Orange Ball of Peace

Orange Ball of Peace
Album	Taking the Dative
Released	1994
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	1:25
Next Track	"Standard Bitter Love Song #8"

Orange Ball of Peace is the first song on the tape Taking the Dative. It was re-released on the compilation Ghana.

Lyrics

They wanted me to be a lawyer
They wanted me to work in a machine shop
They wanted me to be a designer
But I came out on top
I'm a fireman
I'm a fireman

Stand and watch the smoke
See the flames rise to the sky
I stand and watch the flames climb higher
I feel the smoke get in my eyes
I'm a fireman
I'm a fireman

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "This is about a guy's ambitions. You know, everybody has to have dreams. Even people whose dreams will surely result in some damage." -- 2009-11-10 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
• John clarified that the narrator of the song is an arsonist.[1] [2]

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1995-01-15 - The Chameleon - San Francisco, CA
• 1995-04-15 - Underground - Cologne, Germany
• 1998-04-04 - Duke Coffeehouse - Durham, NC
• 2009-11-10 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
• 2012-07-03 - Folk Music Center - Claremont, CA
• 2014-06-13 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA

Videos of this Song

• 2009-11-10 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA