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The Else

by They Might Be Giants

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    THE ELSE IS FINALLY BACK ON VINYL!

    Including long-time audience favorites The Mesopotamians, Withered Hope, and Careful What You Pack, THE ELSE weighs in with 13 lucky songs, and finds They Might Be Giants collaborating on production with the Dust Bros. (Beastie Boys, Beck) and Patrick Dillett (David Byrne, St. Vincent, Mary J. Blige). Amongst a number of firsts, this album is the first in which all the songs are over two minutes long and Marty Beller is on the drum throne for the entire album.

    This deluxe package includes photography by Marcel Dzama, and the disc is pressed on audiophile 180g vinyl in a color we have been told is called “pumpkin mystery smoke."

    All orders include an instant download of the album delivered to your inbox.

    TRACK LIST
    1. I’m Impressed
    2. Take Out The Trash
    3. Upside Down Frown
    4. Climbing The Walls
    5. Careful What You Pack
    6. The Cap’m
    7. With The Dark
    8. The Shadow Government
    9. Bee Of The Bird Of The Moth
    10. Withered Hope
    11. Contrecoup
    12. Feign Amnesia
    13. The Mesopotamians

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1.
I'm impressed, I'm impressed When that gorilla beats his chest I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed When the torpedo in the vest barks his orders I'm impressed And I find that my head's nodding yes Though my legs are not following I'm inspired by events To remember the exits in back of me I'm impressed, I'm impressed When that gorilla pounds his desk I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed Through generalissimo's request I can't help but feel impressed On the one hand he'll Give you five good reasons to follow him On the other hand You see nobody leaving the stadium I'm impressed, I'm impressed By that Godzilla's flaming breath I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed When the tornado from the west crushes buildings I'm impressed And I find that my head's nodding yes Though my legs are not following I'm inspired by events To remember the exits in back of me I'm impressed, I'm impressed When that gorilla beats his chest I fall to bits I confess I admit I'm impressed When the torpedo in the vest barks his orders I'm impressed
2.
Girl! Why not take out the trash and once you get him out Tell him not to come back again? Girl! Put that cat in the bin after what he said After everything he did You had him figured out a while ago and I know it's not exactly breaking news But it's all been a little like a trial for you and a bunch more talking won't make him true Ah, c'mon, Girl! Why not take out the trash and once you get him out Tell him not to come back again? Girl! Why not give him the slip? Get the crooked straight. Get the go-getter good and gone Why, when it's so plain that he's just making it up and he's still got you coming back for more Why you never, ever think of breakin' it up Tell me, what bad deal's gonna close that door Ah, c'mon, Girl! Why not take out the trash and once you get him out Tell him not to come back again? Girl! Why not give him the slip? Get the crooked straight. Get the go-getter good and gone I'm not saying all the boys are the same But some boys are the same and it's Thursday now I'm not saying all the boys are the same But some boys are the same and it's Thursday now I'm not saying all the boys are the same But some boys are the same and it's Thursday now Girl! Why not take out the trash? And once you get him out, tell him not to come back again Girl! Put that cat in the bin after what he said After everything he did Girl! Why not take out the trash? Girl! Why not take out the trash? Ah, come on, Girl! Why not take out the trash and once you get him out Tell him not to come back again Girl! Why not give him the slip? Get the crooked straight. Get the go-getter good and gone
3.
You say you've got some very excellent news You say I'm going to die when you tell me And in my way, I will But though your words will kill I know you'll think that I don't seem to care It's just because my frown is upside down It's upside down, my frown Is upside down I'm happy at your happiness as well Your anger makes me mad Though you can't tell Believe me when I say I'm with you in my private way And though you think I'm trying to blow you off It's only that my frown is upside down It's upside down, my frown Is upside down My frown's upside down You'd probably like to give me a smack But there's something about my face That always keeps you coming back When I'm with you, the landscape goes all weird Black is white, and the rainbow has a beard Are your eyes playing tricks Or should you get your glasses fixed? Well, I don't think your eyesight is to blame The problem is my frown is upside down It's upside down, my frown Is upside down My frown's upside down It's upside down, my frown Is upside down My frown's upside down
4.
