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,
Watch your mouth
Hold your toungue boy
Because you're running out of breath
Running out of time
Before every careless word
That you utter renders you utterly useless.
Now you're drowning in your own saliva
Trying to speak yourself to the top of your empty world
Well keep on talking just keep on rambling
You've got your mouth full
Listen here's the pleasant part
You and I we fell apart.
Listen here's the pleasant part
You and I we fell apart.(continue)
Why can't you make up your mind?
Why can't you make up your mind?
Shut your mouth
Burn your bridges
Throw your words like an attack and stab me in the wait a second wait a second what's that I just heard nevermind
It's obviously worthless..
Now you're standing on your soapbox yelling from the rooftops everything you say is a lie. a lie a lie. lie lie Yeah!
Listen here's the clever one who speaks before his thoughts are done.
Listen here's the clever one who speaks before his thoughts are done.(continue)
Why can't you make up your mind?
Why can't you make up your mind?
Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue
Somethings are better left unsaid
Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue
Somethings are better left unsaid.
Now I hope you're pleased,
You got your prize and tongue
I dance between your words,
Right before you fall....
RIGHT BEFORE YOU-
Why don't you, Why don't' you say that to my face?
I had a rip down, torn out So many things.
Everything you, everytime you,every word you say.
If I told you this was killing me, would you , would you Stop?
Hold your toungue boy
Because you're running out of breath
Running out of time
Before every careless word
That you utter renders you utterly useless.
Now you're drowning in your own saliva
Trying to speak yourself to the top of your empty world
Well keep on talking just keep on rambling
You've got your mouth full
Listen here's the pleasant part
You and I we fell apart.
Listen here's the pleasant part
You and I we fell apart.(continue)
Why can't you make up your mind?
Why can't you make up your mind?
Shut your mouth
Burn your bridges
Throw your words like an attack and stab me in the wait a second wait a second what's that I just heard nevermind
It's obviously worthless..
Now you're standing on your soapbox yelling from the rooftops everything you say is a lie. a lie a lie. lie lie Yeah!
Listen here's the clever one who speaks before his thoughts are done.
Listen here's the clever one who speaks before his thoughts are done.(continue)
Why can't you make up your mind?
Why can't you make up your mind?
Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue
Somethings are better left unsaid
Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue
Somethings are better left unsaid.
Now I hope you're pleased,
You got your prize and tongue
I dance between your words,
Right before you fall....
RIGHT BEFORE YOU-
Why don't you, Why don't' you say that to my face?
I had a rip down, torn out So many things.
Everything you, everytime you,every word you say.
If I told you this was killing me, would you , would you Stop?
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
this song does have a meaning... if you dont know what it is saying... let me explain it. it is about himself.... he cant control the stupid things he does and says... he wants to but he cant. and it makes things worse for him. he is downgrading himself so that he wont continue to do that.