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,
I breathe in slow to compose myself
But the bleeding heart I left on the shelf
Started speeding round, beating half to death
'Cause you're here and you're all mine
So I press my lips down into your neck
And I stay there and I reconnect
Bravery I've been trying to be perfect
It can wait for a while
Scared of hope in my head it's been making me sweat but it turns out
You're here with your head on my chest
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
I breathe out now and we fall back in
Just like before we can re-begin
Let your lungs push slow against my skin
Let it all feel just fine
Gone is the emptiness
We just take what's best and we move on
All that the hurt gets left
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now, it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete
How'd we go without
I don't know it's look like we've made it again
Tell me you'll never look down, down
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incom
I don't wanna look down
I don't want us to break up in the cloud
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
I don't wanna look down
I don't want us to break up in the clouds
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete
But the bleeding heart I left on the shelf
Started speeding round, beating half to death
'Cause you're here and you're all mine
So I press my lips down into your neck
And I stay there and I reconnect
Bravery I've been trying to be perfect
It can wait for a while
Scared of hope in my head it's been making me sweat but it turns out
You're here with your head on my chest
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
I breathe out now and we fall back in
Just like before we can re-begin
Let your lungs push slow against my skin
Let it all feel just fine
Gone is the emptiness
We just take what's best and we move on
All that the hurt gets left
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now, it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete
How'd we go without
I don't know it's look like we've made it again
Tell me you'll never look down, down
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incom
I don't wanna look down
I don't want us to break up in the cloud
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
I don't wanna look down
I don't want us to break up in the clouds
All I want is to stay us, to stay with you now
And the world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete
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I'm falling in love with James Bay with every song I've heard as every song just connects with me. I'm in a tough spot in my life. About a year ago my first girlfriend and I broke up after about a year together and the song Let It Go by him got me through a tough breakup. Now as a senior in high school, Hold Back the River has connected with me as many of my closest friends that I've gone through life with for the last 10 years are going away to school and we are all going our separate ways. Need the Sun to Break and Incomplete have been getting me through recently. I'm gonna spare details, but I met a girl over the summer that I was just infatuated with but she was in a relationship. I was in love from afar for many months and I couldn't really move on to someone else. Need the Sun you Break was the song that got me through there as it just sort of claimed what I had been struggling with. Recently she and her SO broke up and I knew the sun had broken and my chance had come, only to be shut down rather quickly and be told that the feelings were one way. Incomplete has been the song to carry me through an incredibly depressed portion of my life. I know the lyrics imply the song is about a couple who is okay being imperfect and incomplete but the chorus always gets to me and I always hear that no matter what happens: the world is turning, we are growing, and we are incomplete. This is really the song that's gotten me through and will continue to get me through. I'm incomplete and that's okay.
It's really telling you to accept circumstances and move on in life without defining a relationship with hope and optimism, no malice.