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,
The way is to climb
The way is to lie still
And let the moon do
Its work on your body
And then to rise
Forests and oceans of lives
And through the way
Of the black rocks splitting wide
And flow ten thousand miles
Well, I've had enough
Wasting my body, my life
I'll come away
Come away from the shallows
Can this sullen child
As bound as the ox that I ride
Climb to the heart
Of the white wind singing high
And blow my frozen eyes?
The way is to lie still
And let the moon do
Its work on your body
And then to rise
Forests and oceans of lives
And through the way
Of the black rocks splitting wide
And flow ten thousand miles
Well, I've had enough
Wasting my body, my life
I'll come away
Come away from the shallows
Can this sullen child
As bound as the ox that I ride
Climb to the heart
Of the white wind singing high
And blow my frozen eyes?
Lyrics submitted by thiagozero
The Snow Leopard Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
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JM had this to say: "I wanted to write a song that reflected the exalted/frustrated way I felt when reading the book, rather than responding to it in a more literal way. Did you see the "Planet Earth" footage of a snow leopard hunting in the Himalayas? So surreal and beautiful..."