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,
Won't you smile, you look so shocked
Put the name tag on your smock
We've come to see you, Eddie Walker
We may pack a little tight, the girl up front says, it's alright
And look there's more of us still getting off the bus
We wish you'd come back home with us
Eddie Walker, this is your life
This ones you when you were small
And you're learnin' how to walk
They'd pick you up and you keep falling down
There you are with Aunt Louise, you're bouncing on her knees
Remember all those trees behind the garden
They're gone, oh, they all got cut down when she died
Eddie Walker, this is your life, you never had a son or a wife
You sure had a hell of a time, oh, Eddie Walker, this is your life
This one's you and Mary Jo
Well, she couldn't come, she says, hello
No, Eddie Walker and she doesn't hate your guts
It's just the whole thing's shook her up
How they picked you up and you kept falling down
Eddie Walker, this is your life, no, Eddie Walker, this is your life
You never had a coat or a tie, you never had a reason to cry
An' this whole stack and all of these
Are just a mist or overseas
We're gonna leave you, Eddie Walker
Put the name tag on your smock
We've come to see you, Eddie Walker
We may pack a little tight, the girl up front says, it's alright
And look there's more of us still getting off the bus
We wish you'd come back home with us
Eddie Walker, this is your life
This ones you when you were small
And you're learnin' how to walk
They'd pick you up and you keep falling down
There you are with Aunt Louise, you're bouncing on her knees
Remember all those trees behind the garden
They're gone, oh, they all got cut down when she died
Eddie Walker, this is your life, you never had a son or a wife
You sure had a hell of a time, oh, Eddie Walker, this is your life
This one's you and Mary Jo
Well, she couldn't come, she says, hello
No, Eddie Walker and she doesn't hate your guts
It's just the whole thing's shook her up
How they picked you up and you kept falling down
Eddie Walker, this is your life, no, Eddie Walker, this is your life
You never had a coat or a tie, you never had a reason to cry
An' this whole stack and all of these
Are just a mist or overseas
We're gonna leave you, Eddie Walker
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I always took "No, Eddie Walker, she doesn't hate your guts." to mean that she forgave him for the things he did because she understood that they were due to his illness and beyond his control.
"This actually was millimetres from being on the live album...". "It's a really old song (um, it's old to me). I wrote it about a friend. I used to visit him in a halfway home and we'd sit and look at pictures and, er, I guess some of you have been to one of those places. (audience laugh). I've told this before, but it puts it in perspective. I would have to go up to the little attic area that they'd made for him and he'd look through pictures and he'd get sick of that so he'd wanna play guitar and there was a broom with a microphone stand taped to it and he would sing this song that he wrote about his girlfriend, who had a restraining order against him (audience laughs). The song went "Vir-gin-ia, I want to touch you". It was a good song actually. He's all better now." Ben Fold Live in NYC 2003.