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,
Poor old Sisyphus, poor old us
An uphill struggle, no one gives a toss
So we get angry, drunk or lost
Look at us, self pity times two
Abstention for both me and you
Nothing more terrible, nothing more true
Forward I'll go on
I'll push on
Through all the trouble
And I can only try
And enjoy the struggle
In this cosmic tragedy
I could pen another threnody
Of my remaining mortality
This drama we become obesessed
With the mechanics of our final breath
Make the time left a living death
Forward I'll go on
I'll push on
Through all the trouble
And I can only try
And enjoy the struggle
An uphill struggle, no one gives a toss
So we get angry, drunk or lost
Look at us, self pity times two
Abstention for both me and you
Nothing more terrible, nothing more true
Forward I'll go on
I'll push on
Through all the trouble
And I can only try
And enjoy the struggle
In this cosmic tragedy
I could pen another threnody
Of my remaining mortality
This drama we become obesessed
With the mechanics of our final breath
Make the time left a living death
Forward I'll go on
I'll push on
Through all the trouble
And I can only try
And enjoy the struggle
Lyrics submitted by blood is thin
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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.
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.
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.
Not sure how I can reconcile all of the lyrics with this interpretation but I'll throw it out there anyway since no one else has offered anything.
When I first heard this song I immediately thought it was referencing The Troubles in Northern Ireland (Therapy? are from Antrim in N.I) or at least cycles of violence. As someone from the Republic of Ireland, I think its very unlikely that Cairns would pen a line like "Through all the trouble" and not realise what that implied.
The same month the album was released (March 2009) FROM WIKIPEDIA…
"Two British Army soldiers were shot dead and two more seriously injured during a gun attack at Massereene Barracks in County Antrim. The Real IRA claimed responsibility. These were the first British military fatalities in Northern Ireland since 1997."
Though the song obviously wasn't written about that incident in particular, if you look at a timeline of events leading up to the incident, attempts on police officer's lives etc, there is a sense (at least in retrospect) that the violence was leading up to something shocking. FROM WIKIPEDIA…
"The attack came days after a suggestion by Northern Ireland's police chief, Sir Hugh Orde, that the likelihood of a terrorist attack in Northern Ireland was at its highest level for several years."
I can't think of any Therapy song off—hand that directly references The Troubles but their earlier albums (Babyteeth and Pleasure Death particularly) do have a political edge to them with songs like Animal Bones and Loser Cop.
That's my interpretation anyway, I'd be happy for someone to offer an argument against it.