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,
Only crazy people
Fall in love with me
They come from all over
To be with me
Bank robbers and killers
Drunks and drug dealers
Only crazy people
Fall in love with me
He came from Carolina
On a west-bound freight train
He didn't have no ticket
But he got here the same
He left me a reminder
With nine months to go
That's why I killed his wife
And wrecked up his home
He fled Mississippi
With me at his side
A trunk full of money
And no place to hide
Well he loved his whiskey
And his fist loved my face
So I buried that man
And they won't find a trace
Fall in love with me
They come from all over
To be with me
Bank robbers and killers
Drunks and drug dealers
Only crazy people
Fall in love with me
He came from Carolina
On a west-bound freight train
He didn't have no ticket
But he got here the same
He left me a reminder
With nine months to go
That's why I killed his wife
And wrecked up his home
He fled Mississippi
With me at his side
A trunk full of money
And no place to hide
Well he loved his whiskey
And his fist loved my face
So I buried that man
And they won't find a trace
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When you're from a chaotic lifestyle, you might drive yourself nuts trying to figure out why only dykes and gang-bangers love you. There's nothing wrong with you, you are not defective, you're just an outlaw by nature. Whatev. No biggie.
"He Came from Carolina On a west-bound freight train He didn't have no ticket"
DUHHHHHHHHHH!!! It's a FREIGHT train (not a passenger train), there are obviously no tickets!
"Only Crazy People Fall in love with me They Come From all over To be with me Bank robbers and killers Drunks and drug dealers Only crazy people Fall in love with me" -Pretty self explainatory
"He Came from Carolina On a west-bound freight train He didn't have no ticket but he got here the same He left a reminder With Nine months to go That's why I killed his wife and wrecked up his home" -Explaining where he came from. Then she says how he knocked her up, so she killed his wife to be with him
"He Fled Mississippi With me at his side A Trunk full of money and no place to hide Well he loved his whiskey and his fists loved my face So I buried that man And they won't find a trace " -He liked to beat her sp she got rid of him
This is a very dark dark song but I think it's a joke at the same time. Just black humour I suppose...
At the D.C. show last week...Michelle said that's it's pretty much how they've both dated some pretty messed up guys in the past. She says she and Jess were chatting about it, and she sang the first line as a joke--and then they went from there. It's lighthearted...but kind of nutso.
About the whole murder thing: "Some people might call this evidence--we just call it a song." - Michelle
Inside joke. It has some very good lyrics. My favourite is: "Well he loved his whiskey, and his fist loved my face." It's better than saying "he was a drunk who abused me," lol.