We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

... We were lucky.

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is a Concept Album from the American indie rock band Modest Mouse. The album was released in 2007 after a 3-year hiatus after their previous album, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, was released in 2004.

The album contains an over-arching nautical theme. Most notable in the songs "March into the Sea," "Missed the Boat," and "Little Motel."

The album is also notable as the first album where guitarist Johnny Marr (of The Smiths) joined as a member of the band. The band also teamed up with James Mercer of The Shins, who provided backup vocals for several songs, most notable "Missed the Boat."

The tracklist for the album is as follows:

1. March into the Sea
2. Dashboard
3. Fire It Up
4. Florida
5. Parting of the Sensory
6. Missed the Boat
7. We've Got Everything
8. Fly Trapped in a Jar
9. Education
10. Little Motel
11. Steam Engenius
12. Spitting Venom
13. People as Places as People
14. Invisible

Tropes used in We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank include:

We didn't need the water
But we still built that good Goddamn!

All this dog and pony
Still monkeys the whole time!
We could not help from flinging shit
In our modern suit-and-ties!