Modest Mouse - Beta Carotene

Lyrics (roughly):
I got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along
And by the pool side
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
Sometimes you give so many lifts, well
Sometimes you know you're gonna have to gonna get a ride
I need to knock the ride, uh oh oh
Ain't on your friends, all they'll say is no, you know your line and
You'll say, oh no, you know, you know, you know, you know you're right
I got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I, I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along
And by the pool side
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
And sung so many lifts
You know, know, know, know, know, know, know you're gonna have to go and get a ride
Gonna have to tell and get a ride
Have to go and get a ride
Gonna have to, gotta get a ride
Gonna have to, gotta get a ride
And if you go in the water
My family
I know my heart will dry over
And head, he needs to tell
I'm on the drone, low
Living it right and
I'm never anywhere
And I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never
(And now the water's right)
Oh no, I know
Oh no, oh no
What was almost
Oh no, I know, I know
No, I know, I know, what it was
You have hung on, I know, waterslide and
Hell to pay
Heaven is a collection agency
I feel heaven, heaven's a collection agency
Got the eye eye eye eye eye eye eye upon the pavement
[Gabe's Oasis; Iowa City, Iowa (10-23-1997)]
Photographs by Pat Graham

[@chrisgolden00]

RIP Jeremiah. Good lord could this man slap that fucking set

[@billkimbro5965]

these early cuts are my favorite. Edit the Sad Parts is my song. Been a Modest Mouse fan since they started. I’m old but i love Modest Mouse.

[@spinachcast2919]

This band is unrivaled. Such brilliance in every song. Such beauty and passion. Long live the legacy of Modest Mouse and its founders.

[@littledude000056]

R.I.P Jeremiah, his drumming is so brilliant. Not in a flashy look at me sort of way either. Just a subtle brilliance that compliments modest mouse songs so perfectly. Rip man

[@mileswrightt]

Ive always loved Trucker’s Atlas because of how flashy the drums are on the intro. I saw them in Philly right before he left the Lonesome Crowded West Tour and went home only weeks before he died. RIP to Jeremiah.

[@aPandorasboxofmusic]

This is a perfect song that show cases that. If you think about it he really added so much nuance and subtlety to the band. With Eric just playing that same hauntingly melodic bass line over and over, Isaac riffing a bit and singing over that, Jeremiah really drives the song with all these rolling tom and snare fills and keeps a perfect tempo the whole time. Like he never plays the same exact thing twice but never falls out of pocket. They really were the perfect trio.

[@RobertKelley-do4pl]

Did Jeremiah greenwood pass away honestly?

[@RobertKelley-do4pl]

Friends make the best bands in My opinion. Bass line is creative ingenious. Hard to compare MM to any other.

[@RobertKelley-do4pl]

Reoccurring patterns, inner turmoil, painfully precise, glad I'm not them, close call, lol BK just teasing. Gullible Gerbil, or the great hamster hoax. Isaacs side projects. Arrogant Rat is noteworthy as well. Deep underground tunes for the miners of finer timing.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Modest Mouse was basically a jam band in their early days - there are a good deal of songs or jams they made like this one that either morphed into other, almost unrelated-sounding songs or just died on the vine, but if there are jams like this one that were captured by chance, imagine all of the ones that no one bothered to record that were played once in a particular format and then just disappeared into the ether - only existing in the hazy memories of the dozen or so stoned and drunk denizens of whichever hive of scum and villainy they gigged that particular night.

[@beemoney217]

I agree totally and i really wanted to say that you have the best username i have ever seen on youtube. Can i have your permission to use it on other platforms?

[@joshkarosis132]

Yessir. They'll always be my favorite band but I'll still always miss this simple, perfect Brock, Green, and Judy 3 piece

[@2blazed2function]

Beautiful comment. Felt like I was there just reading it.

[@smittenthekitteninmittens2679]

my user name is better

[@cll093020]

poetic.well said

[@name-wj7yz]

i wish modest mouse would just release their old 90s bootlegs/demo/unreleased songs as a full package. I'd buy the hell out of it.

[@Brian-gt4wz]

They did that like 5 times to nirvana stuff. Why cant they do the same with MM

[@NM-nk2ol]

@Brian I've seen alot of people say that Isaac has admitted he doesn't very much like his old stuff. It's all amazing but I assume maybe it reminds him of times and emotions he'd rather not reflect on. When you listen to the golden casket, it's really evident he's come a long way emotionally.

[@MFilppi]

you and me both brother

[@littledude000056]

The emotion in early mm songs will never be matched, fuck man love this shit

[@thehummingbird8790]

I hear you.

[@mry82]

yep!

[@haloperidol72]

This shit slaps. Crazy how 3 guys can make this much noise.

[@PsychicGealt]

This comment just made me realize there isn't a bassist.

[@estebandido4988]

​@@PsychicGealtThe bass makes the main riff wdym

[@NM-nk2ol]

This is without a doubt my favorite unreleased track. It's just so goddamn good. Every band member is doing their part and just killing it and you can feel the passion. You can feel the intensity. Isaac once again shows how much of a lyrical genius he is. I really wish this song would've made its way to an album. It deserves so much more recognition.

[@atjandreau]

Just when I think I've heard them all... I stumble upon a jam that is simply unreal --- raw. Then I play the fuck out of it for months.

[@SpecialPanda420]

Even songs you don't really feel for awhile seem to click eventually and become your favorite. They are so talented

[@JohnSmith-ij6ms]

R.I.P. JEREMIAH THANKS FOR EVERYTHING

[@CallumMcCartney]

This whole song is amazing don't understand why it wasn't released.

[@BaconBeast11]

I can’t believe I’ve been coming back to this video for almost 10 years and still enjoying this hidden gem. Helped me through some tough times.

[@hartbreaker332211]

I believe it. This is the shit that put modest mouse in my top 3, their demos and early live sets are something very special and rare, something that could never be created in any moment in time again.

[@goldentoad5769]

I know what you mean. This is one of those songs that got me through a breakup after a 10 year relationship.

[@billkimbro5965]

helped me too

[@PotatoMaGobinus]

The first part goes so hard man "IVE GOT MYSELF THE MEANNNNNNSSS"

[@evokinevo]

I give it a few months in-between each listen for impact and I still tear up every time.

[@M4lign]

there is no other band like this, when i listen to modest mouse i feel everything.

[@SpecialPanda420]

Know exactly what you mean.

[@christophershelley1032]

There is though- Ugly Casanova.

[@andykilbride6765]

Jeremiah is a fucking beast

[@peterwhitford8032]

What if Jeremiah was a bullfrog?

[@bitchesbrewx]

Peter Whitford he would be a good friend of mine.

[@jamesrobertarchbald6357]

cant believe hat guy left

[@luz4030]

still the best MM song ever I'll never get tired of listening to it over and over again.

[@chrisgolden00]

And the award for best song intro of all time goes to...

[@polarizedoutdoors]

I just realized there's a live performance video (not just audio) for this performance on KZbin.

[@HDandSki]

This song has pulled me through so so so so many dull days, I doubt I'll ever find another to rival it. Thank you Jeremiah, Isaac, and Eric

[@YuriModesto11]

HDandSki no one is first and youre next.

[@goldentoad5769]

@@YuriModesto11 IMO nothing on "No one's first" comes close to Beta Carotene.

[@lonsinflowerss]

love the drums in this so much. like they are at the bottom of a well

[@AndonEXE]

rip jerimiah

[@flockytheram6426]

I got myself the means I got myself what I call the beta carotene Perspire from all the strings I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along And by the poolside I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye Sometimes you give so many lifts, well Sometimes you know you're going to have to, going to get a ride I need to knock the ride, uh, oh oh Ain't on your friends, all they'll say is no, you know your line and You'll say, oh no, you know, you know, you know, you know you're right I got myself the means I got myself what I call the beta carotene Perspire from all the strings I, I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along And by the poolside I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye And sung so many lifts You know, know, know, know, know, know, know you're going to have to go and get a ride Going to have to tell and get a ride Have to go and get a ride Going to have to, got to get a ride Going to have to, got to get a ride And if you go in the water My family I know my heart will dry over And head, he needs to tell I'm on the drone, low Living it right and I'm never anywhere And I never feel somewhere, don't you know? Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know? Oh no, I never (And now the water's right) Oh no, I know Oh no, oh no What was almost Oh no, I know, I know No, I know, I know, what it was You have hung on, I know, waterslide and Hell to pay Heaven is a collection agency I feel heaven, heaven's a collection agency Got the eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye upon the pavement

[@djhsilver]

"and by the poolside, I watch the summer and the fall overlap and divide"

[@flockytheram6426]

That's awesome 👍 ​@@djhsilver

[@evanbeckstedt805]

Anyone ever hear that live version of trailer trash where he has another verse at the end? I've always added it on when I cover it instead of having the long jam at the end. I believe it's something like, "you spend half of your life, looking for the adult you are, you spend the rest of your life, looking for the the child that you were" at least that's what I say at the end of the cover, I heard it once while watching some live shows and thought it was brilliant.

