Pale Green Things Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Got up before dawn
Went down to the racetrack
Riding with the windows down
Shortly after your first heart attack
You parked behind the paddock
Cracking asphalt underfoot
Coming up through the cracks
[Chorus]
Pale green things
Pale green things
[Verse 2]
You watched the horses run their workouts
You held your stopwatch in your left hand
And a Racing Form beneath your arm
Casting your gaze way out to no man's land
Sometimes I'll meet you out there
Lonely and frightened
Flicking my tongue out at the wet leaves
[Chorus]
Pale green things
Pale green things
Got up before dawn
Went down to the racetrack
Riding with the windows down
Shortly after your first heart attack
You parked behind the paddock
Cracking asphalt underfoot
Coming up through the cracks
[Chorus]
Pale green things
Pale green things
[Verse 2]
You watched the horses run their workouts
You held your stopwatch in your left hand
And a Racing Form beneath your arm
Casting your gaze way out to no man's land
Sometimes I'll meet you out there
Lonely and frightened
Flicking my tongue out at the wet leaves
[Chorus]
Pale green things
Pale green things
[Verse 3]
My sister called at 3 AM
Just last December
She told me how you'd died at last
At last
That morning at the racetrack
Was one thing I remembered
I turned it over in my mind
Like a living Chinese finger trap
Seaweed in Indiana sawgrass
[Chorus]
Pale green things
Pale green things
My sister called at 3 AM
Just last December
She told me how you'd died at last
At last
That morning at the racetrack
Was one thing I remembered
I turned it over in my mind
Like a living Chinese finger trap
Seaweed in Indiana sawgrass
[Chorus]
Pale green things
Pale green things
About
Genius Annotation
Track #13 on The Mountain Goats‘ ninth studio album The Sunset Tree.
Upon hearing of his abusive stepfather’s death, Darnielle was flooded with a number of long-repressed memories and emotions. One such memory was of his stepfather bringing him to the racetrack, which he recounts here. Though the pain and anger of Darnielle’s childhood memories predominate The Sunset Tree, “Pale Green Things” concludes the album on a soft, contemplative, and possibly forgiving note.
In the liner notes, Darnielle dedicates the album to his stepfather:
Made possible by my stepfather, Mike Noonan (1940-2004): may the peace which eluded you in life be yours now.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.Broom People
- 3.This Year
- 4.Dilaudid
- 5.Dance Music
- 8.Lion’s Teeth
- 10.Magpie
- 12.Love Love Love
- 13.Pale Green Things
Credits
Produced By
Written By
Performed By
Recorded At
Prairie Sun Recording Studio
Release Date
April 26, 2005
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