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,
Hey where'd everybody go
Everyone I know has blown the coast
Shiver in the wind it shows
All I have are summer clothes
Oh and it brings me down when it's winter time in a summer town
All we are are friends we keep or lose in time
Fade away, the precious ones we keep in mind
I wonder now it I'm the one that you'd leave behind
Cause after Halloween
Everything starts fading
I'm losing everyone
I go down like the sun
You know what I mean
I'm just someone in a summer town
Standing by the old beach house where we stood outside and sang out loud
Now I shiver like a ghost I remember the time that we drew a crowd and
I told you everything I knew in one manic rushing line
I wonder now if I'm the kind that you'd leave behind
Cause after Halloween
Everything starts fading
I'm losing everyone
I go down like the sun
You know What I mean
My whole life is a summer town
I get into the people you met
And the moment comes that you can't forget
Time flies in trajectory
Did you give me more than you took from me
I'm as empty now as a vacant sign
Tonight
After Halloween
Can we stay together
I'm losing everyone
And I come undone
Nothing lasts forever
Last summer's done
Can we find another one
Find another one
I wish I was a spray can, I'd write my name on the world
I wish I was a megaphone with my speaker blown,
To get myself known
In a summer town
Smell sun block on her hot skin in a bungalow before the day begins,
This is some dumb jam it doesn't mean a thing, ecstasy, rave is king,
Fake diamonds shining on her finger.
I'm as bad for you as anyone you ever know,
Still you stole my soul,
Or I gave it to you, get high and do the five five deal,
Rock a fanny pack now from the front,
She's generous with the bumps of fake cocaine,
It was funny once then,
Now it's funny again and I was never able to reach her,
No, maybe the next leap of the creature, maybe then,
Summer dis and then you go away,
Wanna be the hustler school
M-I-A make a paper plane and then you fly away, fly away,
Where's my super secret stupid fucking pocket where I left my bungalow keys,
How am I always waking up in places like these,
Who's been singing all my symphonies,
Rat bastards palliate my infamies,
You'll be burning begging please,
Back to the champ in the little sun dress,
She was reading Nabokov, Miller, and Tess,
Undressed so fine just as you are,
A stone cold rap superstar
And I was never able to reach her
Alright
Everyone I know has blown the coast
Shiver in the wind it shows
All I have are summer clothes
Oh and it brings me down when it's winter time in a summer town
All we are are friends we keep or lose in time
Fade away, the precious ones we keep in mind
I wonder now it I'm the one that you'd leave behind
Cause after Halloween
Everything starts fading
I'm losing everyone
I go down like the sun
You know what I mean
I'm just someone in a summer town
Standing by the old beach house where we stood outside and sang out loud
Now I shiver like a ghost I remember the time that we drew a crowd and
I told you everything I knew in one manic rushing line
I wonder now if I'm the kind that you'd leave behind
Cause after Halloween
Everything starts fading
I'm losing everyone
I go down like the sun
You know What I mean
My whole life is a summer town
I get into the people you met
And the moment comes that you can't forget
Time flies in trajectory
Did you give me more than you took from me
I'm as empty now as a vacant sign
Tonight
After Halloween
Can we stay together
I'm losing everyone
And I come undone
Nothing lasts forever
Last summer's done
Can we find another one
Find another one
I wish I was a spray can, I'd write my name on the world
I wish I was a megaphone with my speaker blown,
To get myself known
In a summer town
Smell sun block on her hot skin in a bungalow before the day begins,
This is some dumb jam it doesn't mean a thing, ecstasy, rave is king,
Fake diamonds shining on her finger.
I'm as bad for you as anyone you ever know,
Still you stole my soul,
Or I gave it to you, get high and do the five five deal,
Rock a fanny pack now from the front,
She's generous with the bumps of fake cocaine,
It was funny once then,
Now it's funny again and I was never able to reach her,
No, maybe the next leap of the creature, maybe then,
Summer dis and then you go away,
Wanna be the hustler school
M-I-A make a paper plane and then you fly away, fly away,
Where's my super secret stupid fucking pocket where I left my bungalow keys,
How am I always waking up in places like these,
Who's been singing all my symphonies,
Rat bastards palliate my infamies,
You'll be burning begging please,
Back to the champ in the little sun dress,
She was reading Nabokov, Miller, and Tess,
Undressed so fine just as you are,
A stone cold rap superstar
And I was never able to reach her
Alright
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One of 3eb's best songs in my opinion, surprised there aren't more comments. The broadest theme I can get from this is change.