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,
Saw you take it on the chin outside the Phoenix Motor Inn
You could always find the way to kill the bird and keep the flames
Somehow lighter on your feet, crossing the dark end of the street
Falling harder than a star because you could hear the broken heart within the world
Within the world, that ain't your song, no no, you won't sing along
Mission bugs out every night, they throw themselves into the light
Always waking from a dream of blowing up and burning clean
So you cold and getting wet, sucking the ends of cigarettes
You learn how to love a scar because you could hear a broken heart
But you won't sing that sad song
Saw you run and hide, saw you slide across the sky
But I never saw you down on my side of the road
Saw you take it on the chin and fix it back with bobby pins
Saw you lose before the start, I saw you shining in the dark
Saw you change, saw you choke, saw you running out of rope
Saw you shaking off the blues, saw you recognize a tune
But you won't sing that sad song
Frisco is too much for me too bear
I thought for sure you'd need me there
But I never saw you down on my side of the road
You could always find the way to kill the bird and keep the flames
Somehow lighter on your feet, crossing the dark end of the street
Falling harder than a star because you could hear the broken heart within the world
Within the world, that ain't your song, no no, you won't sing along
Mission bugs out every night, they throw themselves into the light
Always waking from a dream of blowing up and burning clean
So you cold and getting wet, sucking the ends of cigarettes
You learn how to love a scar because you could hear a broken heart
But you won't sing that sad song
Saw you run and hide, saw you slide across the sky
But I never saw you down on my side of the road
Saw you take it on the chin and fix it back with bobby pins
Saw you lose before the start, I saw you shining in the dark
Saw you change, saw you choke, saw you running out of rope
Saw you shaking off the blues, saw you recognize a tune
But you won't sing that sad song
Frisco is too much for me too bear
I thought for sure you'd need me there
But I never saw you down on my side of the road
Lyrics submitted by smallwonderrobot
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
thought for sure you'd meet me there...