The Only Thing I Know

The Only Thing I Know
Album	Orange Raja, Blood Royal
Released	1995
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	3:04
Previous Track	"Blood Royal"
Next Track	"Raja Vocative"

The Only Thing I Know is the second song on the single Orange Raja, Blood Royal. It was re-released on the compilation Ghana.

Lyrics

When you came back from Trenton
All the sparkle was gone
You stood in the shadow
And the curtains were drawn

And I know you're lying
And you know you're lying too
That is just about the only thing I know about you

When you pocketed your eyeshadow
And you picked up the phone
Stepped out on the balcony
And drank in the drone

And I know you're leaving
And you know you're leaving too
That is just about the only thing I know about you

And you stopped on the sidewalk
And you looked up above you
Warm wet air came down to shelter me
How much do I love you

Well you know you're dying
And I know you're dying too
That is just about the only thing I know about you

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "This was on a four-song seven-inch out of Walt Records out of New Jersey -- not New Jersey, out of Long Island! [Peter: Port Washington] Port Washington, Long Island, damn right. But the seven-inch did have a map of New Jersey on the front, hence my confusion." -- 2019-09-09 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR

Things Referenced in this Song

• Trenton is the capital city of New Jersey.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1996-09-11 - Argo - Denton, TX
• 2017-09-13 - Englert Theatre - Iowa City, IA (partial)
• 2019-09-07 - McDonald Theatre - Eugene, OR
• 2019-09-09 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
• 2019-09-12 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA