the Mountain Goats Wiki

Tabbed by Lord of Dutch (Andrew London)

[intro]
finger pick the lowest strings with an E chord. Listen for timing.

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E
Up and down the shining aisles
A
The all-night grocery store on Melrose
F#m
Dozens of us exiles from the mother-ship
A                                      B
The whole wide Western world is at our fingertips

E
The while moon hangs high above the city
A
And while the night begins to flex its jaws
F#m
We meet up like a loose-knit congregation
A                                  B
Or like spies who need to pass on information

G#m                                     F#m
How much longer are we supposed to stay alive?
                 A          B                 E
Gathering by the Portuguese sardines in aisle five

[intro]
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E
Mounds of California avocados
A
Like offerings to an unresponsive god
F#m
I wore my suit from Hong Kong to the store tonight
A                 B
        'Cause it fits me just right

E
And suddenly the lights out in the parking lot
A
Begin to burst like sodas under pressure
F#m
One by one they throw themselves against the night sky
A                              B
And almost unremarked upon the moment passes by

C#m
Though one or two of us
Am       
Point our fingers outside
A                   B
Eyes glazed, mouths wide

[intro]
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E
Listening to that still small voice within us
A
Doesn't seem to do us any good
F#m
Try to take that in stride
A                         B
And try to let the moment slide

E
And we fiddle with our cellphones
A
Until our thumbs are sore
F#m
And the music on the speakers overhead
A                                 B
Is fainter than the voices of the dead

G#m                                     F#m
How much longer are we supposed to stay alive?
                 A          B                 E
Gathering by the Portuguese sardines in aisle five

[Outro]
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E   A B