The Mountain Goats

[fox69]

"Chinese House Flowers"

"Chinese House Flowers"



The wax paper that I taped over the windows
Melted quick as chocolate in the heat
It'll probably never come off now
The windows look like frosted glass if you see them from the street

And the dim light that filters through
Casts a new light on you
It makes me get all misty because I remember something
And then I see a shadow

And I wanna follow you all the way down this time
I want to see what it is you're going down for
I want you more than I want anything
I want you the way you were

You were lying in the moonlight
Outside in the grass
When I heard an animal voice somewhere in the dark
And I saw a wing shadow pass

And just then the gleam in your eye
Made my blood freeze
There was something up above us
Rustling in the branches of the trees

And I pressed up against you again
I could hear your heartbeat, steady and hard and pure
I used to love you so much that I was sure it would kill me
And I want you the way you were

 

[fox69]

"Chinese Rifle Song"

"Chinese Rifle Song"


Lay out on the patio, dreaming [2x]
And the chinese rifles sounded in the evening air
I heard them popping off everywhere

I lay out on the patio, on the chaise lounge
I lay out on the patio, and I let my hand rest against the hot redwood frame
And the chinese rifles sounded again
Could not stomach their acumen

 

[fox69]

"Chino Love Song 1979"

"Chino Love Song 1979"



and the may sun shone down on california.
and the strawberries grew fat and full
and thick and red and as big as your fist
and the traffic on riverside drive was thin
but by no means non-existant.

when I saw you against the soda machine.
I saw you leaning there.

and your hand in the basket
was nimble-fingered, and red finger-nailed
and it made me remember the sunflower that popped-up outside my window one
morning in norwalk
it was bright yellow and it was real inviting
and I almost forgot that it was an intruder

and I saw you against the soda machine.
I saw you leaning there.

I saw you against the soda machine.
I saw you leaning there.

 

[fox69]

"Choked Out"

"Choked Out"



Diamonds in the firmament
All reserves completely spent
Someone set up the oxygen tent
Everybody here's real proud to present
Choked out

Two hundred dollar take-all purse
Half-nelson to suplex reverse
Worried look on the face of the ringside nurse
At one, for once, with the universe
Choked out
Choked out, choked out, choked out

I stretch and strain with all my might
Drift off into the velvety arms of the night
Kick and claw and scratch and bite
Fire up the grill, everybody eats tonight
Choked out

No brakes down
An endless dark incline
Most of the boys
Won't ever cross this line
If they all want to die dead broke that's fine, that's fine
Everybody's got their limits
Nobody's found mine

Crowd screaming like hounds at the heat of the chase
All the colors of the rainbow flood my face
I lift right off into space
I can see the future, it's a real dark place
Choked out, choked out, choked out
Choked out, choked out, choked out

 

[fox69]

"Cobra Tattoo"

"Cobra Tattoo"



Sun just clearing the tree line when my day begins
Slippery ice on the bridges, northeastern wind coming in
You will bruise my head, I will strike your heel
Drive past woods of northern pine, try not to let go of the wheel

Dream at night
Girl with the cobra tattoo
On her arm
Its head flaring out like a parachute

Prisms in the dewdrops in the underbrush
Skate case sailors' purses floating down in the black needle rush
Higher than the stars I will set my throne
God does not need Abraham, God can raise children from stones

Dream at night
Girl with the cobra tattoo
And try to hear
The garbled transmissions coming through

 

[fox69]

"Cobscook Bay"

"Cobscook Bay"



We're alone most of the time these days.
Jill used to come by, but she went away.
And gail used to come around and trash the joint,
But she moved off to dana point.
And you went along, just for the ride,
And you both committed suicide.
And day is breaking over cobscook bay.
And I've never seen anything like it in my life.

Cow gave birth and her calves are snow white
The huddle up close together at night.
And the mamma cow leans down and cleans her young.
Licking their faces with her tongue,
And unmarked airplanes buzz the air.
And you're falling off that cliff somewhere in California --
Which I've never seen.
I put the pieces all together, but I don't know what they mean,
And day is breaking over cobscook bay.
And I've never seen anything like it in my life

 

[fox69]

"Coco-Yam Song"

"Coco-Yam Song"



A neighboring clan went on the attack
And stole all the giant coco-yams from the barn out back
I will make them pay for taking my yams away

I carved out little figurines of thieves
Burned a palmful of red dust from the medicine bag
Broke a kola nut in half, i hate half of it myself
Sat back and watched the evening drag
I will make them regret that they haven't brought my yams back yet

 

[fox69]

"Cold Milk Bottle"

"Cold Milk Bottle"



Rainbows shone on the glass
Dew drops gathered on the grass
And the yellow sun came into view
Another goddamn message from you

Well, despite your best efforts I feel alright
Against my better judgment I feel alright
Despite your random acts of violence I feel alright
Despite the force of your fury I feel alright

You're mean to me
Why must you be mean to me?
You shouldn't forget, you see
What you mean to me

 

[fox69]

"Color In Your Cheeks"

"Color In Your Cheeks"



She came in on the red eye to Dallas-Ft. Worth
All the way from sunny Taipei
Skin the color of a walnut shell
And a baseball cap holding down her black hair

And she came here after midnight
The hot weather made her feel right at home
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, it'll put color in your cheeks

He drove in from Mexicali, no worse for wear
Money to burn, time to kill
But five minutes looking in his eyes and we all knew
He was broken pretty bad so we gave him what we had

We cleared a space for him to sleep in
And we let the silence that's our trademark make its presence felt
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, it'll put color in your cheeks

They came in by the dozens, walking or crawling
Some were bright-eyed, some were dead on their feet
And they came from Zimbabwe or from Soviet Georgia
East St. Louis or from Paris or they lived across the street

But they came, and when they finally made it here
It was the least we could do to make our welcome clear
Come on in, we haven't slept for weeks
Drink some of this, it'll put color in your cheeks

 

[fox69]

"Commandante"

"Commandante"



I'm gonna drink more whiskey than Brendan Behan
I'm gonna send my belongings all to Tripoli
and I'm gonna ride home to California
With a banjo on my knee

I'm never gonna turn off the television
I'm just gonna let it run all night
I'm gonna plant root vegetables out in the backyard
And come summer I am going to treat you right

So put on your Chairman Mao coat
And let me clear my throat
Let's turn this whole town upside-down
Shake it 'til the coins come falling out of its pockets
Yeah put on your Che Guevara pin
Call the troops on in
We're gonna sail through the night sky like a pair of bottle rockets

I got a great big secret written down somewhere
I got a rosary to protect us both from harm
I got a storage locker full of cow figurines
And a laundry list of grievances longer than my arm
And I am never going back to Cincinatti
All those bridges have burned down to the ground
I got that jet pack strapped to my back
And I'm waiting for you to come around

Yeah, put on your Chairman Mao coat
And let me clear my throat
Let's turn this whole place upside-down
And shake it 'til the coins come dropping out of its pockets
Yeah put on your Che Guevara pin
Call the troops on in
We're gonna sail through the night sky like a pair of bottle rockets