If You See Light

If You See Light
Album	Get Lonely
Released	2006
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	1:58
Previous Track	"Woke Up New"
Next Track	"Cobra Tattoo"

If You See Light is the 10th song on the album Get Lonely. A demo of it was posted on the Mountain Goats forums on by John Darnielle on April 15, 2008 along with several other demos to make up for the cancellation of their 2008 Australian tour.

Lyrics

When the villagers come to my door 
I will hide underneath the table in the dining room
Knees drawn up to my chest

When the villagers come to my door 
I will breathe shallow breaths from high up in my stomach 
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

Waiting for the front door to splinter
Waiting all winter

When the villagers come to my door 
I'll be all tucked away with my face to the floor
And my eyes closed

And no one knows how to keep secrets 'round here 
They tell everyone everything soon as they know
And then where is there left for poor sinners to go?

Waiting for the front door to splinter
Waiting all winter

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "... a riff on the Frankenstein monster hiding in a house while the villagers bombard the doors..." -- Dark, But Shining interview

Things Referenced in this Song

• The song's title is a reference to "Aus Heiterem Himmel" by Barbara Morgenstern.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 2006-08-21 - Easy Street Records - Queen Anne - Seattle, WA
• 2006-09-14 - Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN
• 2006-09-24 - Pearl Street Clubroom - Northampton, MA
• 2007-06-17 - Zoop - Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
• 2009-03-18 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2011-06-16 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
• 2023-02-08 - The Ramkat - Winston-Salem, NC
• 2023-02-09 - Elevation 27 - Virginia Beach, VA
• 2023-02-10 - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA
• 2023-02-11 - The Loud - Huntington, WV
• 2023-02-15 - Mickey's Black Box - Lititz, PA

References

Internet releases by John Darnielle

Exclusive: "Acceptable Damages Sutra" • "All Devils Here Now" • "Ballad of the Errant Scallop" • "The Big Unit" • "Brandy Let's Go" • "Bride" • "Counting Song for Bitter Children" • "Cut Off Their Thumbs #1" • "Deserters" • "Down Here Where the Bullet Bills Are" • "Extreme South #1" • "Flower Song" • "For the Krishnacore Bands" • "From TG&Y" • "Going Back to California" • "Going Invisible" • "Hye Kye" • "New Mountain Goats Tape Song" • "New World Emerging Blues" • "Pure Crystal" • "Short Song for Justin Bieber and His Paparazzi" • "Shot, Repeatedly, At Close Range, In the Chest, By Your Love" • "Sign of the Crow 2" • "Song for Sasha Banks" • "There Is Power in a Union" • "Thucydides II-58" • "Tyler Lambert's Grave"• "The Ultimate Jedi Who Wastes All the Other Jedi and Eats Their Bones" • "You and Me and a High Balcony" Released elsewhere: "Alibi • "Daniel 12:8 (first)" • "Exegetic Chains" • "For the Snakes" • "If You See Light" • "Let Me Bathe in Demonic Light" • "Michael Myers Resplendent" • "No Children" • "Ox Baker Triumphant" • "Surrounded" • "Until Olympius Returns" • "Wait for You"