Commandante

Commandante
Album	Devil in the Shortwave
Released	2002
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:12
Previous Track	"Dirty Old Town"

Commandante is the fifth song on the EP Devil in the Shortwave.

Lyrics

I'm gonna drink more whiskey than Brendan Behan
And I'm gonna send my belongings all to Tripoli
And I'm gonna ride home to California
With a banjo on my knee

I'm never gonna turn off the television
I'm just gonna let it run all night
I'm gonna plant root vegetables out in the backyard
And come summer I am going to treat you right

So put on your Chairman Mao coat
And let me clear my throat
Let's turn this whole town upside-down
And shake it 'til the coins come falling out of its pocket
Yeah put on your Che Guevara pin
Call the troops on in
We're gonna sail through the night sky like a pair of bottle rockets

I got a great big secret written down somewhere
I got a rosary to protect us both from harm
I got a storage locker full of cow figurines
And a laundry list of grievances longer than my arm
And I am never going back to Cincinnati
All those bridges have burned down to the ground
I got the jet pack strapped to my back
And I'm waiting for you to come around

Yeah, put on your Chairman Mao coat
And let me clear my throat
Let's turn this whole place upside-down, yes
And shake it 'til the coins come falling out of its pockets
Yeah put on your Che Guevara pin
Call the troops on in
We're gonna sail through the night sky like a pair of bottle rockets

Things Referenced in this Song

• Brendan Behan was an Irish poet with an infamous drinking problem that contributed to his early death.

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1999-01-23 - High Hat Blues Club - Athens, GA
• 1999-01-27 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
• 2001-06-23 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA (partial)
• 2002-03-01 - Slow Bar - Nashville, TN
• 2004-02-18 - The EARL - Atlanta, GA
• 2004-02-26 - The Maintenance Shop - Ames, IA
• 2004-03-05 - T.T. the Bear's - Cambridge, MA
• 2004-03-25 - Cafe de la Danse - Paris, France
• 2004-03-29 - Mains D'Oeuvres - Paris, France
• 2004-03-31 - ICA - London, England
• 2004-05-27 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
• 2004-07-17 - Benefit for Piedmont Wildlife Center - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
• 2004-10-08 - Knitting Factory - New York, NY
• 2005-06-18 - China Clipper - Olympia, WA
• 2007-03-03 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
• 2007-09-20 - The Black Cat - Washington, D.C.
• 2007-09-22 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, PA
• 2009-02-24 - Herbst Theatre - San Francisco, CA
• 2009-03-25 - Somerville Theater - Somerville, MA
• 2012-01-31 - Visulite Theatre - Charlotte, NC
• 2013-06-14 - Taft Ballroom - Cincinnati, OH
• 2013-06-19 - The Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
• 2014-04-19 - Old Town School of Folk Music - Chicago, IL
• 2015-11-05 - Big Arts Schein Performance Hall - Sanibel Island Writer's Conference - Sanibel, FL

Videos of this Song

• 2002-03-01 - Slow Bar - Nashville, TN
• 2007-09-22 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, PA
• 2014-04-19 - Old Town School of Folk Music - Chicago, IL