A Silent Army in the Trees

Matthew Good · Vancouver [2009]

What will you find, where will you be

When you've got to trade for company

Those plastic guns and infantry

For a silent army in the trees?

Well, this ain't the woods behind the house

There ain't nobody screaming out

For you to come inside and eat

You're just holding your friends and watching them bleed



Wore camouflage on Halloween

A plastic bag, an M-16

Door to door and house to house

But there ain't nobody handing it out

Yeah, nothing's ever what it seems

When you're kicking in teeth and wishing you had dreams

Just plastic guns and infantry

For a silent army in the trees



Now, baby, don't you let me down

A world away and still somehow

Can't shake the feeling that you're out

With another man's arms wrapped tight around you



At night it's cold, we sit and freeze

Running red lights in our Humvees

Never thought I'd live to see the day I'd be

Afraid of little kids playing in the streets

Well this ain't the woods behind the house

There ain't nobody screaming out

For you to come inside and eat

You're just holding your friends and watching them bleed



I'm on fire

But all ice on the outside

That old man in the sky

Well, he's all ice on the outside



A muted wail out in the streets

You watch the stage but burn the seats

Two metal legs to get along

You ain't got much without one to stand on

Sometimes at night I hear it roll

A hundred cars long, pulling out slow

Like the engineers inside my head

Cold and dark like your side of the bed

Yeah, nothing's ever what it seems

And even if it is, ends justify means

With plastic guns and infantry

For a silent army in the trees



I'm on fire

But all ice on the outside

That old man in the sky

Well, he's all ice on the outside

About A Silent Army in the Trees

Matthew Good's "A Silent Army in the Trees" serves as a haunting centerpiece on his 2009 album *Vancouver*, embodying the atmospheric and introspective qualities that define his later discography. Recorded during a period where Good shifted away from his earlier indie-pop roots toward a more textured, ambient sound, the track utilizes sparse instrumentation and ethereal vocals to evoke a sense of quiet tension. The song reflects the melancholic and surreal mood often explored in his work following the release of *Lights of Endangered Species*, utilizing a minimalist production style that prioritizes mood over conventional song structure. As part of his broader catalog of experimental recordings, the track stands as a testament to his ability to craft immersive sonic landscapes that resonate with themes of isolation and environmental unease, characteristic of his mature artistic output.