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 remember you on eleventh street
with your long brown hair and your wicked smile
And you laughed at me cause I was such a kid
when I kissed the skin above your eye
And we rode the train in each others' arms
out to Coney Island summer nights
Where we lay backs to sand and count ten thousand stars only now you're gone and I don't know why
And all I wanted out of life
was something beautiful to hold onto.
And I latch on my pillowcase
my lungs coated in your perfume
And a picture of you standing on
eleventh street in June.
And other times have changed
and quite regretfully
I am just not much wiser for my years
Cause i still long to stand
on fifth avenue
and watch the cars rush eyes soaked in tears
And there's a place for us
in a better world
If you just never let your beauty slide
And i will wait for you
on eleventh street
Where your thin white body shant change.
And all I wanted out of life
was something beautiful to hold onto.
And I latch on my pillowcase
my lungs coated in your perfume
And a picture of you standing on
eleventh street in June.
And I got back to eleventh street
but it's not the one that's in my mind
Cause now the snow falls hard
on the cold concrete
And I ride the train alone at night.
with your long brown hair and your wicked smile
And you laughed at me cause I was such a kid
when I kissed the skin above your eye
And we rode the train in each others' arms
out to Coney Island summer nights
Where we lay backs to sand and count ten thousand stars only now you're gone and I don't know why
And all I wanted out of life
was something beautiful to hold onto.
And I latch on my pillowcase
my lungs coated in your perfume
And a picture of you standing on
eleventh street in June.
And other times have changed
and quite regretfully
I am just not much wiser for my years
Cause i still long to stand
on fifth avenue
and watch the cars rush eyes soaked in tears
And there's a place for us
in a better world
If you just never let your beauty slide
And i will wait for you
on eleventh street
Where your thin white body shant change.
And all I wanted out of life
was something beautiful to hold onto.
And I latch on my pillowcase
my lungs coated in your perfume
And a picture of you standing on
eleventh street in June.
And I got back to eleventh street
but it's not the one that's in my mind
Cause now the snow falls hard
on the cold concrete
And I ride the train alone at night.
Lyrics submitted by rightawaynow
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i heard this like two days ago and was absolutely blown away by it, by the way the track starts off slow and builds up as well as the simple but powerful and even sad lyrics, absolutely awesome song.