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,
If I did not dream who would you be
And if you did not dream who would I be
Yes there is gold in this mountain
This they cannot mine
Tell me who they need it for
I'll tell you now, they need me more
O Canada girls
I have seen you in your sweaters
In the late night sun at Winnipeg
Growing up with friends and so unhurried
With your secrets I believe
Kept in the longer sleeve
Oh girls
Highways seen from hotel windows
Pumping highway blood
If I say they run from fear
Are things much different standing here?
O Canada girls
When I saw the geese flying north
I remembered the friends of my vision
And a sense I had of other wings
Like faith, light threaded through a psalm
Like our boys fleeing Vietnam
Oh girls
If I drove up eighty-seven
Up past Montreal
Following the bluest veins
Following through icy rains
Would I emerge in the present
And know just where to begin
I'm so sick of forgetting myself to remember who I am
And you say yeah, but why so cold, and so Canadian
I guess it's got to feel like some exodus
And if I succeed, well there will be more of us
And if I don't well I don't really know
Girls
Who have found our unsung nation
Where we left so much land to itself
That everyone had her own mountain
Well if you think of this girl and the dreams that made her
Write your secrets on hornet nest paper
And blow it high across the border
'cause if you did not dream, who would I be?
And if I did not dream who would you be?
And if you did not dream who would I be
Yes there is gold in this mountain
This they cannot mine
Tell me who they need it for
I'll tell you now, they need me more
O Canada girls
I have seen you in your sweaters
In the late night sun at Winnipeg
Growing up with friends and so unhurried
With your secrets I believe
Kept in the longer sleeve
Oh girls
Highways seen from hotel windows
Pumping highway blood
If I say they run from fear
Are things much different standing here?
O Canada girls
When I saw the geese flying north
I remembered the friends of my vision
And a sense I had of other wings
Like faith, light threaded through a psalm
Like our boys fleeing Vietnam
Oh girls
If I drove up eighty-seven
Up past Montreal
Following the bluest veins
Following through icy rains
Would I emerge in the present
And know just where to begin
I'm so sick of forgetting myself to remember who I am
And you say yeah, but why so cold, and so Canadian
I guess it's got to feel like some exodus
And if I succeed, well there will be more of us
And if I don't well I don't really know
Girls
Who have found our unsung nation
Where we left so much land to itself
That everyone had her own mountain
Well if you think of this girl and the dreams that made her
Write your secrets on hornet nest paper
And blow it high across the border
'cause if you did not dream, who would I be?
And if I did not dream who would you be?
Lyrics submitted by aur0ra
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I remember Dar saying something in an interview about how this song was about how Canada girls have more time to grow up because they're all covered in sweaters. So they are unhurried and have time to learn about themselves without showing so much skin to the outside world.