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,
No words, my tears won't make any room for 'em
Oh, and it don't hurt
Like anything I've ever felt before
This is no broken heart
No familiar scars
This territory goes uncharted
Just me in a room sunk down in a house in a town
And I don't breathe
No, I never meant to let it get away from me
No, I'm too much to hold
Everybody has to get their hands on gold
And I want uncharted
Stuck under the ceiling I made
I can't help but feeling
I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started, it's all uncharted
La, la, la-la-ah, oh
Each day I'm countin' up the minutes
'Til I get alone, 'cause I can't stay
In the middle of it all, it's nobody's fault, but I'm
So alone, never knew how much I didn't know
Oh, everything is uncharted
I know I'm getting nowhere
When I only sit and stare like
I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started, it's all uncharted
Jump start my kaleidoscope heart
Love to watch the colors fade
They may not make sense
But they sure as hell made me
I won't go as a passenger, no
Waiting for the road to be laid
Though I may be going down
I'm taking flame over burning out
Compare
Where you are to where you want to be
And you'll get nowhere
I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started
Oh, I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started, it's all uncharted
La, la, la-ah
Oh, and it don't hurt
Like anything I've ever felt before
This is no broken heart
No familiar scars
This territory goes uncharted
Just me in a room sunk down in a house in a town
And I don't breathe
No, I never meant to let it get away from me
No, I'm too much to hold
Everybody has to get their hands on gold
And I want uncharted
Stuck under the ceiling I made
I can't help but feeling
I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started, it's all uncharted
La, la, la-la-ah, oh
Each day I'm countin' up the minutes
'Til I get alone, 'cause I can't stay
In the middle of it all, it's nobody's fault, but I'm
So alone, never knew how much I didn't know
Oh, everything is uncharted
I know I'm getting nowhere
When I only sit and stare like
I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started, it's all uncharted
Jump start my kaleidoscope heart
Love to watch the colors fade
They may not make sense
But they sure as hell made me
I won't go as a passenger, no
Waiting for the road to be laid
Though I may be going down
I'm taking flame over burning out
Compare
Where you are to where you want to be
And you'll get nowhere
I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started
Oh, I'm going down
Follow if you want, I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out
A foolproof idea, so don't ask me how
To get started, it's all uncharted
La, la, la-ah
Lyrics submitted by skydetective
Uncharted Lyrics as written by Sara Beth Bareilles
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
I think this song is about her getting over a break up.
"I'm counting up the minutes 'til I get alone 'cause I can't stay In the middle of it all it's nobody's fault but I'm So low."
That's my favorite part.
"Though I may be going down I'll take in flame over burning out" Oh and this part i think she is saying even though she lost she learnt something from that experience.