlight poured in.
Yeah

 

[fox69]

"One Winter At Alpha Point Privative"

"One Winter At Alpha Point Privative"



What the hell kind of deal is it here anyway?
how much does it cost and how long can you stay?
should we dance? should we sing? should we curse? should we pray?
do I have to hang on every single word that you say?
every hour, every minute, every second of the day
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

what the hell's going on at the end of the debate?
there's nothing you can do but?
could we sit down over there? could we sit down any place?
can you feel the spirit moving? can you feel god's grace?
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

ever since I've married you I've wondered what it means.
that every single shirt I owned was?
every single piece of clothing, every last pair of jeans,
all the reds, all the whites, all the yellows, all the greens.
I'm sure that there's a reason all of this is happening.
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

 

[fox69]

"Onions"

"Onions"



The last white slabs of snow
Melted off seven weeks ago
And the geese are headed north again
Through the tightening sky

And I can feel my heart in my throat again
New onions growing in the ground

The cows come gingerly out of the barn
And when they see that the ground is warm
They pick up a little speed, it makes me feel so good
And I feel it rushing down my throat, fresh blood

I head out onto the earth
Its cold heart is melting
I don't know if I can stand it

Springtime's coming
That means you'll be coming back around
New onions growing underground
Underground

 

[fox69]

"Ontario"

"Ontario"



I know what my weaknesses are
Probably better than you do
Revolutionary Chinese propaganda
The color of blue

I thought I knew what my weaknesses were anyway
And then the orange tree blossomed last Saturday
And there was nothing in it but pain for me

I know what can hurt me real bad
And what can't hurt me anymore
I know how to rise up with the sun
And I am learning what sleep's good for

I thought I'd figured out the world in its circular way
Then I saw the sun fall out of the sky the other day
There was nothing in it but pain for me

Squirrels climbing trees in bloom
Soft yellow light spilling into the room
My favorite records
My favorite books

The people I loved
The people I almost loved
Light beckoning, wind whistling
Hey hey, hey hey

Daybreak, river rolling
Hey, hey
La la la la

 

[fox69]

"Orange Ball Of Hate"

"Orange Ball Of Hate"



When I hear the screeching weather vane
in the wild wind and the hissing rain
I know that one of us, I'm not saying who,
has got rocks in her head
as the rain comes through the open window
But you don't think so

I sure do love you
I sure do love you

When I notice that the radio is broken
I see you standing there in the doorway soaking
The water drizzles off of you down to the floor
and I say that I don't want to live in New England anymore
Some flower petals stick to your skin
I grab hold of your hip, and I pull you in

When the building establishes control
When the thunder from the north begins to roll down our way
I know I've been right all along
and you start singing that stupid children's song
You think I don't know it
but I just don't feel like singing it

I sure do love you
I sure do love you

 

[fox69]

"Orange Ball Of Love"

"Orange Ball Of Love"



When I catch sight of your face
And the late light falling on it
I feel scared and I scope the area out for a good place to hide
When I feel the way your fingers
Wiggle in my palm
I feel warm and I feel good inside

And I know that you're wearing a wire
But as the sun becomes a blazing orange ball of fire
I lose interest in this and other such inconsequential questions

When you kick off your shoes
And I see the wet grass give way underneath your feet
And the sunset rears up once more to its burial ground
Well, you look so sweet

And I know you'll be turning me in
But I also know your real name's not amy lynn
And as the orange globe rears up to swallow us, too,
I see you look at me and figure out what I know about you
Well, I'm not telling
I'm not telling you anything