Alpha Omega

Alpha Omega
Album	Our Salvation Is in Hand
Released	1995
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:22
Previous Track	"Teach Us" (Father)
Next Track	"Untitled" (National Heroes)

Alpha Omega is the seventh song on the compilation Our Salvation Is in Hand. It was one of two Mountain Goats songs (the other being "Handball") to appear on the compilation. It was re-released on the compilation Protein Source of the Future...Now!.

Lyrics

On the morning you went away
The air was humid and the sky was gray
I had boiled peanuts for breakfast from Cairo, Georgia

The air was wet, my face was wetter
The pink flowers along the western window made me feel better
I turned the air conditioner on
Found the note on scented stationary - you were long gone
I had boiled peanuts for breakfast from Cairo, Georgia

I popped the top off of the aluminum can
Let the brine slide down my fingers, man
It was warm, it was warm on my skin
But I felt the cold blast looming on in
I had boiled peanuts for breakfast from Cairo, Georgia

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "It is the last song in the Alpha series and it sort of tells the, the very anticlimactic end of the story." -- 2000-10-19 - WFMU Session - New York, NY
• "It was supposed to be the last song in the Alpha series, but it didn't quite work out that way." -- 2011-04-14 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1996-01-15 - Brownie's - New York City, NY
• 1996-01-18 - WNUR Session - Evanston, IL
• 1996-09-02 - Tokyo Rose - Charlottesville, VA
• 1996-10-29 - Stockholm, Sweden
• 1996-11-11 - Schauspielhaus - Bochum, Germany
• 1996-11-22 - Slattery's - Dublin, Ireland
• 1997-06-20 - The Black Cat - Washington, D.C.
• 1997-07-16 - Capitol Theater - Olympia, WA
• 2000-10-19 - WFMU Session - WFMU Studios - Jersey City, NJ
• 2001-02-10 - The Maintenance Shop - Ames, IA
• 2001-07-19 - Capitol Theater - Olympia, WA
• 2001-08-03 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA
• 2002-11-03 - The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
• 2002-11-13 - Opolis - Norman, OK
• 2002-12-07 - Amstel Festival - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2003-02-06 - Spitz - London, England
• 2003-04-06 - Go! Rehearsal Studios, Room 4 - Carrboro, NC
• 2003-08-23 - Breadstretchers - Springfield, IL
• 2004-03-27 - VPRO Session - Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 2004-04-20 - Go! Rehearsal Studios, Room 4 - Carrboro, NC
• 2004-10-18 - The EARL - Atlanta, GA
• 2004-10-19 - Village Tavern - Mt. Pleasant, SC
• 2006-08-21 - KEXP Session - Seattle, WA
• 2006-08-21 - Easy Street Records - Queen Anne - Seattle, WA
• 2008-06-06 - Natural History Museum - Los Angeles, CA
• 2008-12-06 - Cambridge Hotel - Newcastle, Australia
• 2009-02-25 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA
• 2009-03-18 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2009-06-13 - Zoop II - Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
• 2009-11-04 - Ladies Literary Club - Calvin College - Grand Rapids, MI
• 2009-11-18 - Antones - Austin, TX
• 2010-04-13 - Manning Bar - Sydney, Australia
• 2010-07-31 - Holidays for Quince Benefit - The Pinhook - Durham, NC
• 2011-04-14 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
• 2012-07-01 - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, CA
• 2013-06-05 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ
• 2013-06-16 - Space - Evanston, IL
• 2013-10-12 - Handelsbeurs - Ghent, Belgium
• 2015-05-08 - Shaky Knees Festival - Atlanta, GA
• 2017-10-11 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - London, England
• 2018-04-14 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Ontario
• 2018-09-02 - Sing Out Loud Festival - St. Augustine, FL
• 2019-05-14 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI
• 2019-09-28 - City Winery - Philadelphia, PA
• 2020-02-20 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA
• 2022-05-21 - The Sylvee - Madison, WI
• 2022-09-18 - Tipitina's - New Orleans, LA
• 2023-12-02 - The Queen - Wilmington, DE
• 2023-12-12 - Georgia Theatre - Athens, GA
• 2024-04-06 - The Eastern - Atlanta, GA
• 2024-04-13 - The City Center - Champaign, IL
• 2024-05-24 - Barrowland, Glasgow, Scotland

Videos of this Song

• 2008-12-06 - Cambridge Hotel - Newcastle, Australia
• 2009-02-25 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA