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,
Pull the blindfold down
So your eyes can't see
Now run as fast as you can
Through this field of trees
Say goodbye to everyone
You have ever known
You are not gonna see them
Ever again
[Chorus:]
I can't shake this feeling I've got
My dirty hands, have I been in the wars?
The saddest thing that I'd ever seen
Were smokers outside the hospital doors
Someone turn me around
Can I start this again?
How can we wear our smiles
With our mouths wide shut
'Cause you stopped us from singin'
[Chorus]
Someone turn me around
Can I start this again?
Now someone turn us around
Can we start this again?
We've all been changed from what we were
Our broken parts left smashed off the floor
I can't believe you
If I can't hear you
I can't believe you
If I can't hear you
(We've all been changed
From what we were
Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor
We've all been changed
From what we were
Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor)
Someone turn me around
(We've all been changed
From what we were)
Can I start this again?
(Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor)
Now someone turn us around
(We've all been changed
from what we were)
Can we start this again?
(Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor)
So your eyes can't see
Now run as fast as you can
Through this field of trees
Say goodbye to everyone
You have ever known
You are not gonna see them
Ever again
[Chorus:]
I can't shake this feeling I've got
My dirty hands, have I been in the wars?
The saddest thing that I'd ever seen
Were smokers outside the hospital doors
Someone turn me around
Can I start this again?
How can we wear our smiles
With our mouths wide shut
'Cause you stopped us from singin'
[Chorus]
Someone turn me around
Can I start this again?
Now someone turn us around
Can we start this again?
We've all been changed from what we were
Our broken parts left smashed off the floor
I can't believe you
If I can't hear you
I can't believe you
If I can't hear you
(We've all been changed
From what we were
Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor
We've all been changed
From what we were
Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor)
Someone turn me around
(We've all been changed
From what we were)
Can I start this again?
(Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor)
Now someone turn us around
(We've all been changed
from what we were)
Can we start this again?
(Our broken parts
Smashed off the floor)
Lyrics submitted by dustfinger
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors Lyrics as written by Edward Owen Lay Christopher Dominic Urbanowicz
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Coming from a background in the emergency department, to me, this song refers to losing a patient. Usually after working your arse off to save a life, and the patient dies, all the staff go outside the ER to smoke, and get rid of the stress...
Say goodbye to everyone You have ever known You are not gonna see them ever again - Refers to nameless patients that die.
My dirty hands, have I been in the wars? - In my opinion could refer to the blood that you have on your gloves while treating.
Someone turn me around Can I start this again? Now someone turn us around Can we start this again? - Begging to have another shot at saving the patient's life, just to have a redo.
We've all been changed From what we were - Seeing people die, changes you.
Our broken parts Left smashed off the floor - There is always blood (broken parts) on the floor of the ER after a hectic case.
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Spoken in the language (without the medical jargon) of an experienced MD, RN, or....CNA? Interesting analysis!
It's not about seeing hopital staff smoking outside the doors to relieve the stress you fool. Editors, Tom Smith in particular, is an anti-smoking enthusiast. His track All Sparks has an anti-smoking theme as well as this one. Smokers outside the hospital doors is about people who are sick with a smoking related disease yet they continue to kill themselves by smoking while they're being treated. <br /> <br /> I can't believe you<br /> If I can't hear you<br /> <br /> and <br /> <br /> Say goodbye to everyone<br /> You have ever known<br /> You are not gonna see them<br /> Ever again<br /> <br /> refers to a person who kills themselves by continuing to smoke while being treated.<br /> I'm an ex-smoker and sometimes I miss it. But if you think about it, the human body is not designed to inhale smoke into it. Cigarette Smoke containing 4000 toxic chemicals which damage the human body, including 43 known cancer-causing toxins.<br /> <br /> For someone working in a hospital you've missed the point.
@Stass88 @DanRoyal Surprisingly they don't cover analysing song lyrics and recognising the background of the songwriter in medical school.