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,
Once upon a lifetime
The spirits of the dark
Came to kill the beauty
Of our world
Every soul was spell bound
And prisoned into ice
Just shining through
Sad as a blue tattoo
[Chorus]
Tears have turned to ice
As a sacrifice
Broken voices rise
From the age of the ice
To the raging skies
And they exorcise
'Cause on judgment day
We must hide - we must fight - we must pray - hey
It's a blue tattoo
But the monks of mercy
They prayed for every soul
'Til the sword of fire
Took control
In a crash of thunder
The ice broke into two
And shining through
There was the blue tattoo
[Chorus]
You know
Down low
There's a light - it's a true - blue tattoo
Just go
Down low
Gotta hide now - gotta fight now -
Gotta save your soul and pray
Gotta break the ice away
Gotta find the true blue tattoo
The spirits of the dark
Came to kill the beauty
Of our world
Every soul was spell bound
And prisoned into ice
Just shining through
Sad as a blue tattoo
[Chorus]
Tears have turned to ice
As a sacrifice
Broken voices rise
From the age of the ice
To the raging skies
And they exorcise
'Cause on judgment day
We must hide - we must fight - we must pray - hey
It's a blue tattoo
But the monks of mercy
They prayed for every soul
'Til the sword of fire
Took control
In a crash of thunder
The ice broke into two
And shining through
There was the blue tattoo
[Chorus]
You know
Down low
There's a light - it's a true - blue tattoo
Just go
Down low
Gotta hide now - gotta fight now -
Gotta save your soul and pray
Gotta break the ice away
Gotta find the true blue tattoo
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