I can't talk, I got to go Don't call me back, I won't get the door Got to focus on the job 'Cause I got a new job climbing the walls I was grinding my teeth, I was wasting my youth And using up my teeth Now I'm done chewing my nails Hanging my head, chasing my tail It got so bad I quit my job Then I got a new job climbing the walls Too much junk, too much junk Can we please clear out this house? In the trunk, in the trunk And then we'll take it all to the dump Then we won't need the car 'Cause we'll stay where we are And I'll have all this room I got tired of pacing the floor Sick of it all, I'm done with the floor Walked away ever since I got a new job climbing the walls I was grinding my teeth, I was wasting my youth And using up my teeth Now I'm done chewing my nails Hanging my head, chasing my tail It got so bad I quit my job Then I got a new job climbing the walls The deep end, the deep end People talk a lot, but they don't know They pretend, they pretend They don't really know how deep it goes Now I misunderstood, Thought the wall was just good For staring blankly at I got tired of pacing the floor Sick of it all, I'm done with the floor Walked away ever since I got a new job climbing the walls Now I'm done chewing my nails Hanging my head, chasing my tail It got so bad I quit my job Then I got a new job climbing the walls Got a new job climbing the walls Got a new job climbing the walls
5.
The known, the unknown, and the underknown Look at what she found Digging all around by the goldfish pond She's going to get in trouble now Shaking up the bees, swinging from the tree Doesn't understand She's in trouble now It's a new year Careful what you pack There's no going back She's lost from the beginning She's the new girl She thinks she's smart; she's just curious She thinks she's alone Doesn't even know someone's watching her She's going to get in trouble now Waving from the shore, never knew before Doesn't understand She's in trouble now It's a new year Careful what you pack There's no going back She's lost from the beginning She's the new girl Careful what you pack There's no going back She's lost from the beginning She's the new girl
6.
The Cap'm 03:11
Do you think there's somebody out there Someone else who's better than the one you've got? Well there's not, there's not When I talk you keep looking away from me 'Cause you probably think that I'm high on pot But I'm not, I'm not Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You say it's such a joke But I don't see you laughing People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'm Unless you drive a boat Well, I don't, I don't Look me over, I'm the Cap'm Go ahead and mess with me You'll find out what will happ'm Sit beside me at the helm Yeah, this is what I call the helm And this button here is the fast-forward button Did you say what I think you just said My hat looks good on me? I agree, I agree Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You act like it's a joke But I don't see you laughing People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'm Unless you drive a boat Well, I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't
7.
Like a ghost writer's ending She will send you down She's in love With her broken heart She's in love With the dark She's in love With her broken heart She's in love with the dark I'm getting tired of all my nautical dreams I'm getting tired of all my nautical themes Bustin' my pirate hump Rockin' my peg-leg stump My mind naturally turns to taxidermy To taxidermy, yeah Bashes, crashes, smashes to pieces Bashes, crashes, smashes to pieces Bashes, crashes, smashes to pieces We're taking over We're taking over I looked around And you looked around And soon we were there Leading the charge of the wrong Of the wrong Of the wrong Of the wrong Rusted, incrusted, combusted, and dusted Rusted, incrusted, combusted, and dusted Rusted, incrusted, combusted, and dusted We're taking over We're taking over Back in command of the out of control All over town Putting them all in the ground In the ground In the ground In the ground No more sunlight, please
8.
Driving home from my meth lab Realized something had changed Looked in the sky Saw with my eye The moon was following me Where's the shadow government when you need it? Where's the shadow government? It's a bad, bad world It's a bad, bad world Sifting through the confetti I picked up my broken phone Looked in the crack Somebody waved back Just sitting on their somebody throne Where's the shadow government when you need it? Where's the shadow government? It's a bad, bad world It's a bad, bad [Cowering citizens:] [The shadow government:] Up the library steps Up the library steps Up the library steps Up the library steps (Here comes) Up the library steps (The Humvee) Up the library steps (The Humvee) Up the library steps Crawling out of the flophouse I saw the mayor stealing my junk I doth protest, citizen's arrest Now my body's in his trunk Where's the shadow government when you need it? Where's the shadow government? It's a bad, bad world It's a bad, bad world It's a bad, bad
9.
Everyone is crying at the dread hypnotic flying Of the bee of the bird of the moth You can't walk, you can't ramble 'cause you're gonna have to scramble From the bee of the bird of the moth Catbug is a cat, but he's got bugness in his veins Manhouse lives within himself with thoughtful human brains Neither one is equal to the challenge of the freak we'll call The bee of the bird of the moth Now the moth defeats the mouse and man It's messing with the plan, it can't be believed 'Cause it's just a hummingbird moth Who's acting like a bird that thinks it's a bee Got a brand new shipment of electrical equipment It's addressed to the bottom of the sea Send a tangerine-colored nuclear submarine With a sticker that says STP Windshield-wiper washer fluid spraying in the air Head lice under hats lie in the headlights everywhere Subatomic waves to the underwater caves Of the bee of the bird of the moth And the moth defeats the mouse and man It's messing with the plan, it can't be believed 'Cause it's just a hummingbird moth Who's acting like a bird that thinks it's a bee Is it us or it that's messed up? Everyone's deforming in the presence of the swarming Of the bee of the bird of the moth Protozoa, snakes, and horses have enlisted in the forces Of the bee of the bird of the moth All are irresistibly directed by the suction Of a hypnotizing tractor beam presenting a production Of the sleep of reason corporation in association With the bee of the bird of the moth
