Whole Wide World

Whole Wide World
Album	Sweden
Released	1995
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:13
Previous Track	"Deianara Crush"
Next Track	"Flashing Lights"

Whole Wide World is the sixth song on the album Sweden. It also appears as the sixth song on the 2021 live album The Jordan Lake Sessions: Volumes 3 and 4.

Lyrics

When the last of the repercussions 
Died off real slow 
The sky was still 
And the cold sun sank down beneath the snow 
I hung by my hand from the tree outside 
And I looked on the whole wide world

When the voices came quietly
I shut them down
When a tricky young southerly wind 
Came at me with its high whistling sound
I turned around to face it
With real arrogance burning inside
And I drank in the whole wide world

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "We'll play something super old in case there's people here who're waiting to hear... It was on a record called 'Sweden', which is kind of the record where I discovered that I like to get really quiet sometimes, right. Prior to that, I mainly liked to break a vein in my forehead and watch people react. Which is also fun." -- 2021-09-19 - George's Majestic Lounge - Fayetteville, AR

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1996-03-20 - The Garage - London, England
• 1998-07-31 - The Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
• 2001-12-07 - Good Records - Dallas, TX
• 2005-11-04 - Duke Coffeehouse - Durham, NC
• 2006-06-13 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
• 2008-03-19 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
• 2009-04-02 - Courtyard Café at University of Illinois - Champaign, IL
• 2009-11-21 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
• 2010-12-14 - Castro Theater - San Francisco, CA
• 2012-06-30 - McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, CA
• 2013-01-20 - Rock for Roe at The Pinhook - Durham, NC
• 2015-11-05 - Big Arts Schein Performance Hall - Sanibel Island Writer's Conference - Sanibel, FL
• 2016-10-26 - Downtown Artery - Fort Collins, CO
• 2016-10-29 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO
• 2017-07-09 - The Castle - Bloomington, IL
• 2017-09-10 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
• 2017-09-14 - Madrid Theatre - Kansas City, MO
• 2017-12-04 - Harvester Performance Center - Rocky Mount, VA
• 2019-05-14 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI
• 2021-04-18 - The Jordan Lake Sessions - Pittsboro, NC
• 2021-08-06 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
• 2021-08-08 - Saturn - Birmingham, AL
• 2021-08-12 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX
• 2021-08-16 - Meow Wolf - Santa Fe, NM
• 2021-08-19 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
• 2021-08-23 - Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI
• 2021-08-26 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
• 2021-08-27 - The Athenaeum Theatre - Columbus, OH
• 2021-09-19 - George's Majestic Lounge - Fayetteville, AR
• 2023-10-02 - Belly Up Tavern - Solana Beach, CA
• 2024-04-05 - Haw River Ballroom - Saxapahaw, NC