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,
Falling in love is sometimes hard
Writing a love song is even harder
Better to leave that to someone else
Someone madder
But this is a song about feeling left out
And this is a song about not being ready
To do what you’ve been told to do
This is the last drink I’m ever gonna have
This is the way that its making me feel
I used to come here to have a good time
But I could feel like this at home
And the couples walk by and they give me the eye
And I can see that the girls just a little bit jealous
Well anytime you want to swap just stop me
Yes people have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
You’re not lonely
I am baby
So the couples walk by and they give me the eye
And it seems like the boys got a thing for me
Well my advice is not to get involved
And closing time’s now non-existant
I could stay till judgement day
I could stay till I get bored of the couples walking by
Yes people have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
You’re not lonely
I am baby
Oooh ooohhh
You’re not lonely
I am baby
A million people in the cosmos tonight
Must be rare in this age of life
But none of them can hold a candle to me
And the couples walk by and they give me the eye
But that’s not what I what I walk
Around the block and never come back one day
I walk around the block and never come back one day
Yes people have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
You’re not lonely
I am baby
Oooh ooohhh
You’re not lonely
I am baby
Writing a love song is even harder
Better to leave that to someone else
Someone madder
But this is a song about feeling left out
And this is a song about not being ready
To do what you’ve been told to do
This is the last drink I’m ever gonna have
This is the way that its making me feel
I used to come here to have a good time
But I could feel like this at home
And the couples walk by and they give me the eye
And I can see that the girls just a little bit jealous
Well anytime you want to swap just stop me
Yes people have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
You’re not lonely
I am baby
So the couples walk by and they give me the eye
And it seems like the boys got a thing for me
Well my advice is not to get involved
And closing time’s now non-existant
I could stay till judgement day
I could stay till I get bored of the couples walking by
Yes people have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
You’re not lonely
I am baby
Oooh ooohhh
You’re not lonely
I am baby
A million people in the cosmos tonight
Must be rare in this age of life
But none of them can hold a candle to me
And the couples walk by and they give me the eye
But that’s not what I what I walk
Around the block and never come back one day
I walk around the block and never come back one day
Yes people have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
People have the nerve to tell me that they’re lonely
You’re not lonely
I am baby
Oooh ooohhh
You’re not lonely
I am baby
Lyrics submitted by life_aint_chess
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Gentle Hour
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No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
"Must be rare in this age of life" is actually "Must be aware of this age-old plight"
In my humble opinion, this song is about wanting to be in love and wanting to find that someone to share your life with, but being unwilling to settle for just anyone. And maybe about feeling pressured to find someone and settle down simply because its what you're expected to do at a certain age and its what everyone around you is doing. Hence "But this is a song about feeling left out / And this is a song about not being ready / To do what you've been told to do"