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,
Love is a drink with a lit cigarette
Love is your mouth that's holding my breath
Love is your hand that covers my breast
Love is the only soldier left
Love is a man in a coat in the rain
Love's every little mistake that he's made
Love is the moment he has to embrace
Love is the only mercy left
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Love is a song that I sing when I'm sad
Love's what I give to the world when I'm glad
Love's every friendship that I've ever had
Love is the only soldier left
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Love is your mouth that's holding my breath
Love is your hand that covers my breast
Love is the only soldier left
Love is a man in a coat in the rain
Love's every little mistake that he's made
Love is the moment he has to embrace
Love is the only mercy left
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Love is a song that I sing when I'm sad
Love's what I give to the world when I'm glad
Love's every friendship that I've ever had
Love is the only soldier left
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hold me beneath your body all night and day
I pray that the morning comes and with me you'll stay
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Hide me inside your heart let me wash away
Lyrics submitted by merchantpierce
Love is the Only Soldier Lyrics as written by Russell Andrew Broom Jann Arden Richards
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
Zombie
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"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
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Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.