[@maximillianm.912]

I have, it's really good

[@silentkarma]

Tottally agree with your statement,

[@SpecialPanda420]

Link please

[@monolith_games]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6uzd4V7ndGeiK8 It's a cover by Jesse Lacey from Brand New

[@evclan.3101]

Evan Beckstedt kzbin.info/www/bejne/kH2nf2ewoZWmhKM It’s in this one too with an added bonus of ice on the sheets. Love it. Some of the best instrumental jamming I’ve heard yet.

[@NealCatastrophe]

What an amazing song. RIP Jeremiah Green you fuckin legend

[@skythomas5778]

I would give 5% of my total lifes assets to have a high quality version of this song

[@esamons31]

me too lol but that would be like $20

[@AndonEXE]

Honestly the LOFI really does add to it.

[@evokinevo]

I’d give a good 30% tbh

[@tjagnew5348]

Absolutely not. This is exactly how this song is supposed to sound.

[@ritris5165]

Don't call a flower beautiful and then pluck it.

[@jbomb7867]

So thankful that this was recorded and that it found its way online. Been coming back to this for years, not many songs hit me like this one.

[@joekraft5913]

so glad I got to see them at bottle rock in Napa in 2017, it was a spiritual experience, locked eyes with another random grown man and we both had tears in our eyes, RIP Jeremiah

[@flockytheram6426]

I'm crying

[@steponme1371]

i feel stupid telling people modest mouse is my favorite band but not even knowing about these songs...im glad i found them just adding more reason to love them

[@andrewcameron3043]

still fucking amazing. Judy's bass and Jeremiahs drums are the sickest combo. Add the best lyricist out there and there u go. the mouse lives on!!!

[@jamesrobertarchbald6357]

such good lyrics always

[@SpecialPanda420]

Isaac pours his soul out on this one

[@thefamilydog3278]

It's hard to fathom how many brilliant songs this one band has, and so many that were barely ever played live. It's a shame, really,

[@thefamilydog3278]

Twice, 5/5/98 & 5/12/98, another tragically underplayed song...

[@obfuscatory3410]

This has got to be the best modest mouse song there is...

[@yehsure16]

hands down my favorite mm song

[@henrydoesart158]

seems impossible to understate their influence on genres outside alt rock like the more melodic emo that came on their heels.... it all sounds like mm rip offs, and that isn’t an insult.

[@evanbeckstedt805]

I love that it sounds like there are only a few people at the show

[@Hans-yo2cq]

It’s incredibly sad with how amazing they are. Glad good news gave the band the attention they needed.

[@beckc.5084]

I'm on the drone, low Living it right and I'm never anywhere And I never feel somewhere, don't you know? Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know? Oh no, I never...

[@nicells2051]

Can't believe I am just now hearing this gem. Modest Mouse just puts me in a mood and its groovy :^)

[@luz4030]

heaven's a collection agency. it really is

[@1waste237]

got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along

And by the pool side
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
Sometimes you give so many lifts, well
Sometimes you know you're gonna have to gonna get a ride

I need to knock the ride, uh oh oh
Ain't on your friends, all they'll say is no, you know your line and
You'll say, oh no, you know, you know, you know, you know you're right

I got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I, I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along

And by the pool side
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
And sung so many lifts
You know, know, know, know, know, know, know you're gonna have to go and get a ride
Gonna have to tell and get a ride
Have to go and get a ride
Gonna have to, gotta get a ride
Gonna have to, gotta get a ride

And if you go in the water
My family
I know my heart will dry over
And head, he needs to tell

I'm on the drone, low
Living it right and
I'm never anywhere
And I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never

(And now the water's right)
Oh no, I know
Oh no, oh no
What was almost
Oh no, I know, I know
No, I know, I know, what it was
You have hung on, I know, waterslide and
Hell to pay
Heaven is a collection agency
I feel heaven, heaven's a collection agency
Got the eye eye eye eye eye eye eye upon the pavement

[@Gazelle54321]

And I used to call myself a Modest Mouse fan, I can't believe I haven't heard this before, the drumming in this is so INTENSE!!!

[@christophershelley1032]

I discovered Ugly Casanova, the band, like 5 years ago. Modest Mouse, just a little softer. It was a big deal to me.

[@tehmodestmouse6275]

@@christophershelley1032 fuck yes ugly Casanova is….. 😢

[@MrBlueYoMind]

Thanks for uploading this. A few lyric differences I hear Instead of "Perspire from all the strings" I hear "Despite from all the string, I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along" Also I hear: And by the pool side I watch the summer and the fall overlap and slip by. Sometimes you give so many lifts, well Sometimes you know you're gonna never gonna get a ride The think the second part says "I got myself the thing, I myself got what I call the beta carotene Despite from all the string I I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along And by the pool side, I watched the summer and the fall overlap and slip by Is some, somebody listenin? oh no no no no no you're gonna have to go and get a ride" Peace and thanks again for the upload

[@spicy_r]

MM's intros be real long sometimes but its good like that

[@robertkelley2735]

this band is one of a kind, there playing styles blend awesomely together.

