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,
We are fresh strawberries
Fresh burst of red strawberries
Ripe, turning riper in the bowl
We will soon be rotten
We will all be forgotten
Half remembered rumours of the old
So wouldn't it be easy with
Something to believe in that could
Give us more
Than here's my work
So where's my pay
To buy what I don't need?
Wouldn't it be easy to believe? (To believe?)
To believe? (To believe?)
Thieves believe
Everybody steals
I believe there's nothing to believe
But I'd love the manual
The instruction manual
Oh, liars
Swear that they never lie
Wouldn't it be easy with
Something to believe in that could
Give us more
Than here's my years
So now they're gone
It's time for me to leave
Wouldn't it be easy to believe? (To believe?)
To believe?
Wouldn't it be easy to believe?
Wouldn't it be easy to believe?
We are fresh strawberries
Fresh burst of red strawberries
Ripe, turning riper – so...
Wouldn't it be easy?
Something could give us more
But I don't know
No I don't know
I don't know what I need
Wouldn't it be easy
Oh couldn't it be easy
Shouldn't it be easy
To believe?
Fresh burst of red strawberries
Ripe, turning riper in the bowl
We will soon be rotten
We will all be forgotten
Half remembered rumours of the old
So wouldn't it be easy with
Something to believe in that could
Give us more
Than here's my work
So where's my pay
To buy what I don't need?
Wouldn't it be easy to believe? (To believe?)
To believe? (To believe?)
Thieves believe
Everybody steals
I believe there's nothing to believe
But I'd love the manual
The instruction manual
Oh, liars
Swear that they never lie
Wouldn't it be easy with
Something to believe in that could
Give us more
Than here's my years
So now they're gone
It's time for me to leave
Wouldn't it be easy to believe? (To believe?)
To believe?
Wouldn't it be easy to believe?
Wouldn't it be easy to believe?
We are fresh strawberries
Fresh burst of red strawberries
Ripe, turning riper – so...
Wouldn't it be easy?
Something could give us more
But I don't know
No I don't know
I don't know what I need
Wouldn't it be easy
Oh couldn't it be easy
Shouldn't it be easy
To believe?
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
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.
I think it's about aging. With "fresh strawberries" perhaps representing children and the following paragraphs describing aging and thus being unimportant.
@Hgaudguad I'll buy that. I think you're onto something. I don't know if you're familiar with the album that this song is on. "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action." If you are then maybe you've heard Alex Kapranos mention the "repair manual" in the song "Treason! Animals." He uses that phrase when he's explaining to his friends that "something has really really gone wrong." He tells them to come over and bring the "repair manual." In "Fresh Strawberries" he mentions the "instruction manual." Maybe it's just me but could he be talking about the Bible? I think your interpretation may well be pretty accurate but I'd like to know what you think about the 2nd verse. The stuff about thieves and liars and the instruction manual. <br /> <br /> I agree with what you're saying about the aging thing but the lyrics, "wouldn't it be easy to believe" should be addressed. I think he may be talking about the majority of people in the civilized world who wake up each day, go to work, get paid, buy stuff, pay bills, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I don't know if he's speaking for himself, or if he's speaking for the mass work-a-day multitudes, but a lot of these people want something more out of life than a job they hate. Yet, maybe it's not so easy for them to believe in a higher power like God. There are lyrics to other songs by Franz Ferdinand, like "Evil Eye" that make me think they don't believe in God. So is Alex Kapranos projecting his personal opinion into the personalities of these people who want more out of life? <br /> <br /> Am I even close? Does anyone have Alex's number?
@dpepper73<br /> <br /> Interesting interpretation. I'm a big fan of the band so I'm familiar with the album. Hm... the bit about the manual is very strange, and that's something I couldn't really figure out with this particular set of lyrics. I think you've hit it bang on with the repair manual being the Bible. Then that verse practically means:<br /> "Thieves and liars believe they've done nothing wrong. I have no opinion on that, but I'd love to see the Bible's say on the matter."<br /> <br /> I disagree with your second paragraph, though. I assume " Wouldn't it be easy to believe?" is him saying that he'd like there to be a heaven, but he doesn't believe in it. <br /> "Something to believe in that could<br /> Give us more<br /> Than here's my years"<br /> He's lived his life and then there's nothing afterwards.<br /> <br /> I wish I had Alex's number!<br />
@Hgaudguad Lyrics, like the ones in "Fresh Strawberries," are sometimes hard to figure out because they're so short. They have to be short, especially in a 3-5 minute long song. Usually they're a little easier to understand though. I guess that's what makes a website like this attractive to some people. Speaking of this website, I wonder if there are many songs/lyrics by bands like Nirvana or Beck whose lyrics, for the most part, are just words strung together in an almost random manner.