Modest Mouse
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

01   March Into the Sea (03:30)

If food needed pleasing you'd suck all the seasoning off,
Suck it off!
Well treat me like disease like the rats and the fleas,
A-ha-ha!
A-ha-ha!
Bang your head like a gong 'cause it's filled with all wrong!
A-ha-ha!
Clank clank clank!

If you think you know enough
To know you know you've had enough.
And if you think you don't you probably will.
Our tails wagged and then fell off, but we just turned back,
Marched into the sea.


Well treat me like the sea oh so salty and mean,
Ah-ha-ha!
Oh-ah-ah
Well treat me like disease like the rats and the fleas,
Ah-ha-haaa!

I'll be beating my heart's record for speeding.
I'll be beating the record for heart skipping.
And the dog-gone tails wagged then fell off
but we just turned back, marched into the sea.
Well we just turned round, marched into the sea.

Take all that you need like my sign says for free, till it's gone!
Till it's gone!
Well discard whom you please like the leaves off a tree,
A-ha-ha!
A-ha-ha!
Let's shake hands if you want but soon both hands are gone
Oh-ha-ha-ha-ha-haa!

Well treat me like the sea oh so salty and mean, ah-ha-ha.
Oh treat me like the sea oh so salty and mean ah-ha-ha.
Well treat me like disease like the rats and the fleas.
Bang your head like a gong 'cause you call it all wrong, move your tongue.

Clang Clang! Clang Clang! Clang Clang! Clang Claaang!

Cut me down like the trees like the lumber or weeds
Drag me out of the sea and then teach me to breathe
Give me forests half dead I wish death on myself
Give me forests so dead I wish death on myself

Ah! Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha!
Ha! Ha!
Ha! Haaaa!

Well we all stumbled round tangled up in the cords from our phones, V.C.R. and our wordly woes.

Ah! Ha! Ha!

March on!
March on!
March on!
MARCH ON!
Well March On!

02   Dashboard (04:06)

Well, it would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know.
Oh, the dashboard melted, but we still have the radio.

Oh, it should've been, could've been worse than you would ever know.
Well, you told me about nowhere well it sounds like someplace I'd like to go.

Oh, it could've been, should've been worse than you would ever know.
Well, the windshield was broken but I love the fresh air y'know.
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)

Oh, it would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know, oh!
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)
Oh, we talked about nothing which was more than I wanted you to know-oh-oh-oh-oh.
Now here we go!

Oh! It would've been, could've been worse than it had even gone
Well, the car was on blocks, but I was already where I want.
(It was impossible, we ran it good, we ran it good)

Why should we ever even ever really even get to know?
(It was impossible, we ran it good, we ran it good)
Oh if the world don't like us it'll shake us just like we were a co-oh-oh-oh-old.
Now here we go!

Well we scheme and we scheme but we always blow it
we've yet to crash, but we still might as well tow it
Standing at a light switch to each east and west horizon,
Every dawn you're surprising,
And the evening was consoling
Saying "See it wasn't quite as bad as"

Well, it would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know.

I was patiently erasing and recording the wrong episodes
after you had proved my point wrong,
It wasn't like I'd let it go, oh-oh-oh. Oh-oh-oh.
I just wanted to catch the last laugh of this show.

Yeah, it would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know.
Oh, the dashboard melted, but we still have the radio.
(The dashboard melted, but we ran it good, we ran it good)

Hard-wired to concieve, so much we'd have to stow it
Even needs have needs, tiny giants made of tinier giants.
Don't wear eyelids so I don't miss the last laugh of this show.
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)

Oh, we could've been, should've been worse than you would ever know.
(The dashboard melted but we still have the radio)
Well, you told me about nowhere well it sounds like someplace I'd like to go-oh-oh-oh-oh.
Now here we go!

Well we scheme and we scheme but we always blow it
we've yet to crash, but we still might as well tow it
Standing at a light switch to each east and west horizon,
Every dawn you're surprising,
And the evening was consoling
Saying "See it wasn't quite as bad as"

Oh it would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know.

