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,
Sweet Emmylou, I blew the dust off you
Your the only one who knows what I'm going though
Like the hickory wind, he's gone again
Sweet Emmylou
Sweet Emmylou, as the needle runs through you
The way the pain shines through
Well, I know you've been there too
Those sad melodies,oh, how they comfort me
Sweet Emmylou
Well, I hate to bother you again
Last time you helped my poor heart mend
Then he came along
So I put your records all away
Thought happy songs was all I'd ever play
But I was wrong, oh, I was wrong
Sweet Emmylou, what are we gonna do
It's only been a week or two
And he's found someone new
Looks like it's gonna be
Another night of you and me
Sweet Emmylou
Well, I hate to bother you again
Last time you helped my poor heart mend
Then he came along
So I put your records all away
Thought happy songs was all I'd ever play
But I was wrong, oh, I was wrong
Sweet Emmylou, sweet Emmylou, sweet Emmylou
Your the only one who knows what I'm going though
Like the hickory wind, he's gone again
Sweet Emmylou
Sweet Emmylou, as the needle runs through you
The way the pain shines through
Well, I know you've been there too
Those sad melodies,oh, how they comfort me
Sweet Emmylou
Well, I hate to bother you again
Last time you helped my poor heart mend
Then he came along
So I put your records all away
Thought happy songs was all I'd ever play
But I was wrong, oh, I was wrong
Sweet Emmylou, what are we gonna do
It's only been a week or two
And he's found someone new
Looks like it's gonna be
Another night of you and me
Sweet Emmylou
Well, I hate to bother you again
Last time you helped my poor heart mend
Then he came along
So I put your records all away
Thought happy songs was all I'd ever play
But I was wrong, oh, I was wrong
Sweet Emmylou, sweet Emmylou, sweet Emmylou
Lyrics submitted by Cest-La-Vie
Sweet Emmylou Lyrics as written by Catherine Elisabeth Britt Rory Feek
Lyrics © Anthem Entertainment
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.