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,
Well, if I spell it out, if I yell it out
Will you hear me when I tell you 'bout
What I have to say, 'fore it gets to late?
It's not as easy as I said it'd be
But there's something right about you and me
Something right about you and me
Well, you're the color of a burning book
You're the color of a sideways look from an undercover cop in a comic book
You're the color of a storm in June
You're the color of the moon
You're the color of the night, that's right
Color of a fight, you move me
You're the color of the colored part of the Wizard of Oz movie
We're like Romeo and Juliet
We're like 40 dogs, cigarettes
We're good times that haven't happened yet, but will
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea
We'll be living ever after, happily
All the boys taking you for granted
Tell you what they want with their eyes all slanted
I don't like the way they look at you
I don't like the way they talk to
I don't like the way they talk to you
I wouldn't let 'em talk to you like that
Put 'em up high, reach for the ceiling
Tell them that I'ma walk, damn it I'm reelin'
It ain't no crime, it's just dreams we're stealing
Anything to get more of this feeling
You take the high and I'll take the low
We'll get their before you know
We ain't got no time to waste
We got too much life to taste
We're like Romeo and Juliet
And 40 dogs, cigarettes
We're good times that haven't happened yet, but will
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea
We'll be living ever after, happily
Sometimes you remind me of a moonbeam
On the ghost of a moonbeam out on the beach down by the coast
Slipping through the nil like
The most beautiful thing I've ever seen
Come out tonight, come out with me, baby
We'll throw the careful into the crazy
Turn the sky black into a sky blue
Turn the close shave into a hoo-hoo
What I say is true, make fire gotta, burn a few
Make fire, gotta burn a few
We can do what we wanna do
We're like Romeo and Juliet
40 dogs, cigarettes
We're good times that haven't happened yet, but will
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea
We'll be living ever after, happily
Will you hear me when I tell you 'bout
What I have to say, 'fore it gets to late?
It's not as easy as I said it'd be
But there's something right about you and me
Something right about you and me
Well, you're the color of a burning book
You're the color of a sideways look from an undercover cop in a comic book
You're the color of a storm in June
You're the color of the moon
You're the color of the night, that's right
Color of a fight, you move me
You're the color of the colored part of the Wizard of Oz movie
We're like Romeo and Juliet
We're like 40 dogs, cigarettes
We're good times that haven't happened yet, but will
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea
We'll be living ever after, happily
All the boys taking you for granted
Tell you what they want with their eyes all slanted
I don't like the way they look at you
I don't like the way they talk to
I don't like the way they talk to you
I wouldn't let 'em talk to you like that
Put 'em up high, reach for the ceiling
Tell them that I'ma walk, damn it I'm reelin'
It ain't no crime, it's just dreams we're stealing
Anything to get more of this feeling
You take the high and I'll take the low
We'll get their before you know
We ain't got no time to waste
We got too much life to taste
We're like Romeo and Juliet
And 40 dogs, cigarettes
We're good times that haven't happened yet, but will
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea
We'll be living ever after, happily
Sometimes you remind me of a moonbeam
On the ghost of a moonbeam out on the beach down by the coast
Slipping through the nil like
The most beautiful thing I've ever seen
Come out tonight, come out with me, baby
We'll throw the careful into the crazy
Turn the sky black into a sky blue
Turn the close shave into a hoo-hoo
What I say is true, make fire gotta, burn a few
Make fire, gotta burn a few
We can do what we wanna do
We're like Romeo and Juliet
40 dogs, cigarettes
We're good times that haven't happened yet, but will
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea
We'll be living ever after, happily
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40 dogs = a 40oz beer cigarettes = cigarettes.. he's saying they go together. listen to explanations of songs on his website.