Handball

Handball
Album	Our Salvation Is in Hand
Released	1995
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:37
Previous Track	"Hit the North 3" (Party of One)
Next Track	"Waiting for My Wife" (John Davis)

Handball is the 24th song on the compilation Our Salvation Is in Hand. It was one of two Mountain Goats songs (the other being "Alpha Omega") to appear on the compilation. It was re-released on the compilation Protein Source of the Future...Now!.

Lyrics

I am the dry meat that fills the mouth
I am the fire that burns without wood
I am evil forest
I kill a man on the day that his life seems sweetest to him

I did not come to play hand ball
I did not come to play hand ball

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "You'll get nothing from me, do you hear? Nothing! Anything I know about this odd little song will go with me to the grave." — Protein Source of the Future...Now! liner notes

Things Referenced in this Song

The first four lines reference the novel Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1998-04-04 - Duke Coffeehouse - Durham, NC
• 2002-03-08 - WNUR Session - Evanston, IL
• 2009-04-04 - Earlham College - Richmond, IN
• 2009-06-14 - Zoop II - Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
• 2009-11-04 - Ladies Literary Club - Calvin College - Grand Rapids, MI
• 2009-11-05 - The Metro - Chicago, IL
• 2009-11-06 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
• 2009-11-11 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
• 2009-11-14 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
• 2009-11-18 - Antones - Austin, TX
• 2009-11-28 - Theater of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
• 2009-12-02 - Bell House - Brooklyn, NY