03   Fire It Up (04:34)

Etceterenough [x8]

Fire it up, fire it up
When we finally turn it over
Make a B-line towards the border
Have a drink, you've had enough

Fire it up, fire it up
If you need some conversation
Bring a magazine to read around
Our broke down transportation

Fire it up
Etceterenough [x3]

Fire it up, fire it up
When we find the perfect water
We'll hang out on the shore
Just long enough to leave our clothes there

Find enough, find enough
Oh we ate all of the oranges
Off the navels of our lovers
Grabbed a book and read the cover

It honestly was beautifully done
Like trying to hide the daylight from the sun
But even if we had been sure enough it's true we really didn't know
Even if we knew which way to head but still we probably wouldn't go

Fire it up, fire it up
We pushed off we're rolling boulders
Crashing down the mirrored stairways
Two of life's best mine canaries

Fire it up, fire it up
When we fix the carburetor
Then we'll push off once again
In an hour or so later

It honestly was beautifully bold
Like trying to save an ice cube from the cold
But even if we had been sure enough it's true we really didn't know
Even if we knew which way to head but still we probably wouldn't go

Well we always [x2] had it all [x2]
[x3]

04   Florida (02:57)

Although we often wondered
There was no thing of wonder
The shit that flew from our minds
Grass stains and fresh fruit
Remind our shoes of horse glue
On this ridiculous climb
With great tunnel vision
We built ourselves a mission
To ride our motives design
Oh, what a vague description
Of what we have been missing
So why would anyone try

It was always worth it
That's the part I seem to hide
In the busy ant empire
Put up your closing sign

I wasn't always cargo
I was once kind of my own

I guess I'll pack up my mind
It took so much effort
Not to make an effort
Oh, what a flawless design

It was always worth it
That's the part I seem to hide
In the busy ant empire
Put up your closing sign

Even as I left Florida
(yee-ha)


It was always worth it
That's the part I seem to hide
In the busy ant empire
Put up your closing sign

Even as I left Florida
Far enough, far enough
Wasn't far enough

Couldn't quite seem to escape myself
Far enough, far enough
Far from Florida
We were all drowsing in cruise control
Far enough, far enough
Wasn't far enough

I stood on my heart supports thinkin'
"Oh my God, I'll probably have to carry this whole load."
I couldn't remember if I tried
I couldn't remember if I took my brain out, threw it so directly at the goal
I couldn't remember if I...
I could have my mind erased
And still not know exactly what I don't already know

Even as I left Florida

05   Parting of the Sensory (05:34)

06   Missed the Boat (04:24)

07   We've Got Everything (03:40)

08   Fly Trapped in a Jar (04:29)

09   Education (03:56)

Call it education
It was somewhere inbetween
You gave me some sound advice
But I wasn't listening

After we had capsized
I could tell you how you'd fall
Well I'm not sure if I've laid to rest
On the ceiling or the wall

Not quite conversation
It was somewhere in between
You said everything you thought
And I listened patiently
All this dog and pony
Still monkeys the whole time
We could not help from flingin' shit
In our modern suits and ties

Our instincts they were cringing
About how we lived our lives
It didn't seem we lived enough to even get to die
All these damn distractions, so beatifully complex
Well I love life's suprises so much
I don't want to know what's ahead

Stumbled and shouted and said "I don't do what you do"
I don't know could it really hit highly if you hardly care
And you don't stumble doin' it, stumble doin' it out everywhere

Hardly education, it was somewhere inbetween
Oh I hit the roof, but I had aimed for the ceiling

Hardly education, all them books I didn't read
They just sat there on my shelf, looking much smarter than me
Good ole' Nostradomus, he knew the whole damn time
There'll always be an east from west and someone in them fighting

Stumble and shouted and said "I don't do what you do"
I don't know could it really hit highly if you hardly care?
And you don't stumble doin' it, stumble doin' it out everywhere

Stumble doin' it, stumble doin' it, I don't know anyway
Stumble doin' it, stumble doin' it, I don't know
Could it really hit highly if you hardly care
And you don't, stumble doin it stubborn beauty, oh very well then

Stubborn beauty
Stubborn beauty, oh very well then
Stubborn beauty
Stubborn beauty, oh very well then
Stubborn beauty
Stubborn beauty, oh very well then

Oh very well then

10   Little Motel (04:44)

11   Steam Engenius (04:26)

I was born in the factory
Far away from the milk and teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?

You cheered as I was split in half
A mechanical, sacrificial calf for you
All for you

Steam engenius, you see?
Steam engenius, enough to answer anything you need
But what's the use?

Human nature was installed in me
Well I acted once right, but naturally it wasn't hatching love
Though not my fault, no

I held my hands, the beating heart of a robot
He left his car, it's sitting there burning now, waiting in the parking lot, just for you
What a waste of time, what a waste of words, what a waste of strength
But I suppose that by now you put forth all your effort, dizzy and late

I was born in a factory
Far away from the milk and teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use

Bliss through waters, I was split in half
A mechanical, sacrificial calf that flew
Oh, off they flew

Steam engenius you see?
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
And I like speed

I held my hands, the beating heart of a robot
He left his car, it's sitting there burning now, waiting in the parking lot, all all for you
What a waste of time, what a waste of words, what a waste of strength
But I suppose that by now you put forth all your effort, dizzy and late
[I was born in the factory]

Both hassle men, half like a joke trying to make another joke laugh
Ha ha

Stasis is what you got, like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw, rickshaw

In the past talking present tense
Gonna break it, gonna wreck, gonna try to make it all make sense

Stasis is what you got, like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw

Steam engenius you see?
Steam engenius enough to bring my own damn doom
What could I do?

