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,
Come on, let's go
She abandoned me, left me out in the cold
No surprises, I guess that's how it goes
Sits across from me, at a booth in this dive
I contemplate how much more I can survive
But I'm alive, so I should be content
Then tell why the hell my whole world is bent
I was sentiment can frustrate the population
In-between the alcohol and the copulation
What you call it, if you build it I will break it
What's wrong? How you doin'? Nah, save it
Gave it a fraction of all I had to give
I guess I hold a grudge, 'cause you still got my rib
With your beautiful eyes, unscrupulous lies
Now watch the circus clown run around in circles and try
Seems like all I get to eat is hope
Girl, if we got along better we'd be dope
Oh walls, they surround me
Loneliness, has found me
And for as much as I complain, I'm lovin' it
And I only mention it so that I can rub it in
Wake up to the sunlight, shake off last night
Check what's left and try to get the rest right
Decision, splitting headache lifting
Symptoms matching, mama was afraid of it
Knowledge of self ain't as evil as they made it
Call it what you want, if you build it they will break it
The plain truth, there's no substitute
But sometimes she bares the disguise (yes you do)
A story teller kills with life not hope
Girl, if we got along better we'd be dope
And that's the sound that a dog will make when he's just been hit by a car
And that's the tone that hits close to home, when the cocaine outlives the star
And that's the noise that disrupts the boys when the cue ball smacks it goal
And these are the words that disturb your earth when I walk away with your hope
She abandoned me, left me out in the cold
No surprises, I guess that's how it goes
Sits across from me, at a booth in this dive
I contemplate how much more I can survive
But I'm alive, so I should be content
Then tell why the hell my whole world is bent
I was sentiment can frustrate the population
In-between the alcohol and the copulation
What you call it, if you build it I will break it
What's wrong? How you doin'? Nah, save it
Gave it a fraction of all I had to give
I guess I hold a grudge, 'cause you still got my rib
With your beautiful eyes, unscrupulous lies
Now watch the circus clown run around in circles and try
Seems like all I get to eat is hope
Girl, if we got along better we'd be dope
Oh walls, they surround me
Loneliness, has found me
And for as much as I complain, I'm lovin' it
And I only mention it so that I can rub it in
Wake up to the sunlight, shake off last night
Check what's left and try to get the rest right
Decision, splitting headache lifting
Symptoms matching, mama was afraid of it
Knowledge of self ain't as evil as they made it
Call it what you want, if you build it they will break it
The plain truth, there's no substitute
But sometimes she bares the disguise (yes you do)
A story teller kills with life not hope
Girl, if we got along better we'd be dope
And that's the sound that a dog will make when he's just been hit by a car
And that's the tone that hits close to home, when the cocaine outlives the star
And that's the noise that disrupts the boys when the cue ball smacks it goal
And these are the words that disturb your earth when I walk away with your hope
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i fkn love this song,
but i'm pretty sure it's "four walls, they surround me."
In between the alcohol and the copulation
We're all there sometimes...
'With your beautiful eyes, unscrupulous lies'
spot on.
this song to me is about a waitress or bartender that he his observing and sees that every night she deals with someone walking away with her hope,
i tell you exactly about this song... but i wont. This girl in this song was written about my ex -fiance, her middle name is Hope. Trust me if we got along better it would have been dope
Babe, "if we got along better, we'd be dope!"