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,
Well the steel in his strings
Cuts into his fingers
And the lines that are left
He knows so well
And the words that he screams
Sift through the smoke and sweat
While his wandering mind
Tries to tell...
To tell him he's uninspired
In some weary, absent way
To tell him he's simply tired...
Then the sound rolls in
And lifts him up and in to the place he should've been
Then the sound rolls in, and lifts him up and in
And when all has been drained
He wrestles with the feeling
Of an unfelt refrain that he knew too well
And the words that he hears,
Because they compliment
Are the words that he fears,
Because they tell...
They tell him he's uninspired
In some weary absent way
They tell him he's simply hired here.
Then the sound rolls in.
And lifts him up and in to the place he should've been
Then the sound rolls in...
Cuts into his fingers
And the lines that are left
He knows so well
And the words that he screams
Sift through the smoke and sweat
While his wandering mind
Tries to tell...
To tell him he's uninspired
In some weary, absent way
To tell him he's simply tired...
Then the sound rolls in
And lifts him up and in to the place he should've been
Then the sound rolls in, and lifts him up and in
And when all has been drained
He wrestles with the feeling
Of an unfelt refrain that he knew too well
And the words that he hears,
Because they compliment
Are the words that he fears,
Because they tell...
They tell him he's uninspired
In some weary absent way
They tell him he's simply hired here.
Then the sound rolls in.
And lifts him up and in to the place he should've been
Then the sound rolls in...
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