[@beemoney217]

Modest Mouse pre 2006 + Built To Spill= possibly the greatest show ever

[@reidelsass7488]

i eould give anything to be ther. where was it?

[@wilandhugs]

modest mouse is still good as hell live, i saw them last month and they opened up with night on the sun and played broke too, it was a fantastic show

[@bbnnbb789]

@@wilandhugs yeah they are still worth seeing live for sure...

[@jamesrobertarchbald6357]

built to spill is like written by his wife lol f that godam idiot

[@Hans-yo2cq]

Hey James, since you’re the one on the internet insulting someone who has put in more work than you would ever work for, I’d like to ask you to produce me a track that’s better than any built to spill track. Let’s see what happens.

[@katoconnell1687]

"I'm on the drone low, in living it right I'm never anywhere and I never feel somewhere, don't you know ? There's hell to pay Heaven is a collection agency Got my eye eye eye eye eye eye eye upon the pavement" walking breathing poetry *-*

[@luz4030]

just fucking amazing, can't stop listening to this. they should've definitely released all their rarities in one single album :c

[@Ben-xb5yg]

Heaven is a collection agency

[@yeeeww]

dam i would love to hear a studio version of this

[@user-lw1rg2bg7j]

i think it sounds better in this lo fi

[@yan-rayiller-may8443]

I wholesomely agree tghat lo-fi is amazing but I would like to hear the drums a bit better.

[@user-lw1rg2bg7j]

yeah the drums are wonderful

[@MixedMartialJack]

maybe if we petition to mm they will play this song again

[@JordanNorris]

Pure gold.

[@freakshowv]

I remember the first time i ever heard this, It helped me out of a bad spot in my life. Thanks for posting =)

[@dinkeroo5183]

Yessss thought I'd listened to everything they put out then recommended this, incredible.

[@andrewcameron7876]

one of the greatest from the greatest

[@willlawler3058]

Just happy to be alive when Isaac brock walking the earth

[@brotatoestu]

and by the poolside, i watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye

[@MrBootsNow]

and by the poooooool siiiiide

[@MrBootsNow]

i watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it , BYE

[@Lucarso]

instead of "I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye" I think it's "I watch the summer and the fall overlap and sit by"

[@sadsappysucker_]

nice theory

[@Lucarso]

@@trashgarbage eh, either one works, hard to be certain with this quality

[@davidfarr1949]

I thought it was " I watch the summer and the fall of the light, ends it bye"

[@jamesrobertarchbald6357]

nonononononono your gonna have to, go and get, a riiiide

[@jemapelleemilie]

This is such a beautiful thing for you to post these songs. Thank you so much

[@yehsure16]

Still my favorite song of theirs

[@sofahkinghigh]

epic, like alot of their songs

[@steeler43013]

This is godly

[@tbaertso7779]

WHERE THE FUCK DID THIS COME FROM!? and i thought i owned everything of MM, guess not, thank you for making my day

[@Inthislifelikeweeeds]

T Baertso I KNOW RIGHT!!!!

[@MrFatherCheese]

Be saved, my child! Wash yourself clean in the dirty dishwater of redemption!

[@MrMojoRisin22]

Gotta say thanks to Grooveshark to opening me up to all these old/obscure MM tracks. Like finding a $20 in your pocket that you never knew was there

[@ritris5165]

Been listening to MM since 07/08, why have I never heard this jam before today?

[@JAGNFL]

This is a very different version of the Beta Carotene I used to listen to in high school. The one I listened to, also live, was faster with an awesome bass line and Isaac mostly yelling the lyrics. I just remember the first part he said "you knew, you knew, you knew, you knew, you knew what the fuck."

[@SmellsLikeContentt]

+KA R like wise. This is something o hear of. Man if I can only meet all of you. It seems as if MM fans would be a replication of myself. My best friend, my better half, cheers to all of you who still have a thought; but at the same time you can't out think us......we have been out of thought for awhile. Cheers everyone and don't ever forget what and why you love thiss

[@JAGNFL]

+KA R I'll try. I know my friend probably still has it on his computer. He's the one who used to always download random stuff like demos and rarities. He's the one who showed me Ugly Casanova back in the day, and even had a live version of "Barnacles" that was better than the album version. I'll try to find the version of Beta Carotene and upload it. Keep on keepin it real my fellow MM bretheren.

