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,
It's a pointless, small place,
On a map in outer space.
Every second, every day you're gone,
I've got a job, but I can't keep working on it,
Yeah.
I think you are so anointed,
That's why you get so disappointed.
I swear you are so important,
Nothing you do is pointless,
Yeah.
There is no modern mystery,
No mystic chords of memory.
There is no modern mystery,
We're making up our history.
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
And I'm so loud I don't hear you say no.
And I'm so loud I don't hear you say no.
You could really put me in my place,
On a map in outer space.
You've got a real cool constitution,
and it's a come on, but it's not an illusion,
Yeah.
There is no modern mystery,
No mystic chords of memory.
There is no modern mystery,
We're making up our history.
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
No mystic chords of memory. (Oooh)
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
We're making up our history. (Oooh)
There is no modern mystery,
No in-between ancestry.
I didn't mean to hurt ya.
Thought I was dumb/done?,
But I heard ya.
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
No mystic chords of memory. (Oooh)
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
We're making up our history. (Oooh)
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
And we may fight with each others shadows,
It's not so bad, I don't hear you say no.
Yeah,
I'm not so bad, I don't hear you say no.
I'm not so bad, I don't hear you say no.
On a map in outer space.
Every second, every day you're gone,
I've got a job, but I can't keep working on it,
Yeah.
I think you are so anointed,
That's why you get so disappointed.
I swear you are so important,
Nothing you do is pointless,
Yeah.
There is no modern mystery,
No mystic chords of memory.
There is no modern mystery,
We're making up our history.
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
And I'm so loud I don't hear you say no.
And I'm so loud I don't hear you say no.
You could really put me in my place,
On a map in outer space.
You've got a real cool constitution,
and it's a come on, but it's not an illusion,
Yeah.
There is no modern mystery,
No mystic chords of memory.
There is no modern mystery,
We're making up our history.
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
No mystic chords of memory. (Oooh)
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
We're making up our history. (Oooh)
There is no modern mystery,
No in-between ancestry.
I didn't mean to hurt ya.
Thought I was dumb/done?,
But I heard ya.
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
No mystic chords of memory. (Oooh)
There is no modern mystery, (Oooh)
We're making up our history. (Oooh)
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah, Woah-oowoah.
And we may fight with each others shadows,
It's not so bad, I don't hear you say no.
Yeah,
I'm not so bad, I don't hear you say no.
I'm not so bad, I don't hear you say no.
Lyrics submitted by cynical_catastrophy, edited by asSTARSfallx
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I just like how this song feels! Haha, I wish I had better input than that, but that's all I have.