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,
Deus does not exit.
But if he does, he lives in the sky above me,
In the fattest largest cloud up there.
He's whiter than white and cleaner then clean.
He wants to reach me.
Deus does not exist.
But if he does I always notice him.
Getting ready in his airy room.
He's picking his gloves so gently off.
He wants to touch me.
I'm walking humbly down a tiny street
Pulling my collar it gets bigger, woooh
I once met him,
It really surprised me,
He put me in a bath tub,
Made me squeeky clean,
Really clean.
To create a universe
You must taste
The forbidden fruit.
He said hi. I said hi,
I was still clean.
Deus does not exist,
But if he does he'd want to get down from that cloud,
First marzipan fingers then marble hands,
More silent than silence and slower than slow,
Diving towards me.
My collar is huge room for two hands,
They start at the chest and move slowly down.
I thought I had seen everything,
He wasn't white and fluffy,
He just had side burns,
He just had side burns,
And a quiff,
He said hi.
I said hi. I was still clean,
I was squeeky clean.
I was surprised.
Just as you would be.
Deus, Deus, Deus, Deus
He does not exist
He does not exist
He does not exist
He does not exist
But if he does, he lives in the sky above me,
In the fattest largest cloud up there.
He's whiter than white and cleaner then clean.
He wants to reach me.
Deus does not exist.
But if he does I always notice him.
Getting ready in his airy room.
He's picking his gloves so gently off.
He wants to touch me.
I'm walking humbly down a tiny street
Pulling my collar it gets bigger, woooh
I once met him,
It really surprised me,
He put me in a bath tub,
Made me squeeky clean,
Really clean.
To create a universe
You must taste
The forbidden fruit.
He said hi. I said hi,
I was still clean.
Deus does not exist,
But if he does he'd want to get down from that cloud,
First marzipan fingers then marble hands,
More silent than silence and slower than slow,
Diving towards me.
My collar is huge room for two hands,
They start at the chest and move slowly down.
I thought I had seen everything,
He wasn't white and fluffy,
He just had side burns,
He just had side burns,
And a quiff,
He said hi.
I said hi. I was still clean,
I was squeeky clean.
I was surprised.
Just as you would be.
Deus, Deus, Deus, Deus
He does not exist
He does not exist
He does not exist
He does not exist
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Are you sure it's not "He just had sideburns, And a coif"? I love this song, BTW. Bjork is my superhero!
Or maybe not...lol i just realized that a quiff is a hairstyle. I learned something new. All this time I was imagining sideburns & a helmet under chainmail.