The band's current configuration is Isaac Brock (vocals, guitar), Tom Peloso (strings, horns, bass, keyboards), Jim Fairchild (guitar), and Eric Judy (bass)). Plummer has recently become the new drummer for The Shins.
Brock came up with the name "Modest Mouse" when he read the Virginia Woolf stream of consciousness essay The Mark On the Wall in which the author described the working middle class as "modest mouse-coloured people"
Brock frequently moved around with his mother when he was a child. Around this time, his mother left his father for his father's brother (Brock's uncle). Brock's mother's house flooded and forced them to move into his mother's new husband's trailer, but there was no room for Brock. Brock stayed behind, living in the second story of the flooded house, until he was eventually evicted by police. He then moved into a shed next to his mother's house and it is said this is where Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy first began playing music.
In 1994, the band recorded their debut EP, Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. Then followed a single with Sub Pop that was recorded by producer Steve Wold at Moon Studios. Wold, who in the mid-2000's would begin to perform under the name Seasick Steve, would also perform on the band's albums, but was never an official member of the band. After moving to Up Records Modest Mouse put out several releases recorded at Moon Studios, including 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. This double LP was produced and recorded by Steve Wold. The next offering on UP was Interstate 8; also produced by Steve Wold. 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) turned out to be the band's breakthrough album. The Lonesome Crowded West gained the band a cult following and is now widely considered by many critics to be one of the defining albums of mid-90s indie rock.
In 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon And Antarctica, their first album on a major label (Epic Records). The band enjoyed some success on alternative radio with the singles "3rd Planet" and "Gravity Rides Everything." Lead singer Isaac Brock has since put out an album with his side project Ugly Casanova on Sub Pop Records.
In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band; the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. He was replaced with two members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci (Murder City Devils). Weikel being new to the band and Gallucci returning to the band for the first time since This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released the platinum-selling Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty". In 2004 Jeremiah Green returned to the band, and Benjamin Weikel now drums exclusively for The Helio Sequence. Dann Gallucci left the band in August, and they toured with Hutch Harris of The Thermals during the fall of 2004.
Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM v. Grokster. Justice Souter wrote that on the Grokster P2P network, "Users seeking Top 40 songs, for example, or the latest release by Modest Mouse, are certain to be far more numerous than those seeking a free Decameron, and Grokster and StreamCast translated that demand into dollars."
In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso, who already played various instruments on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, officially joined the band. In 2006, Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, became an official member of the band.
On March 20, 2007, the band released their fifth album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Four singles were released from the album: "Dashboard", "Missed the Boat", "We've Got Everything" and "Little Motel". The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. James Mercer of The Shins provides backing vocals on three songs.
In 2009, they released No One's First And You're Next, an EP of unreleased songs from around the time Good News and We Were Dead were recorded, and two songs that had already been released, "I've Got It All (Most)" and "King Rat". The video for King Rat was directed by late actor Heath Ledger.
In 2009, Johnny Marr left the band and was replaced by Jim Fairchild, formerly of Grandaddy. The band performed at several festivals throughout 2009 and 2010, including the main stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2010.
After an 8 year wait, the band's latest full-length is "Strangers To Ourselves", released March 17th, 2015- two weeks after the original release date, March 3rd, 2015. The album art is an aerial photo of an RV resort located in Mesa, Arizona. Five singles were released before the album, "Lampshades on Fire", "Coyotes", "The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box", "The Best Room", and "Of Course we Know".
Drummer Jeremiah Green passed away from cancer on December 31, 2022 at the age of 45.
I Came as a Rat
Modest Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's baking cakes inside our souls
Stayed awake, took a nap
Got myself my bottles back
I'm breaking down out on the street
Walkin' round my own bare feet
I do not need you to tell me
That I'm not a cat
I caught a rat, we caught some air
He's never gonna cut his hair
He takes more time to make a fake
We now swam down in the lake
And wash the dirt off our intentions
Paddle on with our bad inventions
I came as ice, I came as a whore
I came as advice that came too sure
I came as gold, I came as crap
I came too clean, and I came as a rat
It takes a long time, but God dies too
But not before he'll stick it to you
I don't know but I've been told
You'll never die and you never grow old
I came as a call, I came as flat
I came too soon so I came back
I came as flowers, I came as nice
I came as dirt, and I came as a surprise
It takes a long time, but God dies too
But not before he'll stick it to you
I don't know but I've been told
You'll never die and you never grow old
The lyrics of Modest Mouse's "I Came As A Rat" explore the complex and often conflicting dimensions of the human experience. The opening lines of the song suggest that something insidious is happening within the singer's soul. The idea that someone could be "baking cakes" inside another person's soul is certainly unnerving, and it hints at the ways in which our internal lives can become corrupted or compromised by external forces. The lines that follow seem to reflect a sense of ambiguity or uncertainty: the singer has "stayed awake," but they have also "took a nap." They are taking back their "bottles," suggesting that they might be struggling with addiction or some other form of self-destructive behavior.
As the song continues, the imagery becomes more surreal and obscure. The singer talks about catching a rat and then "swimming down in the lake," perhaps as a way of cleansing oneself of impurities. They acknowledge that their intentions might be tainted, but they are determined to "paddle on" regardless. The contemplative tone of the song shifts with the line "I came as a rat," which is repeated throughout the song. This might be interpreted as a reference to the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, where the soul is reborn in different forms over time. The implication here is that the singer has experienced life from many different perspectives, and perhaps this has given them a unique kind of wisdom.
The song ends on a cryptic note, with the lines "You'll never die and you never grow old." This could be interpreted in many different ways. Perhaps it suggests that there is something eternal about the human spirit, or that the singer has achieved a kind of immortality through their experiences. It's also possible that this line is meant to be ironic, since it contradicts the natural course of human life. Ultimately, "I Came As A Rat" is a song that invites interpretation and introspection, forcing the listener to confront some of the fundamental questions of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I ain't sure but I've been told
I'm not exactly sure, but I heard something
He's baking cakes inside our souls
He's influencing our inner thoughts and feelings
Stayed awake, took a nap
I forced myself to stay awake, but then rested
Got myself my bottles back
I retrieved my own personal possessions
I'm breaking down out on the street
I'm having an emotional breakdown in public
Walkin' round my own bare feet
I'm walking without shoes
I do not need you to tell me
I don't require your guidance
That I'm not a cat
I'm not a feline
I caught a rat, we caught some air
I captured a rodent and we jumped
He's never gonna cut his hair
He refuses to get a haircut
He takes more time to make a fake
He invests a lot of effort into creating a false persona
We now swam down in the lake
We commenced swimming in the body of water
And wash the dirt off our intentions
We purify our motives
Paddle on with our bad inventions
We continue to move forward with our flawed creations
I came as ice, I came as a whore
I appeared distant and unfeeling, and then promiscuous
I came as advice that came too sure
I gave counsel that was overly confident
I came as gold, I came as crap
I initially appeared valuable, and then worthless
I came too clean, and I came as a rat
I was too pure, and then I became a traitor
It takes a long time, but God dies too
Even the seemingly eternal will eventually perish
But not before he'll stick it to you
But not without causing you harm first
I don't know but I've been told
I'm not certain, but I've heard something
You'll never die and you never grow old
You will remain immortal and never age
I came as a call, I came as flat
I spoke with enthusiasm and then became uninterested
I came too soon so I came back
I arrived too early and then returned
I came as flowers, I came as nice
I appeared pleasant and friendly
I came as dirt, and I came as a surprise
I appeared unclean and unexpected
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC JUDY, ISAAC BROCK, JEREMIAH GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind