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,
You remind me of a snowflake
That falls while comets hit the earth,
Destroying buildings and trees.
But you are so light in the air,
You never disrupt a thing.
Orenda, if you were here
I could walk through you,
Orenda.
In my bed at night I dream you're a ghost
That only cats can see.
Some nights you talk to me.
Some nights you sing me to sleep,
While moonlight showers the room.
Orenda, if you were here
I could walk through you,
Orenda.
In dreams I dance with you.
We dance the best in the kitchen.
While murderers and rapists surround the house.
We don't care,
Because our house is made of feathers.
They wouldn't dare.
In dreams I dance with you,
Though our bodies are made out of wood.
That falls while comets hit the earth,
Destroying buildings and trees.
But you are so light in the air,
You never disrupt a thing.
Orenda, if you were here
I could walk through you,
Orenda.
In my bed at night I dream you're a ghost
That only cats can see.
Some nights you talk to me.
Some nights you sing me to sleep,
While moonlight showers the room.
Orenda, if you were here
I could walk through you,
Orenda.
In dreams I dance with you.
We dance the best in the kitchen.
While murderers and rapists surround the house.
We don't care,
Because our house is made of feathers.
They wouldn't dare.
In dreams I dance with you,
Though our bodies are made out of wood.
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i love the imagery the first verses bring about in my mind, slow motion polarized film closeup shot of a single snowflake falling amidst the world ending.
to me, it's about a person you consider your calm center in a world of chaos, but also someone who you have to dream into being, because you can't be with them in reality for whatever reason. distance, death, still in the closet, etc.
"in my bed at night I dream you're a ghost that only cats can see some nights you talk to me some nights you sing me to sleep while moonlight showers the room,"
that reminds me of memories of people you bring about before you fall asleep at night. why? because when you remember someone, it's almost as if they're with you...at least, in thought. that's how i imagine memories. they're like ghosts of people, or rather, ghosts of what they were to you, anyway.<p><b><i>Edited by delial on May 28 2008, at 03:10AM</i></b></p>