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,
How do I explain myself,
Could it be written in a book
Is it visual?
Cause everything I'm doing girl it just don't seem to be enough
Oh what am I supposed to do?
How am I to show my love for you
Everything I do, girl its all for you
Girl give me half a chance
I'll give you what you've been missin' in a man
Girl give me half a chance
I'll give you what you've been missin' in a man
You got your own set rules
And I'm tired of learning from you
So excuse me while I get away
I'll be better off in my own space
Ain't it funny how, now, that leaving
You want to give me everything
But that's not how its supposed to be
Maybe I'll give you a chance
Takin' me all that I need in a man
What makes you think you can
I need a reason (to give you one more chance)
I'm already out the door
Ain't no need to say no more
Cause I'm not what ya lookin' for
And maybe after everything I'm mad ya left me here
It was so obvious you didn't care
Baby I know you want trust (i'll do my best make it up)
Baby please listen, don't fuss
I'll do whatever it will take (to make up for my mistake)
I think its time for us
I know it seems like I'm begging
But I don't want you to slip away
Now ain't it funny when ya learning
I should of been the one concerning
All ya wanna do now is conversate
When we all ready know its too late
If I don't make it back alright
I want to make ya feel alright
Could it be written in a book
Is it visual?
Cause everything I'm doing girl it just don't seem to be enough
Oh what am I supposed to do?
How am I to show my love for you
Everything I do, girl its all for you
Girl give me half a chance
I'll give you what you've been missin' in a man
Girl give me half a chance
I'll give you what you've been missin' in a man
You got your own set rules
And I'm tired of learning from you
So excuse me while I get away
I'll be better off in my own space
Ain't it funny how, now, that leaving
You want to give me everything
But that's not how its supposed to be
Maybe I'll give you a chance
Takin' me all that I need in a man
What makes you think you can
I need a reason (to give you one more chance)
I'm already out the door
Ain't no need to say no more
Cause I'm not what ya lookin' for
And maybe after everything I'm mad ya left me here
It was so obvious you didn't care
Baby I know you want trust (i'll do my best make it up)
Baby please listen, don't fuss
I'll do whatever it will take (to make up for my mistake)
I think its time for us
I know it seems like I'm begging
But I don't want you to slip away
Now ain't it funny when ya learning
I should of been the one concerning
All ya wanna do now is conversate
When we all ready know its too late
If I don't make it back alright
I want to make ya feel alright
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
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
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
Zombie
Cranberries, The
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.