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,
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a nightengale and song will warm my heart
Well ill turn nto a threshing machine and tear that bird apart
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a vampire in case you own a neck
Well ill turn into a silver cross and send me back to heck
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a hydrogen bomb and atomize the air
Well ill turn into a cockroack and youll see if I care
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a super nova and burn up everything
Well ill turn into a black little hole and youll turn into string
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into GOD himself and you will come to me
Then I will not believe in you and then where will you be?
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a nightengale and song will warm my heart
Well ill turn nto a threshing machine and tear that bird apart
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a vampire in case you own a neck
Well ill turn into a silver cross and send me back to heck
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a hydrogen bomb and atomize the air
Well ill turn into a cockroack and youll see if I care
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into a super nova and burn up everything
Well ill turn into a black little hole and youll turn into string
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
But ill turn into GOD himself and you will come to me
Then I will not believe in you and then where will you be?
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget Untwinkle, little ee
My ainly pang'll be regret. A maiden I will dee
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The meaning of the chorus is fairly obvious, isn't it? Something along the lines of, "You're not going to get me pregnant, Get that twinkle out of your eye, My only pain will be regret, I'll die a virgin." Ahem, 'tis rather more poetic in the song, I think.
This is actually based of a really really old folk song called the Two Magicians, but... not exactly traditional like, ne?
"Hello, hello, hello, hello you coal black smith You have done me no harm You never shall have my maidenhead That I have kept so long I'd rather die a maid Ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave Than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky Coal black smith A maiden I will die
She became a duck, a duck all on the stream And he became a water dog and fetched her back again
She became a star, a star all in the night And he became a thundercloud and muffled her out of sight
She became a rose, a rose all in the wood And he became a bumble bee and kissed her where she stood"
etc, etc.
I really like Stephin's take on it though.
Touche.
Hey its another magnetic fields song with vampires! I'm starting to see a theme here. (see born on a train)
Ok I'm Scottish so obviously I understand excactly what the chorus means; Well no my child you wont change me a little, my only pain will be regret for women I will know....hahhahahaha. Seriously I don't think it means anything cos most of the words don't exist at all...
LMFAO!!!!!!
okay. you nailed it. that's quite hilarious.. I didn't realize it before but thats exactly right. sheesh.
Call me crazy, but you know how you can see images in a specific kind of puzzle if you squint your eyes? Well squint your ears and this is what you get
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget. Untwinkle, little ee. My ainly pang'll be regret
my name will not be born, you'll not beget untwinkle little eye My only pang will be regret A maiden I will be
I'm not too sure about the first line But the rest I am
This goes along with a few other of you
So the song is a back and forth between woman and suitor
and the suitor loses after trying to "become god" he just gets ignored!
this is freaking hilarious. its brilliant.
Yes, yasai is right - this is the Magnetic Fields' take on an old folk song. The original, from memory, has him winning, if you could call it that, as she turns into a corpse and he turns into the shroud. I know Steeleye Span, the British folk-rock group, recorded a version years ago.
Wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget with no small child you'll me beget (think begot from the bible) You're not getting me pregnant!
Untwinkle, little ee Untwinkle your eye
My ainly pang'll be regret My only pain will be regret
A maiden I will dee A maiden I will die I'll die a virgin
so the atheist wins? didn't see that one coming.
oh, and can someone translate the chorus into something a little less cypher-ish?