The Day the Aliens Came (Hawaiian Feeling)

The Day the Aliens Came (Hawaiian Feeling)
Album	Come, Come to the Sunset Tree
Released	2005
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	3:31
Previous Track	"Song for Dennis Brown"

The Day the Aliens Came (Hawaiian Feeling) is the 11th song on the album Come, Come to the Sunset Tree.

Lyrics

I will wake up at six A.M. again
And I will find my way to the front door
Like a soldier crawling through the smoking carnage
Smoldering bodies at my feet
I'd love to stick around but I've got someone to meet
And I will put my best foot forward
And I'll thank God I made it out of there
On the day when my new friends come

I will present myself in my nice white tuxedo jacket
And I will look out at the day through my dark sunglasses
And take in the scene
The house behind me and the people in it
Will all go up like steam in just a minute
There's gonna be a redefining of some borders
And I will receive my orders
On the day when my new friends come

The rooftops and the sidewalks
Will all melt like plastic
And oh friends, old friends, dear friends
I'm gonna look fantastic

There won't be any reason left to cry
'Cause there won't be any people left to cry for
My memory's gonna vaporize itself
And my Italian shoes, well they will be to die for
I believe I can fly
Might you look up at me and wave goodbye
On the day when my new friends come

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "This was on the vinyl edition of The Sunset Tree...It's a song about how sometimes you find yourself living in a house and you think 'I have to get out of here', but maybe you're too young to get out of there, or you don't have any money, or you don't have any means or anywhere to go, and yet, you cling firmly to the idea that someday you will escape through some means, maybe Batman will show up in his car outside or something, and other people might laugh and say 'Man, John, Batman's not coming to save you', and you think 'Look, man, between me and Batman and you, I'll take Batman.'" -- 2010-06-15 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
• "This is, like, my favorite song to play. It's about escaping from a place that you really desperately need to escape from, and having to invent fantastic scenarios that allow you to escape through your mind. It's called 'Hawaiian Feeling,' or 'The Day the Aliens Came.'" -- 2012-01-31 - Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, NC
• “But then after we moved here, I, you know, I wasn't quite sure what we were gonna do and our original contract with 4AD was for three records, and I sort of, because I'm me and I'm kind of defeatist and I have a thing about worrying that nobody actually likes me and someday this will all be taken away, you know, I was like, well, we're gonna get to the third album on the contract and then you have to go back to the nursing business, right, so that's why I sort of like opened up and said, ‘well, I'm gonna tell a story that is true for the third record cause it'll probably be the last Mountain Goats record that ever gets made’ was the thinking in my mind. And I started writing these songs that became the Sunset Tree and one of them we didn't get a studio version I was happy with, but I think it's kind of one of the truer numbers of the bunch that became the Sunset Tree because it's about how if you are in a situation that you cannot get out of and a lot of people say, well I can't get out, but if you are 16 you can't get out, right, you can't leave. You can try, they bring you back and then it sucks worse. So this is a song about wanting someone to come and help you with your awesome plans. It's called The Day The Aliens Came.” —2013-01-20 - Rock for Roe at The Pinhook - Durham, NC

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 2004-12-04 - Wedge Gallery - Asheville, NC
• 2005-01-26 - WELH Session - Providence, RI
• 2005-03-04 - Gate City Noise - Greensboro, NC
• 2007-05-11 - Sound Fix - Brooklyn, NY
• 2009-03-18 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC
• 2009-03-20 - Attucks Theatre - Norfolk, VA
• 2009-03-21 - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue - Washington, D.C.
• 2009-03-24 - Pearl Street - Northampton, MA
• 2009-03-25 - Somerville Theater - Somerville, MA
• 2009-03-27 - The Society for Ethical Culture - New York, NY
• 2009-06-13 - Zoop II - Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
• 2009-12-16 - Second City - Chicago, IL
• 2010-03-13 - Harvest of Hope Festival - St. Augustine, FL
• 2010-04-09 - San Francisco Bath House - Wellington, New Zealand
• 2010-04-11 - The Zoo - Brisbane, Australia
• 2010-06-15 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
• 2010-06-16 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
• 2010-07-31 - Holidays for Quince Benefit - The Pinhook - Durham, NC
• 2010-09-08 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, England
• 2010-09-09 - Koko - London, England
• 2010-09-10 - End of the Road Festival - Salisbury, England
• 2010-10-04 - The Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS
• 2010-10-08 - Austin City Limits Festival - Austin, TX
• 2010-11-12 - Chapman University's Memorial Hall - Orange County, CA
• 2011-04-07 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
• 2011-05-22 - Whelan's - Dublin, Ireland
• 2011-05-25 - Koko - London, England
• 2011-06-18 - Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR
• 2011-06-20 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
• 2011-06-21 - The Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA
• 2011-06-23 - El Rey Theater - Los Angeles, CA
• 2011-07-13 - 1982 Bar - Gainesville, FL
• 2012-01-25 - The Crowbar - Tampa, FL
• 2012-01-30 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA
• 2012-01-31 - Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, NC
• 2012-02-03 - The Blind Tiger - Greensboro, NC
• 2012-02-04 - The Haw River Ballroom - Saxapahaw, NC
• 2012-03-09 - 35 Denton Festival - Denton, TX
• 2012-05-09 - The Toff in Town - Melbourne, Australia
• 2012-06-25 - Mission Theater - Portland, OR
• 2012-10-13 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
• 2012-12-01 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN
• 2013-01-20 - Rock for Roe at The Pinhook - Durham, NC
• 2015-09-10 - Vega - Lincoln, NE
• 2015-11-14 - Whelan's - Dublin, Ireland
• 2016-04-08 - The Blind Pig - Ann Arbor, MI
• 2016-04-09 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
• 2019-01-28 - Live from Wizards of the Coast HQ - Renton, WA
• 2021-10-16 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
• 2021-12-15 - The Jefferson Theater - Charlottesville, VA
• 2023-12-13 - Vinyl Music Hall - Penascola, FL
• 2024-02-29 - Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA

Videos of this Song

• 2010-06-15 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
• 2011-04-07 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
• 2011-06-18 - Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR
• 2012-03-09 - 35 Denton Festival - Denton, TX
• 2012-06-25 - Mission Theater - Portland, OR
• 2013-01-20 - Rock for Roe at The Pinhook - Durham, NC
• 2015-11-14 - Whelan's - Dublin, Ireland
• 2019-01-28 - Live from Wizards of the Coast HQ - Renton, WA

The Sunset Tree
Track list: "You or Your Memory" • "Broom People" • "This Year" • "Dilaudid" • "Dance Music" • "Dinu Lipatti's Bones" • "Up the Wolves" • "Lion's Teeth" • "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod" • "Magpie" • "Song for Dennis Brown" • "Love Love Love" • "Pale Green Things" Come, Come to the Sunset Tree: "Collapsing Stars" • "High Doses #2" • "The Day the Aliens Came (Hawaiian Feeling)"