10.
Very Sad Sack is a sad bag Very, very sad Very Sad Sack Withered Hope says she is his friend to the end, But she doesn't like Very Sad Sack Today Withered Hope saw the Very Sad Sack And she tried not to meet his eyes And he cut out a paper heart, pinned it to his arm Gave her everything he was holding in his head This is what he said: Withered Hope, I'm in love with you Want to live with you, Withered Hope Are you going to say to me this can never be? Are you going to say to me, Withered Hope? Sad Sack Sad Sack Withered Hope says she has a soul mate Living in a city in another state But the soul mate thinks about a picture in a book of a beautiful crook And the picture of the crook in the book is in love with the brand new motorbike But the motorbike doesn't like crooks, It's obsessed with the Very Sad Sack Sad Sack, I'm in love with you Want to live with you, Sad Sack Are you going to say to me this can never be? Are you going to say to me, Sad Sack? Sad Sack Sad Sack
11.
Contrecoup 03:11
You know what's wrong with me You know phrenology You saw my injury You can tell just by looking at my skull Contrecoup, on the rebound Contrecoup hurt me again And the second was worse by far than the first 'Cause it made me limerent When my head was hit I bounced away from it Or as someone who is craniosophic would say The brain went the opposite way Contrecoup, on the rebound Contrecoup hurt me again And the second was worse by far than the first 'Cause the first one woke my feelings for you But the contrecoup made my words untrue And it left me limerent Which is to say, how it goes Couched in terms no one knows And as if the choice were slim As if there's no synonym You know what's wrong with me You know phrenology You saw my injury You can tell just by looking at my skull Contrecoup, on the rebound Contrecoup hurt me again And the second was worse by far than the first Though the impulse is strong, the connection is weak And I know what to say, but forgot how to speak When it made me limerent
12.
Now I know just what to do Feign amnesia How I wish it wasn't true Wish it wasn't true right now Not much quiet about reinvention Why half-settle for stuff that is half-new? Like a volume beyond comprehension If the bass won't get you The treble will get you I'll look busy just for you And feign amnesia How I wish it wasn't true Wish it wasn't true right now Wish it wasn't true right now Hers are the brains Floating on an upstream train Hers are the brains Barbarians and seeds the lost and the remains We were standing outside of Sidewalk With that crazy guy dancing behind us With our forced smiles and all of the laughing Then my sister lied, didn't need that ride Now I know just what to do Feign amnesia How I wish it wasn't true Wish it wasn't true right now I'll look busy just for you And feign amnesia How I wish it wasn't true Wish it wasn't true right now Wish it wasn't true right now Wish it wasn't true right now Wish it wasn't true right now
13.
We've been driving around From one end of this town to the other and back But no one's ever seen us (No one's ever seen us) Driving our Econoline van (And no one's ever heard of our band) And no one's ever heard of our band We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh Then they wouldn't understand a word we say So we'll scratch it all down into the clay Half believing there will sometime come a day Someone gives a damn Maybe when the concrete has crumbled to sand We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh The Mesopotamish sun is beating down And making cracks in the ground But there's nowhere else to stand In Mesopotamia (No one's ever seen us) The kingdom where we secretly reign (And no one's ever heard of our band) The land where we invisibly rule As the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh This is my last stick of gum I'm going to cut it up so everybody else gets some Except for Ashurbanipal, who says my haircut makes me look like a Mohenjo-daroan Hey, Ashurbanipal I'm a Mesopotamian Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh "Hey, man, I thought that you were dead I thought you crashed your car" "No, man, I've been right here this whole time playing bass guitar For the Mesopotamians" We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh We're the Mesopotamians Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

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Produced with the Dust Bros. (Beastie Boys, Beck), They Might Be Giants and Pat Dillett. Includes “The Mesopotamians,” “Careful What You Pack,” and “Withered Hope.” Cover and album artwork by Marcel Dzama.

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released May 1, 2020

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