Songtext Cold at night The Mountain Goats

Cold at night

Let yourself go in the current
Only rise and fall as the angles allow
Finally make a break for the surface
Breathe in the sweet air of the here and now

Wake up in the arms of the earth
Fully present at the second birth

The first thing you learn is how strong you can be if you have to
And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night

Let the waves break where they have to break
Let the people make ready to approach the throne
Two are going to stumble along the way
One is going to go up alone
Fires gathering on a distant peak
Let me get some sleep before I speak

The first thing you learn is how far you can go with no gas in the tank
And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night

Lightly row, but this much I know:
The first thing you learn will be the last thing to go
Sharpen sticks and stab at the tide pools
Pitch a camp as close as we can to shore
Nobody thought to carry a compass
It's not the 19th century any more

On the third day you said you felt sick
I could hear the clock tick

The first thing you learn is there's always a clock ticking somewhere
And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night
The first thing you learn is how strong you can be if you have to, so strong
(And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night)
And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night
(And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night)
And the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night