Sudden Oak Death

Sudden Oak Death
Album	Moon Colony Bloodbath
Released	2009
Artist	the Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice
Length	3:16
Previous Track	"Scorpio Rising"
Next Track	"Columns Pillars Steps"

Sudden Oak Death is the fifth song on the collaboration EP Moon Colony Bloodbath.

Lyrics

Lose a little feeling in my fingers
Gain an edge of panic in my face
Search for some sign to tell me just how long I've been here
Overturn the place

Feels like each time my efforts fail
The whole hillsides disapprove
Feel like a man whose veins have frozen overnight
Lying there trying to move 

Yeah when the crack sounds in the wood
You will know that I'm down for good
When the crack sounds in the wood
You will know, old friend, that I'm down for good

I wanna try to stand my ground
Dig my heels into the hills
Hope someone will come to right my balance
No one will

Feels like when I try to stretch my legs
Everyone around me's trying too
So ready just to fall down, just to fall down
And to stay down
I don't wanna spoil the view

Yeah when the crack sounds in the wood
You will know that I'm down for good
When the crack sounds in the wood
You will know, old friend, that I'm down for good

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "It's just a song about how sometimes you -- how do I put this without it sounding even more emo than it already is? Look, I mean, it is too late, but i mean sometimes you have a bad day and you maybe for a moment think "Well I can't really go on like this" and if you are.. emo then you really mean it and you go home and cry because work sucked right so, that's not cool. but on the other hand sometimes you have a year where you think to yourself: "I'm not going to last. this isn't going to work out. I'm going to keep showing up for the things I'm supposed to show up for and I'm going to try and be a stand up dude or woman about it but I something has got to break. Something bad is going to happen." and you feel like that, and I hardly think I'm alone in that experience. So I compared it to a thing that happens with trees called 'sudden oak death'" -- 2009-04-06 - Buskirk-Chumley Theater - Bloomington, IN

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 2009-03-18 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2009-04-06 - Buskirk-Chumley Theater - Bloomington, IN