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,
The dawn has come
And the wine will run
And the song must be sung
And the flowers are melting
In the sun
I feel I want to be up on the roof
I feel I gotta get up on the roof
Up, up on the roof
Up, up on the roof
Oh the dawn has come
And the song must be sung
And the flowers are melting
What kind of language is this?
What kind of language is this?
I can't hear a word you're saying
Tell me what are you singing
In the sun
All of the birds are laughing
All of the birds are laughing
Come on let's all join in
Come on let's all join in
I want to be up on the roof
I've gotta be up on the roof
Up, up high on the roof
Up, up on the roof
In the sun
And the wine will run
And the song must be sung
And the flowers are melting
In the sun
I feel I want to be up on the roof
I feel I gotta get up on the roof
Up, up on the roof
Up, up on the roof
Oh the dawn has come
And the song must be sung
And the flowers are melting
What kind of language is this?
What kind of language is this?
I can't hear a word you're saying
Tell me what are you singing
In the sun
All of the birds are laughing
All of the birds are laughing
Come on let's all join in
Come on let's all join in
I want to be up on the roof
I've gotta be up on the roof
Up, up high on the roof
Up, up on the roof
In the sun
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More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I think this song is amazing, but the 3 minutes of laughing in the middle kind of bothers me. It would have been OK for like 40 seconds, if even, but 3 minutes is too much, it gets to sound completely phony. I get a mental image of the hummingbird tickling her. But the loudness and the belting of this song is fantastic. Great melody.
everything you just said here? DITTO.<br /> <br /> the first time I heard that part of the song, I sat there the whole time, scratching my head in puzzlement and waiting for it to get back to the awesomeness that is the entirety of the rest of the song.<br />