Song for an Old Friend

Song for an Old Friend
Album	The Wheel Method
Released	1995
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:25
Previous Track	"Honkey Dancer" (Mean Spirit'd Robots)
Next Track	"I Withdraw These Strings from You" (Ramon Speed)

Song for an Old Friend is the second song on the compilation The Wheel Method. It was re-released on the compilation Bitter Melon Farm.

Lyrics

A garter snake passed lazily through the tall yellow-headed sourgrass
there was cold, clear water in a tall, clean glass
the sunlight hit the sides and it came through the water tilted
I saw the condensation on your hand 
I could feel the glaciers melting

And a warm, soft wind
Covered up everything
On the day your love came screaming through me

You had oranges and lemons in a canvas bag beside you
And seven different kinds of light welling up inside of you
You smeared citrus pulp all over me - it felt okay
Good old East Rutherford three thousand miles away

I felt the warm surge blast my mind
Coming in from behind
On the day your love came screaming through me

In the fresh light of day
I felt something falling away
On the day your love came screaming through me

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "This was to have been the first song for a post-Mountain Goats band called the Orange Trees, which would have eschewed home recording entirely and made slick little pop songs. In the end I decided that getting overlooked by one demographic was quite sufficient, thanks. There are some people in Canada who are very fond of this song and I love them for it, since I have a soft spot for it myself." - Bitter Melon Farm liner notes

Things Referenced in this Song

• East Rutherford is a borough in New Jersey and a suburb of Manhattan.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1997-03-xx - New York University - New York, NY
• 1997-06-20 - The Black Cat - Washington, D.C.
• 1997-07-16 - Capitol Theater - Olympia, WA
• 1998-04-12 - Brownie's - New York City, NY
• 1998-05-15 - The Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
• 1998-07-31 - The Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
• 1999-07-23 - CBGB - New York City, NY
• 1999-12-02 - Columbus, OH
• 2000-10-15 - Go! Rehearsal Studios, Room 4 - Carrboro, NC
• 2001-04-21 - The Olde Club - Swarthmore, PA
• 2001-06-23 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
• 2001-07-19 - Capitol Theater - Olympia, WA
• 2002-03-08 - The Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
• 2002-03-11 - The M-Shop - Ames, IA
• 2002-10-09 - The Cobblestone - Dublin, Ireland
• 2003-04-08 - Beta Bar - Tallahassee, FL
• 2005-06-19 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA
• 2005-07-02 - Old American Can Factory - Brooklyn, NY
• 2006-11-14 - The DL - AOL Session
• 2007-06-16 - Zoop - Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
• 2008-05-16 - Masonic Temple - Brooklyn, New York, NY
• 2009-03-18 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2009-03-20 - Attucks Theatre - Norfolk, VA
• 2011-04-15 - Theater of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
• 2011-06-20 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
• 2011-06-26 - Rhino's Youth Media Center & All-Ages Club - Plan-It-X Fest - Bloomington, IN
• 2012-01-27 - Cafe Eleven - St. Augustine, FL
• 2012-06-28 - Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA
• 2012-06-30 - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, CA
• 2012-07-01 - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, CA
• 2012-10-20 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Ontario
• 2015-09-08 - Off Broadway - St. Louis, MO
• 2015-11-17 - Trinity - Bristol, England
• 2016-12-04 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
• 2017-04-11 - The Toff in Town - Melbourne, Australia
• 2017-05-31 - The Mayan - Los Angeles, CA
• 2022-09-02 - Wilbur Theatre - Boston, MA
• 2023-02-08 - The Ramkat - Winston-Salem, NC
• 2023-07-02 - SPACE - Evanston, IL
• 2023-12-02 - The Queen - Wilmington, DE

Videos of this Song

• 2006-11-14 - The DL - AOL Session
• 2017-05-31 - The Mayan - Los Angeles, CA