This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
When I was young
I'd go down by the river
Just about a mile from my home
A million miles from everyone
My eyes could see older
As my ears could hear your song
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Oh, little boys are strange
No one knows they have magic
I kept it in my pocket
Concealed from everyone
But I climbed the highest tree
To sing a bird my song
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
And never needed anyone but you
Instrumental (Harmonica)
We moved to the city
I said I wouldn't minds
Thought you'd stay inside me
It's easy when you're young
But as we rode away
I knew you were gone
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
I'd go down by the river
Just about a mile from my home
A million miles from everyone
My eyes could see older
As my ears could hear your song
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Oh, little boys are strange
No one knows they have magic
I kept it in my pocket
Concealed from everyone
But I climbed the highest tree
To sing a bird my song
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
And never needed anyone but you
Instrumental (Harmonica)
We moved to the city
I said I wouldn't minds
Thought you'd stay inside me
It's easy when you're young
But as we rode away
I knew you were gone
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Oh, to be wise again
Get back to your lazy waters
Never needed anyone but you
Lyrics submitted by planetearth
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I think the concept of this song is similar to the one of "going back"(the notorious byrd lp).The line "Oh, to be wise again"(related to the childhood) is strictly tied up with the line "going back to the things that I learned so well in my youth"(going back).Lazy waters means a phisical/spiritual place to be in a real contact with the magic of life,maybe limited to the childhood;this period of life is seen by the Byrds as centerpiece in a person existance,the real,spontaneous approach to the things that happen around you,not filtered by the social convention,hypocrisy,routine.The singer says with languid regret that when he moved to the city he concealed in his "pocket" that magic,sure that he would preserve that in the adult period.So in Younger then yesterday's "going back" (a cover song)the Byrds feeling is less pessimistic since oneself is able to retrieve the lost feeling of beeing a young girl or boy and....going back with the spirit,make of everyday a magic carpet ride;finally the message,at least for this song is: thinking young and growing older is no sin (younger then yesterday ..in fact).
I think I�m going back to the things that I learned so well in my youth I think I�m returning to those days when I was young enough to know the truth Now there are no games to only pass the time No more electric trains, no more trees to climb But thinking young and growing older is no sin And I can play the game of life to win I can recall the time when I wasn�t ashamed to reach out to a friend Now I think I�ve got a lot more than just my toys to lend Now there�s more to do than watch my sailboat glide And every day can be a magic carpet ride A little bit of courage is all we lack So catch me if you can, I�m goin� back Now there�s more to do than watch my sailboat glide But every day can be a magic carpet ride A little bit of courage is all we lack So catch me if you can, I�m goin� back