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,
She shimmers like the surface of a swimming pool
Staring out of blue horizon eyes
She's flippin' through the pages of the interview
Her fingernails are diamond white
She winces at the passing of a careless thought
Of butchered bodies in the morgue
And then she shakes her hair across her eyes
Like a closed blonde door
The crime wasn't low self-esteemed this time, they joked
As they loaded in the back door for a couple of stiffs
Up on Skyline Drive
A pastel sunset colored the sky, the city below them
He points down to the place that he lives from
Up on Skyline Drive
Marble furniture the color of toothpaste
She sits beside the pool out in the sun
Teabag floats as if an astronaut in space
And menstruates in a silver cup
Sentry system picking up a bearded man
He's muttering under his breath
Up in the helicopter cameras roll as he's shot to death
Staring out of blue horizon eyes
She's flippin' through the pages of the interview
Her fingernails are diamond white
She winces at the passing of a careless thought
Of butchered bodies in the morgue
And then she shakes her hair across her eyes
Like a closed blonde door
The crime wasn't low self-esteemed this time, they joked
As they loaded in the back door for a couple of stiffs
Up on Skyline Drive
A pastel sunset colored the sky, the city below them
He points down to the place that he lives from
Up on Skyline Drive
Marble furniture the color of toothpaste
She sits beside the pool out in the sun
Teabag floats as if an astronaut in space
And menstruates in a silver cup
Sentry system picking up a bearded man
He's muttering under his breath
Up in the helicopter cameras roll as he's shot to death
Lyrics submitted by JoKeR4MeNToR
Skyline Drive Lyrics as written by Stephen Perry
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Man, I'm so terrible at analyzing songs...
I'm guessing this song is about people's desensitization of violence, of death? And/or society's dwindling compassion towards their fellow man?