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,
I was in love with your beauty from the day you walked my way
Oh how I wish that was enough to have made me want to stay
See I'm as true as I want to be and I must say my girl
I tried the best to give to you all of the truest in the world
But when I left your house that morning in that ragged Thunderbird
I tried so hard to fight the voices from the devil's that I heard
See there's a highway to the right of us I took it a year ago
And since a year ago can't drive past, without turning down that road
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
So give me a try at describing just how difficult it is
When you kinda love two girls to figure out which one you miss
Stumble away from your stairway with your perfume on my clothes
Well I kinda loved two girls but now I've kinda lost 'em both
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
And if I could gather up the damage that I rendered in my life
Place it on a scale and weigh against the damage done that night
Then it'd be safe to say the weight of all I did and didn't do
Would surely float against the lightest wrong I ever did to you
Oh how I wish that was enough to have made me want to stay
See I'm as true as I want to be and I must say my girl
I tried the best to give to you all of the truest in the world
But when I left your house that morning in that ragged Thunderbird
I tried so hard to fight the voices from the devil's that I heard
See there's a highway to the right of us I took it a year ago
And since a year ago can't drive past, without turning down that road
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
So give me a try at describing just how difficult it is
When you kinda love two girls to figure out which one you miss
Stumble away from your stairway with your perfume on my clothes
Well I kinda loved two girls but now I've kinda lost 'em both
And I knew it,
I never should have turned the wheel
And I knew it,
The voices calling me were real
I knew it
Listen to the song they sing
I knew I was wrong
And I knew I was wrong
And if I could gather up the damage that I rendered in my life
Place it on a scale and weigh against the damage done that night
Then it'd be safe to say the weight of all I did and didn't do
Would surely float against the lightest wrong I ever did to you
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Ed Sheeran
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I live right by 74 as well!
good ol' north carolina :D