It Takes a Lot of Guts! (To Be This Obscure and Keep Getting Up in the Morning) is the second compilation album and twenty-fourth album in general by Moes Haven. It was released on May 13, 2009. It contains sixteen tracks and has a running time of 31:13.
Unlike its 2007 predecessor, Victory is Ours! (For Now), this compilation showcases tracks from the whole of the band’s catalog, not just the 365 Project from 2006.
Along with Victory is Ours! (For Now) and Stromboli’s Alarm Clock, it is one of the most widely available CDs from the Moes Haven discography, as Matt Farley gives them away at his live performances. Because of its wide distribution and collection of strong songs from the band’s history, it is the group’s second-most popular album online, with 60 percent of the tracks having over 1,000 streams.
The Wire of Portsmouth, NH reviewed the album positively upon release, calling it “laden with 16 quirky, poppy numbers that reflect the near-neurotic whims of two compulsive songwriters.”
This was the last album released during Moes Haven’s pause in recording or releasing any new material. By the time it came out, the band was starting to work on songs for Stromboli’s Alarm Clock. The album cover photo was taken in March 2009, during a weekend when Farley and Scalzo were working on songs for that record.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dartmouth Girl | 1:45 | December |
| 2 | (I Sing on Your) Wedding Cake | 1:07 | November |
| 3 | Slanted Sun in Exeter, Nh | 2:23 | January |
| 4 | Papaphobia | 1:37 | Dislocated Songs |
| 5 | Pretty State Trooper (Please, Won’t You Stop Me?) | 1:36 | November |
| 6 | Hotwire My Heart | 1:19 | November |
| 7 | Come Back to Dakota | 2:36 | If Not Us, Who? |
| 8 | Crying On the Inside | 3:34 | July |
| 9 | Swimming at the Lake | 2:43 | July |
| 10 | I Tell My Baby All Kinds of Things | 1:31 | December |
| 11 | Broken Hearted is a Nice Way to Be | 2:26 | Someone Else. |
| 12 | Recognize You | 2:39 | Out With the Old |
| 13 | A Minute is Like a Day When You’re Falling in Love | 1:56 | November |
| 14 | Let’s Not Let Us Fall Apart | 0:51 | February |
| 15 | Never Go Camping Unprepared | 2:17 | Moe’s Haven |
| 16 | Arizona’s Flat | 0:52 | Svetlana |