Seeing Daylight

Seeing Daylight
Album	Beautiful Rat Sunset
Released	1994
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	3:20
Previous Track	"Going to Maryland"
Next Track	"Resonant Bell World"

Seeing Daylight is the seventh song on the EP Beautiful Rat Sunset.

Lyrics

Two cans clear chicken broth
Two white onions
One bulb garlic

Boil boil
Boil boil

And the screams of delight from the pool outside
The splashing sounds
The coffee heating up on the stove
The sky outside the color of pure fresh milk

Boil boil
Boil boil

And the phone ringing, and me picking it up
And watching myself do so
In the quiet room
In the June evening 
And your voice on the other end
And the impossibility of your voice on the other end
And the impossible echo inside

Boil boil
Boil boil

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "This was on a ten-inch E.P. called Beautiful Rat Sunset. The rat on the cover, his name was Mister Do, and may he rest in peace. A moment of silence for Mister Do. I don't know why that -- it is sad that the rat had to die, but at the same time, if he was still alive today, he would be like some kind of freak super-rat. That was a very long time ago, and rats don't live that long. If they did, you would know that something was wrong in the air or the water. So, so then he would say, I mean, long life to the rat, but it's bad news for the rest of us that he has lived this long. And then Mister Do would sit in his cage on Loretto Court with an evil glint in his eye, saying to himself, 'I know a secret that no one knows.' That would be the whole situation with Mister Do. Fortunately for all of us, none of that happened, he just died after the normal course of life of a rat. He lived his good life, as you would expect if you are a rat. I play this song for Mister Do, and it's called 'Seeing Daylight'." -- 2011-03-28 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
• "Here's a song about death." -- 2011-03-29 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1995-04-20 - Magasin 4 - Brussels, Belgium
• 1995-04-22 - Fast Forward Festival - Dooroosje Club - Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• 1996-02-25 - Tower Musikclub - Bremen, Germany
• 1996-03-14 - Broadway Kino - Essen, Belgium
• 1996-03-20 - The Garage - London, England
• 1996-09-02 - Tokyo Rose - Charlottesville, VA
• 2000-10-16 - Gate City Noise - Greensboro, NC
• 2002-03-07 - Independent Media Center - Urbana, IL
• 2010-07-31 - Holidays for Quince Benefit - The Pinhook - Durham, NC
• 2011-02-15 - University of Washington - Meany Hall - Seattle, WA
• 2011-03-25 - 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.
• 2011-03-26 - Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center - York, PA
• 2011-03-28 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
• 2011-03-29 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
• 2011-03-30 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
• 2011-04-03 - The Opera House - Toronto, Ontario
• 2011-04-05 - The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
• 2011-04-10 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2011-04-11 - Wexner Center - Columbus, OH
• 2011-04-12 - Mr. Smalls - Millvale, PA
• 2011-04-14 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
• 2011-05-25 - Koko - London, England
• 2011-05-27 - Manchester Academy 3 - Manchester, England
• 2011-05-28 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, England
• 2011-05-29 - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow, Scotland
• 2011-06-14 - The Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
• 2011-06-16 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
• 2011-06-20 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
• 2012-06-25 - Mission Theater - Portland, OR
• 2016-02-25 - High Dive - Gainesville, FL
• 2016-02-28 - Noise Pop 2016 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA
• 2017-09-08 - Bijou Theatre - Knoxville, TN

Videos of this Song

• 2011-04-10 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2012-06-25 - Mission Theater - Portland, OR