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,
A Salvation Army band played
And the children drunk lemonade
And the morning lasted all day
All day
And through an open window came
Like Sinatra in a younger day
Pushing the town away, ah
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
They sat on the stony ground
And he took out a cigarette out
And everyone else came down
To listen
He said, "In winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze
With John F. Kennedy
And The Beatles" (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
All the work shut down
The evening turned to rain
Watch the water roll down the drain
As we followed him down
To the station
And though he never would wave goodbye
You could see it written in his eyes
As the train pulled out of sight
Bye-bye
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (society's so)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert, so hard that you know)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (so hard to desert)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma
And the children drunk lemonade
And the morning lasted all day
All day
And through an open window came
Like Sinatra in a younger day
Pushing the town away, ah
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
They sat on the stony ground
And he took out a cigarette out
And everyone else came down
To listen
He said, "In winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze
With John F. Kennedy
And The Beatles" (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
All the work shut down
The evening turned to rain
Watch the water roll down the drain
As we followed him down
To the station
And though he never would wave goodbye
You could see it written in his eyes
As the train pulled out of sight
Bye-bye
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (society's so)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert, so hard that you know)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Make it easy on yourself
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya (so hard to desert)
Hey ma ma ma hey-yah (so hard to desert)
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya
Hey ma ma ma
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One of my favs from the 80's. Simply amazing.