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,
Man, I know we had a lot of tragedies lately.
I just wanna say rest in peace to Aaliyah,
Rest in peace to Left Eye,
Rest in peace to Jam Master Jay,
And everybody lost in the Twin Towers,
And everybody lost period.
All we got is hope!
I wish the way I was living could stop, serving rocks
Knowing the cops is hot when I'm on the block, and I
Wish my brother would of made bail,
So I won't have to travel 6 hours to see him in jail, and I
Wish that my grandmother wasn't sick
Or that we would just come up on some stacks and hit a lick, and I (I wish)
Wish my homies wouldn't have to suffer
When the streets get the upper hand on us and we lose a brother, and I
Wish I could go deep in a zone
And lift the spirits of the world with the words with in this song, and I (I wish)
Wish I could teach a soul to fly
Take away the pain out your hands and help you hold them high, and I
Wish God never gave the men power
To be able to hurt the people inside the Twin Towers, and I (I wish)
Wish God woulda turned they hearts righteous,
When they started to take innocent lives and become snipers, but uh
We will never break, though they devastate, we shall motivate,
And we gotta pray, all we got is faith.
Instead of thinking about who gonna die today,
The Lord is gonna help you feel better, so you ain't gotta cry today.
Sit at the light so long,
And then we gotta move straight forward, 'cause we fight so strong,
So when right go wrong,
Just say a little prayer, get ya money man, life go on, let's hope!
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay
'Cause we hopeful!
I wish that you could show some love,
Instead of hatin' so much when you see some other people comin' up (I wish)
I wish I could teach the world to sing,
Watch the music and have 'em trippin' of the joy I bring, (shit)
I wish that we could hold hands,
Listen instead of dissin' lessons from a grown man, and I (I wish)
Wish the families that lack, but got love, get some stacks
Brand new shack and a lack that's on dubs, and I
Wish we could keep achieving wonders,
See the vision of the world through the eyes of Stevie Wonder, you feel me(I wish)
And I hope all the kids eat,
And don't nobody in my family see six feet, (ya dig)
I hope them mothers stand strong
You can make it whether you with him or your man's gone, and I (I wish)
Wish I could give every celly some commissary,
And no po-po bring the heat on our peace like they did R. Kelly, and I
Wish that D.O.C. could scream again
And bullets could reverse so Pac and Biggie breathe again, (shit) (I wish)
Then one day they could speak again,
I wish that we only saw good news every time we look at CNN,
I wish that enemies could talk,
And that super homie Christopher Reeves could still walk, (I wish)
I wish that we could walk a path, stay doin the right thing
Hustle hard so the kids maintain up in the game, let's hope
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay
'Cause we hopeful!
Wish the earth wasn't so apocalyptic
I try to spread my message to the world the best way I can give it
We can make it always be optimistic,
If you don't listen gotta live my life the best way that I can live it
I pray for justice when we go to court,
Wish it was all good so the country wouldn't have to go to war
Why can't we kick it and just get 'em on,
And in the famous words of Mr. King why can't we all just get along?
Or we can find a better way to shop and please, and I
Hope we find a better way to cop a keys, and I
Wish everybody would just stop and freeze
And ask why are we fulfilling these downfalls and these prophecies
You can be wrong if it's you doubting
With the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains
And only the heavenly father can ease the hurt
Just let it go and keep prayin' on your knees in church and let's hope
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
'Cause we hopeful!
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
'Cause we hopeful!
Let's be hopeful
Let's be hopeful
I just wanna say rest in peace to Aaliyah,
Rest in peace to Left Eye,
Rest in peace to Jam Master Jay,
And everybody lost in the Twin Towers,
And everybody lost period.
All we got is hope!
I wish the way I was living could stop, serving rocks
Knowing the cops is hot when I'm on the block, and I
Wish my brother would of made bail,
So I won't have to travel 6 hours to see him in jail, and I
Wish that my grandmother wasn't sick
Or that we would just come up on some stacks and hit a lick, and I (I wish)
Wish my homies wouldn't have to suffer
When the streets get the upper hand on us and we lose a brother, and I
Wish I could go deep in a zone
And lift the spirits of the world with the words with in this song, and I (I wish)
Wish I could teach a soul to fly
Take away the pain out your hands and help you hold them high, and I
Wish God never gave the men power
To be able to hurt the people inside the Twin Towers, and I (I wish)
Wish God woulda turned they hearts righteous,
When they started to take innocent lives and become snipers, but uh
We will never break, though they devastate, we shall motivate,
And we gotta pray, all we got is faith.
Instead of thinking about who gonna die today,
The Lord is gonna help you feel better, so you ain't gotta cry today.
Sit at the light so long,
And then we gotta move straight forward, 'cause we fight so strong,
So when right go wrong,
Just say a little prayer, get ya money man, life go on, let's hope!
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay
'Cause we hopeful!
I wish that you could show some love,
Instead of hatin' so much when you see some other people comin' up (I wish)
I wish I could teach the world to sing,
Watch the music and have 'em trippin' of the joy I bring, (shit)
I wish that we could hold hands,
Listen instead of dissin' lessons from a grown man, and I (I wish)
Wish the families that lack, but got love, get some stacks
Brand new shack and a lack that's on dubs, and I
Wish we could keep achieving wonders,
See the vision of the world through the eyes of Stevie Wonder, you feel me(I wish)
And I hope all the kids eat,
And don't nobody in my family see six feet, (ya dig)
I hope them mothers stand strong
You can make it whether you with him or your man's gone, and I (I wish)
Wish I could give every celly some commissary,
And no po-po bring the heat on our peace like they did R. Kelly, and I
Wish that D.O.C. could scream again
And bullets could reverse so Pac and Biggie breathe again, (shit) (I wish)
Then one day they could speak again,
I wish that we only saw good news every time we look at CNN,
I wish that enemies could talk,
And that super homie Christopher Reeves could still walk, (I wish)
I wish that we could walk a path, stay doin the right thing
Hustle hard so the kids maintain up in the game, let's hope
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay
'Cause we hopeful!
Wish the earth wasn't so apocalyptic
I try to spread my message to the world the best way I can give it
We can make it always be optimistic,
If you don't listen gotta live my life the best way that I can live it
I pray for justice when we go to court,
Wish it was all good so the country wouldn't have to go to war
Why can't we kick it and just get 'em on,
And in the famous words of Mr. King why can't we all just get along?
Or we can find a better way to shop and please, and I
Hope we find a better way to cop a keys, and I
Wish everybody would just stop and freeze
And ask why are we fulfilling these downfalls and these prophecies
You can be wrong if it's you doubting
With the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains
And only the heavenly father can ease the hurt
Just let it go and keep prayin' on your knees in church and let's hope
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
'Cause we hopeful!
'Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful, hopeful and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
'Cause we hopeful!
Let's be hopeful
Let's be hopeful
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i see what you mean verity it is strange two complete different motives