This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Do you always trust your first initial feeling?
Special knowledge holds true, bears believing
I turned around and the water was closing all around like a glove
Like the love that had finally, finally found me
Then I knew in the crystalline knowledge of you
Drove me through the mountains
Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea
To the sea
To the sea, yeah
How the faces of love have changed, turning the pages
And I have changed, oh, but you, you remain ageless
I turned around and the water was closing all around like a glove
Like the love that had finally, finally found me
Then I knew in the crystalline knowledge of you
Drove me through the mountains
Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea
To the sea
To the sea, yeah
To the sea, yeah
Special knowledge holds true, bears believing
I turned around and the water was closing all around like a glove
Like the love that had finally, finally found me
Then I knew in the crystalline knowledge of you
Drove me through the mountains
Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea
To the sea
To the sea, yeah
How the faces of love have changed, turning the pages
And I have changed, oh, but you, you remain ageless
I turned around and the water was closing all around like a glove
Like the love that had finally, finally found me
Then I knew in the crystalline knowledge of you
Drove me through the mountains
Through the crystal-like and clear water fountain
Drove me like a magnet
To the sea
To the sea
To the sea, yeah
To the sea, yeah
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When I hear this it seems to be about the end of a love relationship from long ago that still meant a lot the narrator.
I have to add my own vote of awesomeness for the imagery in the lines:
"I turned around and the water was closing all around Like a glove Like the love that had finally found me"
To me the image of water closing all around is one of impending disaster - that you're about to be engulfed by waves or floods...and then saying like a glove - meaning that the heartbreak fits him like a glove, as did seemingly this love that had finally found him...only to end, sadly.
The lines:
"How the faces of love have changed turning the pages And I have changed, oh, but you, you remain ageless"
..also speak to this interpretation quite strongly - the faces of love changing meaning moving on and becoming involved with different lovers as time passes. I have changed and you remain ageless is talking about how a memory of somebody doesn't age, even though we do.
Being driven through a "crystal-like and clear-water fountain" and the whole "then I knew" speaks to a kind of clarity and realization about the relationship...and "through the mountains" can be interpreted as through difficult and rocky terrain emotionally, finally "to the sea" which as rivers all flow to the sea is generally a sense of finality and resolution.
It's a pretty sad song in that light...espcially when you can relate to it, as I'm sure most people of a certain age probably can...?