Night of the Mules

Night of the Mules
Album	Chile de Árbol
Released	1993
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	1:40
Next Track	"Going to Malibu"

Night of the Mules is the first song on the single Chile de Árbol. It was re-released on the compilation Protein Source of the Future...Now!.

Lyrics

Streetlights gave off a yellow glow
On the holly and the mistletoe
You could feel the rain coming down
And quiet starlight hardened the ground
'Til the street shone like a diamond
Look sister, here comes a new genuine disaster
Clip-clop up the street
See the rain, feel the sleet
Yeah

The cold air, unpredictable weather
Ten or twenty of us huddled together
Hearing the braying growing louder
Snowflakes falling, fine white powder
Here come the new kings
The hooves clack and the metal sings
Clip-clop up the street 
See the rain, feel the sleet
Yeah

Comments by John Darnielle About this Song

• "a song about the future that awaits us all" -- 1997-06-17 - Brownie's - New York City, NY

Live Shows this Song Was Played at

• 1996-03-23 - Covent Garden Rough Trade - London, England
• 1997-06-17 - Brownie's - New York City, NY
• 1997-06-22 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
• 1998-04-17 - Custer Avenue Stages - San Francisco, CA
• 2006-08-10 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA (partial)
• 2009-06-14 - Zoop II - Farm Sanctuary - Watkins Glen, NY
• 2016-10-26 - Downtown Artery - Fort Collins, CO
• 2023-04-21 - XL Live - Harrisburg, PA
• 2024-03-02 - The Neptune - Seattle, WA

Chile de Árbol
Side One: "Night of the Mules" • "Going to Malibu" • "Billy the Kid's Dream of the Magic Shoes" Side Two: "Fresh Berries for You" • "Alphabetizing"