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,
Everybody wants to dance in a playpen
But nobody wants to play in my garden
I see the hippies on an angry line
Guess they don't get my meaning
I'm enchanted by the birds in my blossoms
I'm enamored by young lovers on the weekend
I like the fourth of July
When bombs start flashing
And I wish I had a shiny red top
A bugle with a big brass bell would cheer me up
Or maybe something bigger that could really go pop
So I could make the gardening stop
Come out to play
Come out to play
And we'll pretend it's Christmas Day
In my atomic garden
All my scientists are working on a deadline
So my psychologist is working day and night time
They say they know what's best for me
But tehye don't know what they're doing
And I'm glad I'm not Gorbachev
'cause I'd wiggle all night
Like jelly in a pot
At leats he's got a garden with a fertile plot
And a party that will never stop
I hope there's nothing wrong out there
I'm watching from my room inside my room
But nobody wants to play in my garden
I see the hippies on an angry line
Guess they don't get my meaning
I'm enchanted by the birds in my blossoms
I'm enamored by young lovers on the weekend
I like the fourth of July
When bombs start flashing
And I wish I had a shiny red top
A bugle with a big brass bell would cheer me up
Or maybe something bigger that could really go pop
So I could make the gardening stop
Come out to play
Come out to play
And we'll pretend it's Christmas Day
In my atomic garden
All my scientists are working on a deadline
So my psychologist is working day and night time
They say they know what's best for me
But tehye don't know what they're doing
And I'm glad I'm not Gorbachev
'cause I'd wiggle all night
Like jelly in a pot
At leats he's got a garden with a fertile plot
And a party that will never stop
I hope there's nothing wrong out there
I'm watching from my room inside my room
Lyrics submitted by M4R5, edited by Bassist3752
Atomic Garden Lyrics as written by Brett Gurewitz
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
"Everybody wants to dance in a playpen. But nobody wants to play in my garden .I see the hippies on an angry line. Guess they don't get my meaning" this part of the song is saying that everyone wants to enjoy the freedoms we have, but also want to ignore the fact we have them because we have the potential to blow those that threaten it off the face of the planet, hence no one wants to acknowledge this fact(play in his garden) as they blissfully enjoy what the garden provides. this is told from the eyes of the government which is why he say's "i guess they don't get my meaning", they don't understand it is necessary, which is what government thinks, to have these bombs...that point is furthered by the fact he said " i wish i had something bigger that would really go pop so i could make the gardening stop". again this is the mentality of government and empires who think the only way to have peace is to have the biggest weapon/army...let me back up because he leads into these previous lines with some references that make the speaker sound like he is an innocent/naive baby. it demonstrates simplistic, flawed logic that a small child would use to solve the problem, so he is saying the government thinks like a baby or juvenile. we need to grow up if we are to ever truly achieve peace without war and violence....good luck with that though. lol