Father John Misty stopped by the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform “The Dead Mouse One,” a new unreleased track.
The performance serves as Josh Tillman’s second performance of “The Dead Mouse One” after debuting the acoustic track at an intimate California gig in December 2023; Tillman explained to the audience that the track was an old one, fittingly written about a mouse that died. However, he opted not to include it in Mahashmashana, Father John Misty’s excellent 2024 album, instead saving it for his second performance on the Late Show (he previously played I Love You Honeybear‘s “Holy Shit” on the late night show in 2016).
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With just an acoustic guitar, Father John Misty provides a stirring, meditative performance of “The Dead Mouse One.” “A stupid little heartbreak/ I knew you for a day,” he narrates about the titular mouse, “Brought you a little water/ and called you buy a name/ and hoped you were only trembling because you were lost and so afraid.”
After a wordless, hummed chorus, he concludes the tale by referencing the funeral he arranged for the small critter: “A silly little service/ Under the acacia tree/ Two handfuls of dirt, I sang this melody/ Then went back to my little life/ Ignoring human tragedy.” It’s a gorgeous, affecting turn from Tillman, who brings patience, warmth, and earnestness to the performance. Watch it below.
Father John Misty is currently wrapping up a North American tour in support of Mahshmashana, but he recently announced a new leg going down in the summer with Lucinda Williams and Hamilton Leithauser as support. See his tour dates below and get tickets here.
We named Mahashmashana one of the best albums of 2024, and singles “Screamland” and “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All” made our list of the best songs of the year. Father John Misty also commemorated the 10th anniversary of his 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear with a special reissue; pick up your copy here.
Father John Misty 2025 Tour Dates:
02/28 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia *
03/01 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
04/03 — Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene +
04/04 — Stockholm, SE @ Fållan +
04/05 — Copenhagen, DK @ Copenhagen Opera House +
04/06 — Berlin, DE @ Huxley’s +
04/08 — Paris, FR @ La Cigale +
04/09 — Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique +
04/10 — Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg +
04/12 — Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall +
04/13 — Liverpool, UK @ Jacaranda Records Outstore
04/13 — Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester +
04/14 — Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 (Outstore)
04/14 — Brighton, UK @ Brighton Dome +
04/15 — London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall +
06/22 — Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds
06/23 — Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
06/25 — Gateshead, UK @ Glasshouse International Centre for Music
06/26 — Cambridge, UK @ Corn Exchange
06/27 — Liverpool, UK @ L’Olympia
07/11 — Shelburne, VT @ Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum %
07/12 — Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point %^
07/13 — Lafayette, NY @ Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards %^
07/15 — Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J Brady Music Center %^
07/17 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed %^
07/18 — St. Paul, MN @ Minnesota Yacht Club Festival
07/19 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater ^
07/21 — Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing ^
07/23 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre %^
07/24 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl %^
07/25 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre %^
07/26 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre %^
07/29 — Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
07/30 — Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
07/31 — Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre ^
08/23 — Galway, IE @ Leisureland
08/24 — Dublin, IE @ Collins Barracks (Wider Than Pictures)
08/25 — Belfast, UK @ Ulster Hall
08/26 — Cork, IE @ Cork City Hall
08/28 — Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland
08/30 — Birmingham, UK @ Moseley Folk & Arts Festival
08/28-31 — Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
* = w/ Destroyer
+ = w/ Butch Bastard
% = w/ Lucinda Williams
^ = w/ Hamilton Leithauser
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