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,
Kitty came back home from on the island
But Kitty came on home without a name
She and me's history of violence
But I long and burn to touch her just the same
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
Every single sense in me is heightened
There's nothing left inside to re-arrange
Like a slave to history and science
How long I burn to touch you just the same?
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
Until the Universe is done
Ah-ah-ah-oh
And the course of time has run
Ah-ah-ah-oh
So we both can speak in tongues
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Don't let them have their way
Don't let them have their way
You're beautiful and so blasé
So please don't let them have their way
Don't fall back into the decay
There is no law we must obey
So please don't let them have their way
And don't give in to yesterday
We can build a new tomorrow, today
We can build a new tomorrow, today
We can build a new tomorrow, today
We can build a new tomorrow, today
Today
Today
But Kitty came on home without a name
She and me's history of violence
But I long and burn to touch her just the same
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
Every single sense in me is heightened
There's nothing left inside to re-arrange
Like a slave to history and science
How long I burn to touch you just the same?
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
So we both can speak in tongues
Ah-ah-ah-oh
Until the Universe is done
Ah-ah-ah-oh
And the course of time has run
Ah-ah-ah-oh
So we both can speak in tongues
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Hah-oh
Don't let them have their way
Don't let them have their way
You're beautiful and so blasé
So please don't let them have their way
Don't fall back into the decay
There is no law we must obey
So please don't let them have their way
And don't give in to yesterday
We can build a new tomorrow, today
We can build a new tomorrow, today
We can build a new tomorrow, today
We can build a new tomorrow, today
Today
Today
Lyrics submitted by KT-
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Another Love
Tom Odell
Tom Odell
I think the meaning is pretty clear. This person got really burned in a previous relationship, and because of this is unable to love and show care in his present one, even though he so badly wants to. It's lovely song, and very sad. You can really feel how defeated and frustrated he is with himself.
'Speaking in Tongue' usually refers to the saying of 'tongue in cheek', not speaking clearly of what you mean. And I guess 'speaking in tongue' is just a reference to speaking the language of love.
Of course, 'speak in tongue' hints at a relationship that's only build on desire, but I don't think that's the case because of the last lines of the song: 'We can build a new tomorrow, Today' - that's something you say when you want a commitment and not just sex. And that's all the protagonist wants. He knows he has messed up before but she's back and he wants to be with her again.
He wants to kiss her, but there are people not in favor of the relationship. The interesting part is that the protagonist changes the person he's addressing in the song. At first, he tells the audience about that girl Kitty. But then he stops addressing the audience, and addresses her directly: 'I burn to touch you just the same.'
And he wants her not to listen to what others are saying, but he wants to rebuild their relationship because he's learned from his mistakes. Since we have that shift in who the narrator is talking, too, his words to her are probably the reason what might throw her life out of balance. But we never know because we have no idea how it all turns out for those too.