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in: Tallahassee songs, Video, Alpha songs

Oceanographer's Choice

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Oceanographer's Choice
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Album

Tallahassee

Released

2002

Artist

the Mountain Goats

Length

4:08

Previous track

"Old College Try"

Next Track

"Alpha Rats Nest"

Oceanographer's Choice is the 13th track on the album Tallahassee. It was performed by Great Gray Buildings in Tallahassee Turns Ten.

Lyrics[]

Well
Guy in a skeleton costume
Comes up to the guy in the Superman suit
Runs through him with a broadsword
I flip the television off
Bring all the bright lights up
Turn the radio up loud
I don't know why I'm so persuaded
That if I think things through
Long enough and hard enough
I'll somehow get to you
But then you came in and we locked eyes
You kicked the ashtray over as we came toward each other
Stubbed my cigarette out against the west wall
Quickly lit another
Look at that
Would you look at that?
We're throwing off sparks
What will I do when I don't have you
To hold onto in the dark?

Yes
Everybody's going to need a witness
Everybody's going to need a little backup
In case the scene gets nasty
You throw the attic window open
And I throw myself all around you
And night comes to Tallahassee
I don't know why it's gotten harder
To keep myself away
Thought I'd finally beat the feeling back
It all came back today
And then we fell down and we locked arms
We knocked the dresser over as we rolled across the floor
I don't mean it when I tell you
That I don't love you any more
Look at that 
Would you look at that?
The way the ceiling starts to swerve
What will I do when I don't have you
When I finally get what I deserve?

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song[]

  • "It's another love song, sort of." -- 2003-06-27 - Mains D'oeuvres, Mofo Festival - Paris, France
  • "This is a song... about how people who love each other at some point have to decide what is the moment at which they start cutting their losses. This is a terrible moment if you're the person and a great moment if you're the songwriter." -- 2005-07-04 - Fulton Mall Parking Garage - Brooklyn, NY
  • "A lot of the songs I write are about situations that you're not likely to literally find yourself in. One hopes you can find a figurative use for them, you know, but the whole skeleton costume story, for example, if that happens to you, then you have better things to do with your money than buy records and listen to music. Therapy, jail ..." –– 2009-03-20 - Attucks Theatre - Norfolk, VA
  • "Or just whatever I'm watching, since, 'since '92, if the TV is on and I'm writing and I see something that amuses me, I'll take that image and I'll just fold it in, you know. Uh, 'Oceanographer's Choice' on, um, on Tallahassee, 'Guy in a skeleton costume runs up to the guy in a Superman suit, runs through him with a broadsword', I was watching a, a slasher movie, and I got that, and so I put that little description in and I put it in the house where the rest of the songs were taking place." -- 2019-07-23, Wheels Off with Rhett Miller podcast interview

Things Referenced in this Song[]

Live Shows this Song Was Played at[]

Videos of this Song[]



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