[@luz4030]

+JJ found anything?

[@nicholasskaldetvind4695]

+JJ Found anything?

[@jakewetton4030]

That song's official title is Dyed your Hair. Look, it up, you can find it on youtube as well. It's also a great song!

[@EagleToVulture]

Incredible.

[@ICgoateee]

Guercinator and Taktwo2 get a whole lot of credit for their uploads, but this upload.. I fucking love you for putting all of these up. :D

[@nicholasgrossman3194]

Can someone anyone tell me what song this actually turned into ? Theres a song off the spider album that sounds a bit like it, i forgot the name something like rust king

[@ryannarce2143]

can always tell its pre-99 isaac because he hasnt yet blown out his high vox

[@ryannarce2143]

heard a version of breakthrough from 2000 where he basically goes death metal on the chorus because he can't hit the notes anymore

[@jakeschmidt2112]

​@@ryannarce2143 id love to hear that version if you can find it still!!

[@knowledgefarmer]

@imakesoundsjump it sounds so good though. and with its rarity, gives even more of an amazing energy

[@messypuddin]

THIS GUY GETS IT

[@hellohell77]

What is this cover? I've seen this on the internets for a long time but I've never seen it attributed to any of their work.

[@evokinevo]

Not a cover, it’s a jam

[@JohnSmith-ij6ms]

its a poster of pat graham's photography

[@hellohell77]

@@JohnSmith-ij6ms yeah, I saw that not too long ago. The way its laid out, it almost looks like it could be an album cover. Not modest mouse though. I don't think the band is on any of their album covers. Although, Isaac does appear on a negative image on the inside of the uncle bunny faces booklet. But official releases, no.

[@moonsuns2941]

Thank You!!!

[@luz4030]

heaven's a collection agency

[@rougestr]

and by the pooooooooooolsiiiiiiiiiide

[@superrealhorse1257]

please tell me how to get all of the unreleased modest mouse songs, or would you be willing to send me them via Dropbox or email? but I need these songs man.

[@aldersleysteven]

+Felix Smith I highly recommend this blog for rare MM: nightonthesunmodmouse.blogspot.ca/p/unofficial-content-downloads.html

[@beemoney217]

+Steve Aldersley Wow thank you for posting this link. You are a good dude.

[@aldersleysteven]

+Brian Williams Enjoy - I was extremely happy the day I found it. Some good stuff in there :)

[@superrealhorse1257]

+Steve Aldersley yeah man, i totally meant to tell you a lot sooner but thank you so much man. that blog has been awesome.

[@aldersleysteven]

+Felix Smith Happy to share. I never get tired of hearing Modest Mouse. Beta Carotene, Calculus Man and White Lies Yellow Teeth are great additions. It's all worth hearing though.

[@elsewherehouse]

How have I not heard this before ?

[@corncornrocks]

pretty damn good

[@biffmchugelarge]

And I never feel somewhere, don't you know?

[@Wuggles3]

this is so good that it made me lose the game

[@peepeepoopoo5002]

GODDAMN IT

[@thebastardfish8187]

I don't get it.

[@BlahBlahBlahBenders]

Yeah, there's a shit ton of unreleased Mouse songs that you can literally only find through bootlegs or pirating.

[@stereotrash3867]

This song makes me wanna relapse.

[@brittanysullivan3141]

Ditto

[@alyssahunter8704]

Stay strong guys ❤

[@LSD25LOVE]

One of me favo-rights Karma pa pa payment plan?

[@rougestr]

@MrHeisman4 And if you go in the water My family I know my heart will dry over And head, he needs to tell

[@tinmenendez]

7:14 those drums 7:24 everything explodes

[@luz4030]

sometimes you know you're gonna have to gonna get a ride

[@pobregringo88]

You Stole off the album Daisy is what happens when jesse lacey tries to figure out how to play this song.

[@Intracis]

pretty sure he was giving us a timeframe of how long he has been listening to the band which led to the climax of his post (him never hearing this)

[@kelsierantala240]

is there an album for these?

[@HiddenWoodsMedia]

is there a way to get a digital copy of these songs?

[@lambdashiftakadavidheikkil2657]

This is some good shit.

[@marcelonavarro]

which one is this album?

[@JrGui81]

Nirvana ????😂😂💙💙🎼🎼🎼. Modest 💙

[@corncornrocks]

nice

[@MouseHuntExtendedDirectorsCut]

I've always felt like a lot of the lyrics to these songs are improvised

[@skythomas5778]

Sweater song my dude is gooooone saying the most rediculous stuff

[@KarenRamone00]

modest mouse, why are you so amazing? :')