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'm sorry for the times that I made you scream
For the times that I killed your dreams
For the times that I made your whole world rumble
For the times that I made you cry
For the times that I told you lies
For the times that I watched and let you stumble
It's too bad, but that's me
What goes around comes around, you'll see
That I can carry the burden of pain
'Cause it ain't the first time that a man goes insane
And when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
I suck out all the love I, I'll never be nobody's wife
I'm sorry for the times that I didn't come home
Left you lyin' in that bed alone
Flyin' high in the sky when you needed my shoulder
You're like a stone hangin' round my neck, see
Cut it loose before it breaks my back, see
I've gotta say what I feel before I grow older
I'm sorry but I ain't gonna change my ways
You know I've tried but I'm still the same
I've got to do it my own way
It's too bad, but hey, that's me
What goes around comes around, you'll see
That I can carry the burden of pain
'Cause it ain't the first time, no, that a man goes insane
And when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
Suck out all the love, I, I'll never be nobody's wife
It's too bad, but hey, that's me
What goes around comes around, you'll see
That I can carry the burden of pain
'Cause it ain't the first time, oh no, that a man goes insane
'Cause when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
Suck out his love, I, I'll never be nobody's wife
I'll never be, never be, never gonna be, never gonna be, never gonna be, nobody's wife
For the times that I killed your dreams
For the times that I made your whole world rumble
For the times that I made you cry
For the times that I told you lies
For the times that I watched and let you stumble
It's too bad, but that's me
What goes around comes around, you'll see
That I can carry the burden of pain
'Cause it ain't the first time that a man goes insane
And when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
I suck out all the love I, I'll never be nobody's wife
I'm sorry for the times that I didn't come home
Left you lyin' in that bed alone
Flyin' high in the sky when you needed my shoulder
You're like a stone hangin' round my neck, see
Cut it loose before it breaks my back, see
I've gotta say what I feel before I grow older
I'm sorry but I ain't gonna change my ways
You know I've tried but I'm still the same
I've got to do it my own way
It's too bad, but hey, that's me
What goes around comes around, you'll see
That I can carry the burden of pain
'Cause it ain't the first time, no, that a man goes insane
And when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
Suck out all the love, I, I'll never be nobody's wife
It's too bad, but hey, that's me
What goes around comes around, you'll see
That I can carry the burden of pain
'Cause it ain't the first time, oh no, that a man goes insane
'Cause when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
Suck out his love, I, I'll never be nobody's wife
I'll never be, never be, never gonna be, never gonna be, never gonna be, nobody's wife
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I think this song is not only about her being strong and wanting her freedom but also her being afraid to be committed cuz in past relationships the guys she has dated have been bad guys so she no longer trusts them. "What goes around comes around, and you'll see that I can carry the burden of pain 'cause it ain't the first time that a man goes insane"
Also, she wants to be with a guy but doesn't want to get too close cuz she thinks he's just going to end up hurting her like the other guys have in the past.