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,
Dragged down into lowercase
Trying to get your cops to talk right
But they can't put the paper in your face
You're just trying to walk by
So now I got a new game baby
No one's gonna recognize it
Your broken English over their flat, tired remarks
Still trying to bring some dead beauty back to life
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead
I can do everything that your man does except for better
Got no interest now in undressing your kids with cheap angst love
Letters
You write your name in all of the places no one goes
Some can't be satisfied until everybody knows
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead (come on)
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead
Trying to get your cops to talk right
But they can't put the paper in your face
You're just trying to walk by
So now I got a new game baby
No one's gonna recognize it
Your broken English over their flat, tired remarks
Still trying to bring some dead beauty back to life
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead
I can do everything that your man does except for better
Got no interest now in undressing your kids with cheap angst love
Letters
You write your name in all of the places no one goes
Some can't be satisfied until everybody knows
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead (come on)
Isn't it pretty? Yeah
I'm gonna see my city dead
Lyrics submitted by high times
Fear City Lyrics as written by Steven Paul Smith
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"You write your name in all of the places no one goes"
Reminds me of graffiti.
yeah, I always think of people that write on the walls of a place they hang out in like "Steve waz ere!" and stuff like that. Like they're showing off they can go to places people are scared of, or they are the ones people are scared of.