I've been blamed then blamed the groom
While deep inside everybody knew it was them
It's caught on them

Things rain in stories Greek
I didn't want it, you gave me deity it was you
Yeah, all for you

I was born in a factory
Far away from the milk and tea
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?

I held my hands, the beating heart of a robot
He left his car, it's sitting there burning now, waiting in the parking lot, just just for you
I was brought up by man to think that I'm better then them, then reviered, admired, and then destroyed by them

Hell, that was own damn plan.

Well what a waste of time, waste of words,
a waste of breath
But I suppose that by now you put forth all your effort, couldn't anyway

I held my hands, the beating heart of a robot
He left his car, he's sitting there crying out, waiting in the parking lot, going whoo-hoo

Stasis is what you got, like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw

12   Spitting Venom (08:27)

We were spitting venom at most everyone we know
If the damned gave us a road map then we'd know just where to go
Now let it drop

Let it all drop
Let it all drop
Oh let it all fall off

Well you were talking soda pop
You were talking quite a lot
The opinions that I do not give
The opinions I ain't got
So let it drop

Let it all drop
Let it all drop
Let it all fall off there oh

Well you were spitting venom at most everyone you know
If you truly knew the gravity you'd know which way to go
Well let it drop

Let it drop
Let it all drop
Oh let it all fall off

My ears were bristled firmly right against your mouth to hear
When you tried to spit the venom out your words were not so clear
Now drop

Hold on to what you need
We've got a knack for fucked up history
Hold on to what you need
We've got a knack for messed up history

Well we went downtown, and we sat in the rain
Well looking what direction and waiting for a train and thought over
It's all over

I didn't know you kept track; I didn't know there was a score
Well it looks like you're the winner and I ain't gonna play no more
It's over
Game over

Well we walked real stiff and I came inside the ground
You hit me with yours
And said, "Pull yourself together"
It's over
Oh it's over

You can say what you want but don't act like you care
It takes more than one person to decide what's fair
It's over
Think it over

You were spitting venom at most everyone you know
If the damned gave you a road map then you'd know which way to go
So we carried all the groceries in while hauling out the trash
And if this doesn't make us motionless I do not know what can
What a rotten thing to say such an awful thing to say
I didn't mean to bite you so really
I always did what I always did what I always had to sling
So let it drop

Let it all drop
Let it all drop
Oh let it all fall off

Let it drop
Let it all drop
Let it drop
Oh let it all fall off

Cheer up baby, it wasn't always quite so bad
For every bit of venom that came out the antidote was had
[X7]

Cheer up

Cheer up baby, it wasn't always quite so bad
For every bit of venom that came out the antidote was had
[X6]

13   People as Places as People (03:42)

14   Invisible (03:59)

Well listen dancing shifter, got a strong cell phone arm.
Oh you're not invisible inside your car.
No matter what consuming sort of mission you're on,
Well you're not invisible inside your car.

So absolutely mental gonna ramble and charge
No you're not invisible inside your car.
No matter, you just breathe it like flies in a jar
Yeah, you're not invisible.

I like the saline tea.
Well it's true that the moon can pull it back and forth away from me
I should just let it be.
Well it's true that the moon can pull you back and forth away from me

Well it had to happen sometime
Gonna shake like a charm
Well we weren't invisible not all along
No matter how many eons came and are gone
We were not invisible

I like the saline tea
Well it's true that the moon can it pull back and forth away from me
And there's the orphaned sea,
We were never invisible but that I guess we didn't see.

Of course this all had been laid down way before
We laid down for it all before we had a course, of course
Of course this all had been laid down before

Of course we lay down
Of course we lay down
Of course we lay down
Of course we lay down
Of course we lay down
Of course we lay down
Of course we lay down

I like the saline tea
Well it's true that the moon can pull it back and forth away from me
And like the orphaned sea,
We were never invisible but that I guess we could not see

We'll get crushed by the ocean, but it will not get us wet.
We'll get crushed by the ocean, but it will not get us wet.
We'll get crushed by the ocean, but it will not get us wet.
We'll get crushed by the ocean, but it will not get us wet.