Noctifer Birmingham

Noctifer Birmingham
Album	Fast Forward 2
Released	1995
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:30
Previous Track	"I Feel a Siren" (Virginia Dare)
Next Track	"Song for a Dead Friend" (Two Dollar Guitar)

Noctifer Birmingham is the 20th song on the compilation Fast Forward 2. It was re-released on the compilation Ghana.

Lyrics

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
And then 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 then 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

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "The patient listener is rewarded for slogging through this compilation with this, probably the high-water mark of the years 1992 – 95. In a rare show of restraint, I do not even once attempt here to physically destroy the guitar by playing it as hard as I can. It was recorded during the Super Bowl in 1994. Underused as a fight song during sporting events; overused for selling eyeshadow at popular cosmetics counters across the country and worldwide. One of my own personal favorites." -- Ghana liner notes

Things Referenced in this Song

• "Noctifer" means "evening star" in Latin.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1996-01-15 - Brownie's - New York City, NY
• 2012-06-30 - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, CA